Peter Sellers: The Early Shorts (UK) (BFI article)
In the 1950's, before Sellers' career really got going, he starred in a handful of short films, a trio of which were shown here. The common link between them is Sellers' character, Hector Dimwiddle, a hardworking but often unsuccessful middle class gent, put upon by his inlaws, and unknowingly reliant on his dependable wife.
Two of the films, Dearth of a Salesman and Insomnia is Good For You were considered lost for many years before turning up in the late 90's. These were presented in what looked like a restored digital print. The third, Cold Comfort, was in much poorer condition, but still watchable. You can see clips of the first two here.
These films were roughly cut, and it was clear both actor and director were feeling their way with the filmmaking techniques at the time, which lends a certain charm. Sellers later talents of vocal mimicry and physical slapstick are seen in an early stage, and it was nice to see some examples of the proving ground he used to hone them. But ultimately, these films are more of a lighthearted distraction than a necessary pilgrimage for Sellers' fans, and if you were not to catch them in your lifetime, you have more accessible and entertaining examples of his work to fall back on. 6/10
A Life of Crime (US) (wiki)
Jennifer Aniston gets a bit of flak as an actress, probably due to being the most annoying one from Friends, plus some pretty awful adverts ('here comes the science bit...!'). But she's also managed a few unexpectedly good turns as well - she had a credit in South Park, of all things, and you can't fault her in Office Space, and...
Well, we can also add A Life of Crime to that list. Aniston's character, Mickey, is the frustrated trophy wife of Tim Robbins' Frank, and they spend their time letting everyone know how happy they are together, at golf clubs and swanky parties. It's all a front, and the love left their lives long ago.
But it was convincing enough to encourage small time crooks Louie and Ordell to take a pop at some amateur hostage taking, using the local nazi gun nut's house as a place to keep her while they wait for the money to roll in. But when Frank sees this as an opportunity to get out of his nightmare marriage without having to pay divorce fees, Mickey's future depends wholly on the unpredictable nature of her captors.
A pretty standard crime caper is made much more fun by some well-known faces and some sharp dialogue, the main thrust of the plot nicely complicated by the sleuthing of good-intentioned but unappealing neighbour Marshall, who has always been hovering around the cadaver of their relationship waiting to see what he can salvage for himself. 7.5/10
I Believe in Unicorns (US) (official site)
Director Leah Meyerhoff laid herself bare on the celluloid in this semi-autobiographical, kickstarted film about Davina, a young teen who one day leaves her life of caring for her sick mother, and takes off with an older boy with which she falls in desperate love. A moody, petty criminal, Sterling can do no wrong in her eyes, even when it is clear he could be a danger to be around. When he suggests they climb into his battered car and keep driving, she can't help but follow.
Mayerhoff's film is about a young woman maturing both sexually and emotionally; the audience is asked to sit there helpless, hoping that Davina can see for herself whether Sterling is the right man for her before she passes the point of no return. Cleverly, the film presents some degree of ambiguity, suggesting that these two can be happy together, and, as in Davina's emerging fantasies, she can soothe the wounds that cause the problems between them, so it is some way in before we can guess the outcome. Some of it can be difficult to watch, such as Davinas' ever willingness to present her body as a solution whenever there is a problem between them, but this is necessary in a realistic character study of blind love and desperation for a life less ordinary. 7.5/10
The Case Against 8 (US) (official site)
This documentary comes at a time when many have heard about the changes in the US constitution that came about largely as a result of the retelling of events. In California in 2008, same-sex couples were allowed to marry, but, as is often the case with progressive gains, there were many who took offence to this (gee, I wonder who they could be), and very quickly, Proposition 8 was created - which reinstated a previous ban not more than a few months after same sex marriages were allowed. All those couples who had been married in the interim received an impersonal letter telling them it had been annulled.
Two couples however decided to fight the ruling, and brought an appeal that was to stand out for two reasons - first that it would take five years to finally be resolved, and that it brought together the legal minds of two individuals you would have expected never to agree on anything.
David Boles and Ted Olsen were on opposite sides of the 2000 presidential election controversy, where Al Gore's people were demanding a pivotal recount. Taking sides reflecting their political colours, Boles fought for Gore, and Olsen for Bush. Bush won and the rest is history, so to find common ground in marriage equality from both sides of the political spectrum was both a surprise and a feather in the cap; cross-party support showed that this was not a political issue.
Some may ask: what's the big deal? Same sex couples can have civil partnerships and receive all the same rights as hetero couples. But people are being discriminated against based upon nothing more than who they are. If a law was to be passed requiring that people with black hair were not allowed to ride on the front seats of a bus, would those affected be happy as there are lots of seats they could sit on? I suspect even those who never use public transport would feel aggrieved about such an arcane decision.
The Case Against 8 tells the story from the appeals side, using footage filmed in the legal offices and courts, with news reports and talking heads mixed in for good measure. It's an important historical document of how the right will eventually happen, told with surprising humour and a focus on the human lives hanging in the balance on the decision. Many times over the years they seemed to have won, only for the opposition to appeal and take things higher. Victory would take a long time coming, but eventually it did, and the eventual ruling - that same sex marriage bans do not benefit anyone and discriminate unfairly, and is thus unconstitutional - became the catalyst for other states to follow suit. Many subsequent statues have fallen with 19 states currently supporting same sex marriage. Hopefully, eventually, they will all fall. 8/10
Violet (Ned/Bel) (review)
Who can tell how a person will react in the heat of the moment? For Jesse, a young teen in a shopping mall, his is to stand dumbfounded as his friend is stabbed and killed in front of him. Quiet and introverted, he relies on the comforting embrace of his other friends to help him through the difficult aftermath, but when it becomes clear that he failed to do anything to stop it, some of his peers begin to push him out of the group.
Violet is very bare-boned, with a lot of long, drawn out shots with not a lot happening. Some of this is down to the tension of the moment, of Jesse's racing mind behind a stoic expression, but it can get a bit samey and feels forced sometimes. The first, lauded feature film by director Bas Devos; it does tackle the aftermath of such an event in a very atmospheric manner, it does feel like a film that was stretched out to pass the hour milestone required to count as a full feature. And celebrated talk of a final scene being 'amazing' - well, I couldn't see what the protracted 9-minte shot ending in an overenthusiastic smoke machine was really trying to say. 5/10
Showing posts with label CIFF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CIFF. Show all posts
Cambridge Film Festival 2014 (Part 2)
Tir (Ita/Cro) (imdb)
The lonely life of a long distance lorry driver doesn't have a lot of leeway to grow into something larger, and one way to make sure of that is to confine the majority of the film to inside the cab. Despite this, Tir does well with it's confinements. Branco has been with his firm for a few months, earning a substantially larger wage packet than he did as a teacher. Though this provides for his far-away family (which he keeps in touch with via the cab radio), it means a lot of time away from them on the road. Shot much like a documentary, we join Branco and his cab partner Maki as they take turns sleeping and driving across Europe. Moving slowly, the film captures the increasing realisation that Branco needs to reassess his career once more, as Maki moves on without a replacement, his bosses want more and more from him, and the increasingly strained conversations with his wife suggest he might want to be at home more, lest she start some shenanigans with a family friend.
Tir will probably be too slow for some, but what eventually emerges is the not so glamorous life on the road for thousands of truck drivers the world over, the film highlighting the early starts, claustrophobic conditions and the colourful characters encountered along the way. I certainly have a better appreciation of such careers, and would be quite happy not switching mine, thank you very much. 7/10
The Kidnapping of Michel Houellbecq (Fra) (review)
Did you notice that 'Fra' bit in the title up there? Did that set off any alarm bells for you? If you wondered maybe this might be an annoying French film, you would be right!
I didn't know who Michel Houellbecq was prior to this film, and maybe it would have been a good idea to find out who he was before watching the film. He is apparently a prolific and controversial author and filmmaker, who during a book tour in 2011, fell off the radar for a while. Some people thought maybe he had been kidnapped, and thus the premise of the film was born.
Houellbecq decided to lend himself to the title role, and plays what the blurb assures me is a caricature of himself, although not one as entertaining as Bruce Campbell did in My Name is Bruce. Instead, he is a shambling, withered and thoroughly annoying man, forever trudging the streets of France being philosophically French (yes, again) at the most mundane of subjects with anyone who will engage him in conversation. His flappy, gummy mouth bibbles out guff and spittle, and do please cover your ears when he is eating, as it is not a sound you want your head to be invaded by.
I would like to think that this thoroughly dislikeable character is indeed a caricature of the man, but I will have to blame that on my optimistic outlook on life.
The film, never intended as a serious character study, fulfils the intention of the title - eventually - as a trio of brothers, all meat-headed bodybuilders, follow him, bundle him in a box, and take them to their parent's house, who seem completely okay with holding him to ransom. Everyone is uncharacteristically polite, and very little goes on outside the house - either to hurry along the ransom demands (they just seem to wait for someone to notice he is missing), or for any alarm bells to be raised. Instead, the whole experience focuses on a variant of Stockholm Syndrome; after some polite introductions and more than a little chainsmoking, the captors relax their already limp grip on him, and begin to debate with him at the dinner table.
As a kidnapping film, Houellbecq falls flat on it's face. Too busy having fun with itself, any believability is thrown from the window and it's mildly entertaining silliness is all it can fall back on - something it loses somewhat with the introduction of a local prostitute part way through, which I felt ran contrary to the lightheartedness of the rest of the film. I find it difficult to recommend to anyone, which is a shame as the mechanic of a bunch of bodybuilders and a frail intellectual introducing each other to their experiences could have been used so much more effectively. 5.5/10
Ningen (Jap/Tur/Fra) (synopsis)
The stories of the Fox and the Tanuki (Raccoon-type creatures native to Japan) are prevalent in Japanese folklore, and most Japanese children, and the adults they grow into will know at least a few of them. In them, the animals are mischievous shape-shifters who often assume the form of human beings, in order to trick us out of our belongings. The Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko plays on elements of several of the stories, although mostly from the point of view of the Tanuki. Mostly, though these stories are relatively unknown outside of Japan.
So it was with some surprise to learn that the directors of this film were Turkish and French, who went to great lengths to tell a Japanese story as it would be told by a Japanese director. I think they managed it pretty well.
In Ningen, a fox and a tanuki collude with each other, betting that they can swipe the gold from a human through trickery. As a proviso to make things more interesting, they agree to maintain human form until one of them wins the bet. But many years later they still haven't succeeded, and in the meantime, they have forgotten what it was like not to be in the human world.
This doesn't immediately fit into the world we are introduced to; a middle-aged and tired looking businessman and his secretary wife struggle to come to terms of their departments' dire-looking sales forecasts. He spends his evenings downing Saki with his friend at the red light district bar, while she broods at home over her decreasing health. Eventually, the pressure of the job and the disgrace of failure gets to him, and an attempt to throw himself from the window of the high-rise building lands him in a mental home for a spell.
Ningen uses a traditional eastern way of storytelling that relies more on the viewer working things out for themselves rather than being obvious about it; it doesn't make clear until some way in who are the fox and tanuki, and who is their human target, to the point where you are wondering whether the story was merely a metaphoric introduction to the film. However, this is a strength, rather than a frustration of the film, which weaves the initially separate tales loosely together at first, tightening them together until they merge as the story matures.
The result is an initially quite ordinary film that develops into something much more rewarding, and well worth a look. 7.5/10
Magic in the Moonlight (US) (wiki)
Woody Allen, despite being well over 200 years old now, is still pumping out those films. They seem to coincide nicely with the festival circuit. One seems to be doing the rounds every year.
Magic in the Moonlight is a jaunty tale set in 1920's France, populated by affable Brits larking about instead of doing proper work. Colin Firth is your natural affable Brit, and he does a pretty good job of playing Stanley, a magician turned professional skeptic who, when not exciting the crowds with his magic tricks, uncovers the palmreaders and spirit realm soothsayers for the charlatans they are before any more grieving widows hand over their moneys for a last chat with their departed other halves.
Something of a celebrity in the circle, he is confounded by Sophie, a young woman who claims to have psychic powers, who appears to be the real thing - and after several demonstrations of her abilities comes to a crashing realisation that there is more to life than he has allowed himself to believe.
Now don't worry, I haven't gone all new age here. Sophie is indeed unmasked as a fake, and Allen is not trying to tell us we should all believe in the unknown wooery peddled by these people, or even in some general higher order. Firth's skeptic is an arrogant, narrow minded boor, whose likability is down to the fact that it's Colin Firth underneath it all; a caricature of the sort of person some would lazily term as having 'militant' views.
My take on the message here is in response to the rise of a more skeptical way of thinking in recent times, which is - sure, question and be critical of limp-minded explanations of the way the world works, but don't be a dick about it, and don't close your mind so much that the beauty of the world is also lost, a message that I can get behind given some recent events in the atheist community. My only real problem with the film is with Stanleys' portrayal of a skeptical mind, which some will take away as being synonymous with unlikability, and perhaps even some mild mental disorder. But if you can put that aside for a second, it is actually a pretty good film, and one of the stronger Woody Allen films I've seen in some time. 7.5/10
The lonely life of a long distance lorry driver doesn't have a lot of leeway to grow into something larger, and one way to make sure of that is to confine the majority of the film to inside the cab. Despite this, Tir does well with it's confinements. Branco has been with his firm for a few months, earning a substantially larger wage packet than he did as a teacher. Though this provides for his far-away family (which he keeps in touch with via the cab radio), it means a lot of time away from them on the road. Shot much like a documentary, we join Branco and his cab partner Maki as they take turns sleeping and driving across Europe. Moving slowly, the film captures the increasing realisation that Branco needs to reassess his career once more, as Maki moves on without a replacement, his bosses want more and more from him, and the increasingly strained conversations with his wife suggest he might want to be at home more, lest she start some shenanigans with a family friend.
Tir will probably be too slow for some, but what eventually emerges is the not so glamorous life on the road for thousands of truck drivers the world over, the film highlighting the early starts, claustrophobic conditions and the colourful characters encountered along the way. I certainly have a better appreciation of such careers, and would be quite happy not switching mine, thank you very much. 7/10
The Kidnapping of Michel Houellbecq (Fra) (review)
Did you notice that 'Fra' bit in the title up there? Did that set off any alarm bells for you? If you wondered maybe this might be an annoying French film, you would be right!
I didn't know who Michel Houellbecq was prior to this film, and maybe it would have been a good idea to find out who he was before watching the film. He is apparently a prolific and controversial author and filmmaker, who during a book tour in 2011, fell off the radar for a while. Some people thought maybe he had been kidnapped, and thus the premise of the film was born.
Houellbecq decided to lend himself to the title role, and plays what the blurb assures me is a caricature of himself, although not one as entertaining as Bruce Campbell did in My Name is Bruce. Instead, he is a shambling, withered and thoroughly annoying man, forever trudging the streets of France being philosophically French (yes, again) at the most mundane of subjects with anyone who will engage him in conversation. His flappy, gummy mouth bibbles out guff and spittle, and do please cover your ears when he is eating, as it is not a sound you want your head to be invaded by.
I would like to think that this thoroughly dislikeable character is indeed a caricature of the man, but I will have to blame that on my optimistic outlook on life.
The film, never intended as a serious character study, fulfils the intention of the title - eventually - as a trio of brothers, all meat-headed bodybuilders, follow him, bundle him in a box, and take them to their parent's house, who seem completely okay with holding him to ransom. Everyone is uncharacteristically polite, and very little goes on outside the house - either to hurry along the ransom demands (they just seem to wait for someone to notice he is missing), or for any alarm bells to be raised. Instead, the whole experience focuses on a variant of Stockholm Syndrome; after some polite introductions and more than a little chainsmoking, the captors relax their already limp grip on him, and begin to debate with him at the dinner table.
As a kidnapping film, Houellbecq falls flat on it's face. Too busy having fun with itself, any believability is thrown from the window and it's mildly entertaining silliness is all it can fall back on - something it loses somewhat with the introduction of a local prostitute part way through, which I felt ran contrary to the lightheartedness of the rest of the film. I find it difficult to recommend to anyone, which is a shame as the mechanic of a bunch of bodybuilders and a frail intellectual introducing each other to their experiences could have been used so much more effectively. 5.5/10
Ningen (Jap/Tur/Fra) (synopsis)
The stories of the Fox and the Tanuki (Raccoon-type creatures native to Japan) are prevalent in Japanese folklore, and most Japanese children, and the adults they grow into will know at least a few of them. In them, the animals are mischievous shape-shifters who often assume the form of human beings, in order to trick us out of our belongings. The Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko plays on elements of several of the stories, although mostly from the point of view of the Tanuki. Mostly, though these stories are relatively unknown outside of Japan.
So it was with some surprise to learn that the directors of this film were Turkish and French, who went to great lengths to tell a Japanese story as it would be told by a Japanese director. I think they managed it pretty well.
In Ningen, a fox and a tanuki collude with each other, betting that they can swipe the gold from a human through trickery. As a proviso to make things more interesting, they agree to maintain human form until one of them wins the bet. But many years later they still haven't succeeded, and in the meantime, they have forgotten what it was like not to be in the human world.
This doesn't immediately fit into the world we are introduced to; a middle-aged and tired looking businessman and his secretary wife struggle to come to terms of their departments' dire-looking sales forecasts. He spends his evenings downing Saki with his friend at the red light district bar, while she broods at home over her decreasing health. Eventually, the pressure of the job and the disgrace of failure gets to him, and an attempt to throw himself from the window of the high-rise building lands him in a mental home for a spell.
Ningen uses a traditional eastern way of storytelling that relies more on the viewer working things out for themselves rather than being obvious about it; it doesn't make clear until some way in who are the fox and tanuki, and who is their human target, to the point where you are wondering whether the story was merely a metaphoric introduction to the film. However, this is a strength, rather than a frustration of the film, which weaves the initially separate tales loosely together at first, tightening them together until they merge as the story matures.
The result is an initially quite ordinary film that develops into something much more rewarding, and well worth a look. 7.5/10
Magic in the Moonlight (US) (wiki)
Woody Allen, despite being well over 200 years old now, is still pumping out those films. They seem to coincide nicely with the festival circuit. One seems to be doing the rounds every year.
Magic in the Moonlight is a jaunty tale set in 1920's France, populated by affable Brits larking about instead of doing proper work. Colin Firth is your natural affable Brit, and he does a pretty good job of playing Stanley, a magician turned professional skeptic who, when not exciting the crowds with his magic tricks, uncovers the palmreaders and spirit realm soothsayers for the charlatans they are before any more grieving widows hand over their moneys for a last chat with their departed other halves.
Something of a celebrity in the circle, he is confounded by Sophie, a young woman who claims to have psychic powers, who appears to be the real thing - and after several demonstrations of her abilities comes to a crashing realisation that there is more to life than he has allowed himself to believe.
Now don't worry, I haven't gone all new age here. Sophie is indeed unmasked as a fake, and Allen is not trying to tell us we should all believe in the unknown wooery peddled by these people, or even in some general higher order. Firth's skeptic is an arrogant, narrow minded boor, whose likability is down to the fact that it's Colin Firth underneath it all; a caricature of the sort of person some would lazily term as having 'militant' views.
My take on the message here is in response to the rise of a more skeptical way of thinking in recent times, which is - sure, question and be critical of limp-minded explanations of the way the world works, but don't be a dick about it, and don't close your mind so much that the beauty of the world is also lost, a message that I can get behind given some recent events in the atheist community. My only real problem with the film is with Stanleys' portrayal of a skeptical mind, which some will take away as being synonymous with unlikability, and perhaps even some mild mental disorder. But if you can put that aside for a second, it is actually a pretty good film, and one of the stronger Woody Allen films I've seen in some time. 7.5/10
Cambridge Film Festival 2014 (Part 1)
So, yes. You might be wondering what the hell is going on with me at the moment, by now I should have done some of the Bradford, and maybe Edinburgh, film festivals. I blogged neither, because I have been to neither. As detailed earlier this week, it's been a strange sort of year for me, simultaneously more and less crowded with things to do. One of the casualties unfortunately, has been the festival circuit.
But, we did manage to make the first few days of Cambridge this year, after a years' break. Cambridge is a beautiful city and it was nice to get back for a little while at least. I wish we could have stayed longer (it's still going on) but the pull of the working week dragged me back.
We stopped briefly outside Leicester to see the Parrots at Tropical Bird Land, but unfortunately the many characters that I remembered from two years before had gone. As it does so often in Desford, it was raining hard and the birds looked miserable. When I asked specifically about Rio, the quiet and adorable Galah Cockatoo I saw on many other occasions, I was told he was missing. When the relatively new assistant went away and asked around, he came back with the unfortunate news that poor Rio had a stroke not long after I saw him last and died. The similar looking but altogether more rowdy cockatoo I had on my shoulder was actually Phooey, who was far less easy going on the fingers.
A few days in Kings Lynn (better considered a base of operations than a destination itself) and then we headed to Cambridge, just as the weather got better. We made use of the bulk discount cards for the films, and chose as many as we could fit in.
Supernova (Bel) (review)
Our first film was technically the opening film of CFF, time-wise at least, although didn't have the reputation behind it to give it an opening film 'oomph'. Meis is a precocious young girl, bored and living with her mother and step-dad in a strange backwater. A single house perched on a sharp bend has had it's fair share of accidents with drivers high on adrenalyn or booze careering into it. It seems this is the only way that new things happen, and Meis' step-dad is only the latest of these to enter their lives. Unfortunately, he's a bum, and wants intervention to come crashing through the living room just as much as the other two.
Though Supernova does take some time to get going, and suffers from that perennial French film problem of the characters spouting philosophy needlessly at you, at least the film uses it to give it a stylish, sharp edge. This time it comes from the thoughts and musings of Meis herself, whose long, bored childhood she is beginning to leave behind seems to have been filled with her nose in the science books. Much less than a bookish nerd, she applies the cold logic found within to the world around her, in a strangely likeable way.
Supernova was not a brilliant start to the festival, but given it's not readily accessible ingredients, it could have been a tonne worse. It's offbeat and left-field, bordering on art-house in places, but has a redeeming attitude that saves it from the depths of rubbishness. 7/10
The Woman Who Dares (Ger) (review)
The blurb for this film was a little misleading, as it suggests a documentary of sorts. It isn't. The main character Beate, as best as I can ascertain, is not based on a real person and the story is complete fiction. Well into middle age, she is given terrible news by her doctor - she has a tumor. Reacting as many would in such a situation, she looks at her life, and things maybe now would be the time to achieve some of her remaining goals. Most people aren't in her position however; an ex-olympic swimmer who gave up her dreams to start a family, now stuck between a needy daughter and a bumbling son who still seem to demand her constant attention.
These things drop away when you get news like that, and so she launches herself at her goal - swimming the English channel - to the dismay of friends and family alike.
The film is a pretty standard 'overcome adversity' fare, with a solid, dependable story underneath. It doesn't give many surprises along the way - and it's no spoiler to say she manages it - but it was solidly acted, entertaining and a satisfying watch, even if you knew what the ending was going to be from the start. 7.5/10
Sacro GRA (Ita/Fra) (wiki)
We were hoping to see this - which was a genuine documentary. The drab-sounding blurb talked of a ring road around Rome and the people who inhabit it was made all the more interesting when we learn that it was the first documentary to receive a Golden Lion at Venice. Unfortunately, the DVD gremlins were in force, and the film had no subtitles, rendering it pretty much unwatchable to anyone not speaking the lingo. Hopefully I can catch it elsewhere.
But, we did manage to make the first few days of Cambridge this year, after a years' break. Cambridge is a beautiful city and it was nice to get back for a little while at least. I wish we could have stayed longer (it's still going on) but the pull of the working week dragged me back.
We stopped briefly outside Leicester to see the Parrots at Tropical Bird Land, but unfortunately the many characters that I remembered from two years before had gone. As it does so often in Desford, it was raining hard and the birds looked miserable. When I asked specifically about Rio, the quiet and adorable Galah Cockatoo I saw on many other occasions, I was told he was missing. When the relatively new assistant went away and asked around, he came back with the unfortunate news that poor Rio had a stroke not long after I saw him last and died. The similar looking but altogether more rowdy cockatoo I had on my shoulder was actually Phooey, who was far less easy going on the fingers.
A few days in Kings Lynn (better considered a base of operations than a destination itself) and then we headed to Cambridge, just as the weather got better. We made use of the bulk discount cards for the films, and chose as many as we could fit in.
Supernova (Bel) (review)
Our first film was technically the opening film of CFF, time-wise at least, although didn't have the reputation behind it to give it an opening film 'oomph'. Meis is a precocious young girl, bored and living with her mother and step-dad in a strange backwater. A single house perched on a sharp bend has had it's fair share of accidents with drivers high on adrenalyn or booze careering into it. It seems this is the only way that new things happen, and Meis' step-dad is only the latest of these to enter their lives. Unfortunately, he's a bum, and wants intervention to come crashing through the living room just as much as the other two.
Though Supernova does take some time to get going, and suffers from that perennial French film problem of the characters spouting philosophy needlessly at you, at least the film uses it to give it a stylish, sharp edge. This time it comes from the thoughts and musings of Meis herself, whose long, bored childhood she is beginning to leave behind seems to have been filled with her nose in the science books. Much less than a bookish nerd, she applies the cold logic found within to the world around her, in a strangely likeable way.
Supernova was not a brilliant start to the festival, but given it's not readily accessible ingredients, it could have been a tonne worse. It's offbeat and left-field, bordering on art-house in places, but has a redeeming attitude that saves it from the depths of rubbishness. 7/10
The Woman Who Dares (Ger) (review)
The blurb for this film was a little misleading, as it suggests a documentary of sorts. It isn't. The main character Beate, as best as I can ascertain, is not based on a real person and the story is complete fiction. Well into middle age, she is given terrible news by her doctor - she has a tumor. Reacting as many would in such a situation, she looks at her life, and things maybe now would be the time to achieve some of her remaining goals. Most people aren't in her position however; an ex-olympic swimmer who gave up her dreams to start a family, now stuck between a needy daughter and a bumbling son who still seem to demand her constant attention.
These things drop away when you get news like that, and so she launches herself at her goal - swimming the English channel - to the dismay of friends and family alike.
The film is a pretty standard 'overcome adversity' fare, with a solid, dependable story underneath. It doesn't give many surprises along the way - and it's no spoiler to say she manages it - but it was solidly acted, entertaining and a satisfying watch, even if you knew what the ending was going to be from the start. 7.5/10
Sacro GRA (Ita/Fra) (wiki)
We were hoping to see this - which was a genuine documentary. The drab-sounding blurb talked of a ring road around Rome and the people who inhabit it was made all the more interesting when we learn that it was the first documentary to receive a Golden Lion at Venice. Unfortunately, the DVD gremlins were in force, and the film had no subtitles, rendering it pretty much unwatchable to anyone not speaking the lingo. Hopefully I can catch it elsewhere.
The Golden Plantpots 2012
Another year already, and another chance to trawl through the best and worst of the year. Cambridge was excellent, we saw some of the best festival output there, but Leeds and Bradford both fell a little short. Overall though there was a lot of good stuff out there. Most of these films were shown during 2012 at:
Feel free to add your views.
Best Film -
Samsara (US)Picking out a single film is so difficult, but Samsara is unique, breathtaking, epic and captivating - a visual chronicle of humanity in the Qatsi-style, but outclasses the dated trilogy in every way. Each scene (aside from the weird clay man) manages to grab your attention and never let go, the first of what may be a slew of visually intense films shot on 70mm format in the future.
Honourable Mentions:
Albert Nobbs (UK/Irl) - Glenn Close worked hard to perfect her alter-ego after playing him on stage many times; this big screen version of the story of a well-loved butler with a secret to hide from his adoptive family is visually sumptuous and just stays short of overdoing the schmaltz to bring a tear to the eye.
War Witch (Can) - Visually arresting, brutal and heartbreaking, but ultimately beautiful. War Witch brings the tragedy of the conflicts raging in Africa to the screen from the perspective of those worst affected - the children.
Starbuck (Can) - A surprisingly meaty comedy drama that is already down for a Hollywood remake. The premise brings together a lot of familiar film elements and pastes them together into something fresh and a bit different.
Sing Your Song (Ger) - If the name Harry Belafonte doesn't make you sit up and pay attention, it's probably because if you know him at all, it's for the songs your mum used to like. Sing Your Song opened my eyes to the other part of his life, as a humanitarian and activist.
Call Me Kuchu (Uga) - One of the most emotionally draining films, seeing the relentless persecution of homosexuals in Uganda, where despite the threats and killings, media witch-hunts and government-approved death sentences, a few brave souls stand up for who they are.
Comic-Con Episode 4 (US) - A joyous celebration of 'geek' culture from a US perspective from Morgan Spurlock, following the attendees of the San Diego Comic Con as they construct outfits, purchase figures and fall in love. Well worth your time.
The Raid (Ind/US) - An unrelenting, hyper-violent ballet of a film, where a group of cops attempt to take down a crime boss on the top floor of a tower block. The action left me breathless.
Argo (US) - Somehow drowned out in the sea of other quality films this year, Argo is still a suspenseful, top-notch thriller chronicling 'the Canadian Caper'. Director and lead actor Ben Affleck is more than matched by his compatriots with some quality acting by a group of big-haired diplomats on their way out of Tehran under the guise of film-makers.
Carlos (Fra/Ger) - This shortened film version of the 6-hour miniseries is an epic retelling of the rise and fall of 'The Jackal', a passionate terrorist for the Palestine liberators whose reach exceeded his grasp.
Best Short Film -
Don't Hug me I'm Scared (UK)A brilliant, subversive pastiche of a childrens' TV show where the childish characters are allowed to follow their creative instincts just a little too far, guided along by a magical notepad whose questionable techniques would have the puppeteer taken aside for a quiet word, had this been the real world and not some fantastic alternate reality. Best of all, you can see it for free!
Honourable Mentions:
Aeolian (UK) - The life of a strange little blob, finding out about the world as it grows in size is cute and charming, with some masterful blending of real life and CGI.
The Last Bus (Slo) - Mute forest animals take the last bus out of town, with a hunted fox along at the last minute to provide some tension. Real-life but also stop motion, the slightly macabre taxidermied masks and the eerie night journey make this come alive.
Ab Morgen (Ger) - A quietly affecting film about a man coming face to face with his decision to get an illegal transplant when he realises just who he shared a room with the night before.
Dr Breakfast (US) - Wholly crazy, echoing some of the madcap humour of Ren and Stimpy, where a couple of well-spoken deer help a man get ready for the morning when Dr. Breakfast launches out of his eyeball. Go here to see it.
I am Tom Moody (UK) - A moment of stage fright is captured forever, as Tom Moody junior comes back from the recesses of his mind at a crucial moment. Taps right into the heart of nervousness.
Dylan's Room (UK) - A quiet look at the life of a woman left behind when her globetrotting son disappears and how she manages to make a reconnection of sorts. The sort of film that will mean different things to different people.
Walk Tall (UK) - An elderly man who has earned the right to tell youngsters to sit up straight. A delightful short film that manages to preach without being preachy.
All That Glisters (UK) - Told using tatty fabric dolls to give a little distance between the viewer and the subject matter, a young girl makes the most of the time left that she has with her dad.
Walking the Dogs (UK) - Emma Thompson gives a convincing performance as The Queen in a retelling of an actual event, where an unhinged man makes it past the guards and into her bedroom for a chat.
Kinderspiel (Ger) - What appears to be a kidnap and ransom situation turns on it's head.
Fear of Flying (Ire) - Dougal is a bird that can fly, but won't because he's scared to. So he walks. A happy and comical little film with some sharp animation.
Ora et Labora (Austria) - An old man sits in front of his TV, seemingly able to control the destinies of the people in the world outside. Brings up a variety of emotions.
What's Opera, Doc? (US) - I'm not going to clutter up the short film section with the dozens of Chuck Jones cartoons I saw at Bradford this year, so What's Opera Doc?, the pinnacle work from the best of the Warner Bros. Cartoon years, will exemplify the way to write a slapstick cartoon with hidden depth.
Much Better Now (Aus/Ita) - A happy, charming film about a little bookmark, given a new lease of life thanks to a carelessly opened window.
Best Animation -
Berzerk: The Golden Age Arc 1 and 2 (Jpn) Accomplished director Toshiyuki Kubooka brings us the latest incarnation of the Berzerk story in a three-film epic (the third, unfortunately isn't out until next year). The first two are so incredibly impressive, from the intricate and breathtaking animation, to the meaty story, that there was little to separate the two. Some may be a little disappointed that the level of violence is toned down a little from the original, but what you get in return is well worth the trade. If you are fortunate to have them showing on the big screen where you are, go see them.
Honourable Mentions:
Wolf Children (Jpn) - From Summer Wars/Girl who Leapt Through Time director Mamoru Hosoda, who is quickly becoming a banker for quality anime, comes another high quality film. Once the whole concept of wolfy sexytime is over and done with (a momentary weakness in the film) it goes from strength to strength as a tale of a young but determined woman left to bring up her unusual offspring alone.
Ernest and Celestine (Fra) - A beautiful, gentle, watercolour painting of a film that couldn't be further from the style of the director's previous effort - A Town Called Panic. Bear Ernest and mouse Celestine form an unlikely friendship in a world where the two species distrust each other intensely.
Dr Breakfast (US) - A beautiful crayon-effect style is expertly used to picture a day in the life of two sentient deer and the lonely man they meet.
Asura (Jpn) - A tragic tale of a young feral child, abandoned by his mother and unable to distinguish right from wrong, in a feudal Japan where few people have time to take in an orphan or show kindness. The computer-generated 3D versions of the standard flatly drawn cells takes a little getting used to, but overall it's an excellent big screen version of the original manga.
Tiger and Bunny: The Beginning (Jpn) - Leeds isn't Leeds without one crazy anime, and Tiger and Bunny did not disappoint. Satirizing the current trends of reality TV and consumerism in a future America of sorts, Tiger and Bunny blends shiny metallic 3D backgrounds with traditional cell animation and computer generated cyber suits for a blast of colour, noise and a good few laughs.
Beowulf (US) - A few years old now, and showing a little pixillation here and there compared to the newest CGI efforts, Beowulf is still an impressive piece of animation, certainly not for the children.
My.. My.. (Chi) - An interesting and inventive short film from China, evoking memories of old video games as a stick man tries to get his clothes back.
The Pirates! (UK) - Not part of the festival circuit, but The Pirates is the latest Aardman effort with a healthy splodge of British humour, the usual high-quality claymation and a constantly inventive plot. It will certainly struggle in Bible Belt America, where it's outrageous inclusion of 'Chucky D' in anything other than a devil suit eating babies is unacceptable, but those people can go screw themselves. It's a cracking film.
Wrinkles (Spa) - An unusual subject matter for an animation - the final years of the inhabitants of an old folks home - is nevertheless expertly told with charm and cheeky humour.
Best Documentary -
Call Me Kuchu (Uga)And again, there are so many documentaries released this year to choose from. Samsara came close as the winner, but I question whether it can be actually described as a documentary (hence it's omission here). In the end, it was a close race between Call Me Kuchu and Sing Your Song, with the hard-hitting and expertly reported atrocities of the former earning it the place.
Honourable Mentions:
Sing Your Song (Ger) - This biopic of singer, activist and humanitarian Harry Belafonte opened my eyes to the extraordinary work of the man, now in his eighties, whose work to bring people together has spanned the last fifty plus years.
Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (Swe) - The original Bananas! film, about the mistreatment and hazardous working conditions of the Dole fruit pickers was for several years bullied out of the cinemas by the fruit giant themselves. This meta-documentary is a big middle-finger to the corporation and a celebration of the eventual triumph of justice over corporate bullying.
Shadows of Liberty (UK) - One of the first in what will likely be a slew of documentaries chronicling the history of press freedom and what it means to actually have a truly free source of news in these times of corporate control. If this film doesn't get your gander at just some of the examples of media oppression from all sides, then you don't deserve to live in a free society.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Jpn) - A fascinating and privileged view into the highly-regarded sushi restaurant, tucked away quietly in the corner of a Tokyo railway station. The elderly Jiro and his dedicated team of chefs cook for the great and the good, but remain humble and likeable, just plying their trade.
José and Pilar (Por) - A quiet and beautiful documentary about the lives of prolific Portuguese author Jose Saramango, and his force of nature that is his wife, Pilar, as their increasing years and José's frailty begin to come to the fore and force them to rethink their busy schedule.
King of Comics (Ger) - Ralf Konig's work as a cartoonist lampooning the minutae of the lives of his fellow gay men has earned him a following that goes beyond the homosexual scene and into the mainstream, but it is his edgier, more serious work that has earned him his highest respect.
Winter Nomads (Swi) - Weathered veteran Pascal and his new companion Carole embark on a long journey across the harsh winter countryside of the modern Swiss landscape, with a few hundred sheep in tow just as it has been for centuries. This charming and bittersweet documentary quietly treads in their footprints as a way of life slowly disappears.
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (UK/US) - The potential mega-stardom life of a rock giant is cut short when Jason Becker got ALS, the degenerative muscle disease. This beautiful film is a testament to the courage and the will to keep going no matter what your throw of the dice turned up.
1/2 Revolution (Egy/Den) - A highly valuable view of the Egyptian uprisings from the centre of the action, captured on film by a group of friends in the centre of it all, watching their communities overcome first with elation and joy, and then suspicion as the death-throes of the Mubarat regime play dangerous politics with people's lives. With the situation on the decline once more, the other half is yet to come, it seems.
Beauty is Embarrassing (US) - A biopic of Wayne White, one-time Pee-Wee Herman set producer, now a prolific artist using a number of mediums. White's characteristic free-spirited inspiration for random and innovative new works is infectious, as is his don't care attitude to any stuffy critics that might come along.
Tales of the Waria (US/Ind) - The Waria are the transgender men of Indonesia. Though by good fortune they are tolerated due to ancient tradition, their lives are still difficult and are often not accepted into their highly religious community. This sensitive and affecting film focuses on several men living as women, and the lives they touch.
Comic-Con Episode 4 (US) - A fantastic celebration of what it means to be a nerd, a geek or whatever derogatory term you want to slap on people who like cult stuff, in the place where any self-respecting follower is bound to go - Comic-Con. Morgan Spurlocks' finest film so far.
Fire in the Blood (India) - A compelling and inciteful documentary showing the downright unjust efforts of the large pharmaceutical industries to control the distribution of their drugs - and the cheap, equally-effective generic versions - around the world, putting their profits ahead of the livelihoods of millions.
Persistence of Vision (UK) - The wildly ambitious film The Thief and The Cobbler, a project and labour of love of it's director Richard Willams for 20 years, was never released, thanks to his inability to leave alone and let things complete. The travesty of Arabian Knight - a poor-quality film knocked together from stuff that did get completed, cruelly dubbed on release as an Aladdin cash-in even though it preceded it by years - is an especially tragic pill to swallow.
The Last Buffalo Hunt (US) - The antics of the modern-day hunters on the last American Bison herds makes the blood boil. This subversive film, sitting back and allowing the hunters to show themselves in the light they made for themselves, perhaps isn't the picture they were thinking was going to get painted.
Fightville (US) - A peek into the bare-knuckled world of extreme mixed martial arts, where the combatants come out of the cage with much more than a bloody lip, is filled with much more than the expected meat-heads, meeting with the sparrers, organisers and the family and friends growing up in the community around it. The fights are tough to watch, and the hits are all real, but there is much more to see here.
Freedom For Birth (UK) - It got a little preachy, but the subject matter was important enough to make it worth inclusion. Focusing on the injustice of midwife Agnes Gereb, under house arrest for assisting home births in Hungary.
A Lot With A Little Award - Sawdust City (US)A new award this year, recognising that there are plenty of films out there that are created on a shoestring budget, and some of them manage to outclass some major big-budget releases.
Sawdust City and Frank were the main contenders, with the former managing to be a little more enjoyable and sensible where Frank's macabre leanings may put some people off. Sawdust City is all about the re-connection of two brothers split by circumstance and commitment, and brought together again to get their father back for Thanksgiving. The tiny budget allowed the actors to concentrate on fleshing out the characters on their many alcoholic stopoffs.
Frank (UK) - An extremely low-budget UK flick freed from the boundaries of pandering to the audience. The resulting degenerating life of a lonely man with mental problems, who comes across a body washed up on the beach is fascinatingly macabre, inventive and gruesome interpretation of a broken mind coming to terms with his daily stresses.
Tower Block (UK) - Though not as enjoyable as the bigger-budget The Raid, Tower Block has comparable levels of tension, as the colourful residents of a high-rise block are picked off one by one, by an unknown gunman.
Grandma Lo-Fi (Den/Ice) - A deliberately frugal budget to celebrate the life of a charming woman who became an Icelandic cult figure in her old age, putting together tapes of her home-made masterpieces with none of the fancy kit the professionals use.
The Lord's Ride (Fra) - Using only the members of a local community of gypsies, director Jean-Charles Hue manages to bring together a loosely controlled but well-acted tale of a man convinced of the calling to a higher purpose, just as he is needed to do some scally nicking of stuff.
Wrinkles (Spa) - Wrinkles was well made and acted, and for it's budget, animated very well, although some sections the frame-rate got a little choppy, it was overall funny, affecting and very enjoyable.
The History of Future Folk (US) - Though not quite as entertaining as it's proponents suggest when they liken it to Flight of the Conchords, Future Folk is a solidly-acted, funny film in a similar vein about the antics of a pair of aliens that come to earth intent on destruction, until they discover music.
Enjoy The Journey Award -
The Raid (Ind/US)If there was an award for the most painful film to watch, this would get it hands down. I can't remember the last time I stopped breathing for such a length of time as with this film, a relentless, hyper-violent yet balletic tale of a group of police infiltrating the tower-block hideout of a powerful gangster. I saw the DVD on sale for six quid yesterday. You have no excuses!
Honourable Mentions:
Don't Hug me I'm Scared (UK) - When things kick off, all you can do is sit back and hope you survive the unusual glitter painting.
Aaltra (Bel/Fra) - A squabbling pair of neighbours, left disabled in a freak farming accident, decide to visit the manufacturers of the offending machinery to sue the pants off them. A minimal, occasionally hilarious road movie with a difference.
Come as You Are (Bel) - Choosing to make a comedy-drama road movie of the lives of three disabled schoolfriends is going to be pretty ballsy, especially as the destination is a brothel. This film is a surprisingly nuanced take on such a concept, the director concentrating on building the characters rather than the slapstick.
Vikingland (Spa) - Though I would not recommend this film particularly much, it did do something right, and that was to present the life of the mysterious man in the old video tapes in a captivating way, at least when things moved on a bit.
Avé (Bul) - The deadpan, dark humour of a young man on a road trip with a strange girl who just won't let him go to the funeral of his friend in peace makes for an unusual mix of emotions, but the film makes it work. Avé's bare-faced cheek mixed with Kamen's dour facial expressions lifts this road movie a little higher.
After the Credits Roll -
Samsara (US)
It had to go to Samsara, given the sheer number of beautiful, beguiling images and scenes, showcasing the best and worst of nature and humanity in an intense blast of cinematography.
Honourable Mentions:
Vanishing Waves (Lit) - Leaving aside the gorgeous Jurga Jutaite for a moment, this film is chock full of some of the most visually intense scenes you are ever likely to see, short of Samsara anyway.
2001: A Space Odyssey (US/UK) - We managed to see a digital reprint of Kubricks seminal work on the big screen in Leeds Town Hall, where the speakers, not at their best when putting out dialogue, were ideal for the trippy, universe-stretching third act - a succession of iconic scenes that for many people have remained in the mind for many years since.
Room 237 (US) - Sticking with Kubrick, this fan-made and not remotely official film about the minutiae of little things the director may or may not have consciously placed in The Shining made me want to immediately turn back time and look at the film in a new light.
The Raid (Ind/US) - Relentless is a word that I have used repeatedly for this film, and once the credits do roll, you're left breathless, winded and seriously impressed.
Emotional Kick -
War Witch (Can)The story of Komona was heartbreaking enough before you realise that this story is based on the horrific experiences of many thousands of child soldiers in the African conflicts. War Witch is full of terrible, beautiful imagery that will stay for a long time.
Honourable Mentions:
Wolf Children (Jpn) - Though obscured through the lens of fantasy of a world where human-wolf hybrids exist, the experiences of a young woman in the middle of the chaos of bringing up two young children alone are recognisably universal. Wolf Children masterfully depicts a growing, family where tastes diverge and the need to let go.
José and Pilar (Por) - The love of the almost indestructible husband and wife team as they go through some of the most important stages in their life will leave a lump in the throat.
Amour (Aus/Fra/Ger) - A slow moving but ultimately beautiful tale of enduring love between Georges and Anne, his elderly wife who begins to succumb to the ravages of old age in the form of successive strokes. It is a truly heart-wrenching journey of the heart.
Tabu (Por) - An epic tale of the life of Aurora, an elderly spinster living out her final years in a Portugese flat in the first half of the film, and a beautiful spirit fated never to be with the love of her life in the second. A complete rounding of a character and an emotional thumper of a film.
My Sweetheart (Fra) - A sweet, short film dealing with the sensitive issue of the 'first time' between a young couple with learning difficulties, and the carer who has to step in when things get out of hand.
Golden Slumbers (Cam/Fra) - A film lamenting the fledgeling Cambodian film industry, which was brutally cut off just as it got going by the intolerant Khmer Rouge, who saw it as a decadent western influence. Those few who survived the assassinations, along with a cult following of those early pioneers tell their fascinating story.
Rust and Bone (Fra/Bel) - A surprise 'film zero' of Leeds, Rust and Bone was the surprisingly powerful adaptation of a collection of short stories, melded together into one narrative about a woman losing her legs in an accident, and the hot-tempered bouncer she meets shortly before.
Call Me Kuchu (Uga) - Few films have the emotional impact of this, both a tribute to the assassinated civil rights campaigner David Kato, and a light shone on the horrendous intolerance set upon the few homosexuals in Uganda that dare raise their hands.
Volcano (Ice) - In a similar story to Amour, Volcano managed to hit the emotional highs when Hannes has to deal with a sudden and stunning tragedy.
Goodbye First Love (Fra/Ger) - A deeply personal and touching account of a young first love, with all it's mistakes and imperfections, and the aftermath when it ends, and two people carry on their separate ways.
Twist Award -
Blind Spot (Lux)Blind Spot became this year's Point Blank, a favourite of 2011. A cop, emotionally involved in the latest crime and a bit unhinged, is brought back onto the force by his trusting super so they can get the job done. As with The Killing, there are plenty of twists as to the culprit before the end credits, and it's a satisfying, intense ride until the end.
Honourable Mentions:
The War Zone (Ita/UK) - Ray Winstone's unsettling father figure forms the centre of the massive twist in what would otherwise be a family melodrama, with director Tim Roth deftly hooking an unexpected left into decidedly darker territory without warning.
Don't Hug me I'm Scared (UK) - The childrens show takes a decidedly unexpected twist in the final few moments, as the poor characters get to let their creativity run a little too free.
Kinderspiel (Ger) - What appears to be a kidnapping quickly transpires into something much more complex in this German short film.
Irma (US) - Unassuming elderly woman Irma doesn't let you into her secret until she has ambled down to her local gym, at which point she lets her muscles do the talking.
Cleverest Film -
VOS (Cat/Spa)VOS attempted to be a film within a film, using the characters to play meta-characters in a play, melding seamlessly with the private lives of the characters both in and out of the sets, playfully wrong-footing the viewer as to exactly what they were watching. It very nearly pulled it off, although it did bog down a little in the complexities in the middle.
Honourable Mentions:-
Alois Nebel (Cze/Ger) - A good-to-average plot was not the main draw of this film, but was instead the impressive rotoscoping animation technique, producing a fittingly stark representation of the1980's Czech Republic.
Alps (Gre) - Lacking the praise heaped on Dogtooth, this work by the same director fell a little flat, although it's premise - a group of people volunteering to replace missing loved ones in their families was a neat way to increase the dimensions of each of the lead actors.
I am a Good Person/I am a Bad Person (Can) - The diverging lives of a newly-separated filmmaking mother, and her teenage daughter had some innovative use of Bradford film festival footage as part of the film, showing at Bradford (just to confuse). Just a shame the second half let it down.
Biggest Laugh -
Starbuck (Can)
Surprisingly emotional and deeper than it's mainstream concept would suggest, Starbuck can also boast a load of belly-laughs as well. What more could you ask for?
Honourable Mentions:
Dr. Breakfast (US) - A crazy, free-spirited animation likely to appeal to anyone who likes Spongebob.
The Pirates! (UK) - A great British comedy, playing to our island strengths, handled expertly by world-renowned animation experts, Aardman. No film featuring Brian Blessed has the capacity to be anything less than funny. Maybe a sequel is in the works?
Tiger and Bunny (Jpn) - Not as over-the-top as previous WTF Japan? examples shown at Leeds, but still capable of raising plenty of laughs.
Come as You Are (Bel) - Filled with guilty comedy potential from the start, this road movie featuring three disabled teens journeying to a brothel is surprisingly more high-brow than the premise suggests, but there are still plenty of laughs.
Seven Psychopaths (UK) - Punchy, unpredictable and featuring some stellar performances from Sam Rockwell and Rutger Hauer, this film managed to come near the top of the Leeds favourite list.
The History of Future Folk (US) - A charming and warm tale of narrowly averted world destruction, with some good sight and sound gags along the way. If they had employed Brett and Germaine for the songs, they would have had an absolute winner.
Aaltra (Bel/Fra) - The premise alone of two wheelchaired men who hate each other finding whatever transport they can (seriously abusing the kindness of others along the way) is comedic without a cell of film going through the projector. Though the finished product misses a few targets, there is enough in here to ensure a lot of guilty laughs.
John Dies at the End (US) - A funny and well-made low budget offering, full of comedy splatterhouse scenes, if that's your thing.
A Thousand Words - Samsara (US)No contest, really. Samsara contains wonder and beauty in almost every shot, helped on enormously by the unorthodox 70mm print, only a few places in the UK can show it at it's full intensity. Bradford, luckily, being one of them.
Honourable Mentions:
War Witch (Can) - Full of terrible yet beautiful images of a country war-torn and ravaged. Komoma's journey through it is experienced in it's raw and uncompromising glory by the awe-struck audience.
1/2 Revolution (Egy/Den) - A film full of personal imagery, shot on location at the very heart of the disturbances while they were happening.
The Hyperwomen (Bra) - The silent director and a quietly following camera relays to us the lives of a people a world away, with rare and fascinating footage of a disappearing community that builds as it goes on.
Vanishing Waves (Lit) - A plethora of stark, erotic, challenging images assault the senses. Vanishing Waves wowed the audiences with looks as much as anything else.
Winter Nomads (Swi) - Gently following a farmer and his young apprentice on a journey of transhumance across the bleak and beautiful Swiss countryside with several hundred doomed livestock.
Best Indie to Show Your Friends -
Comic-Con Episode 4 (US)Other films are more impressive to look at, have deep stories or cover more serious themes, but when considering a mainstream audience, Morgan Spurlocks' latest documentary has all the boxes ticked. A subject matter guaranteed to fascinate no matter which side of the nerd fence you sit, love, suspense and intrigue and a slew of people who you come to know and love.
Honourable Mentions: (subtitled films have a *)
Samsara (US) - The Qatsi films are beyond the patience of your average cinema-goer (even I find parts of them difficult to sit through), but Samsara is something else - senses are assaulted and eyes become glued to the screen.
Ernest and Celestine* (Fra) - Charming, intelligently written and beautifully drawn, this film from the Town Called Panic creators is perfect for small children who don't mind a little reading with their fairytales.
Robot and Frank (US) - Perfect for an older crowd, Frank Langella is the perfect curmudgeon to get behind and the Asimo-like robot is a character in itself.
Starbuck* (Bel) - Though you could wait for the Hollywood treatment, there is ample opportunity to show sceptical friends that they needn't fear the written word
The History of Future Folk (US) - A family-friendly, low budget film where aliens from another planet have buckets on their heads, do funny things, and fail to annihilate the human race.
The Raid* (Ind/US) - Any issues with the dialogue will be forgotten in the relentless barrage of violence that explodes out of the screen at you.
Last Shop Standing (UK) - A shorter length film (about an hour), celebrating the humble indie music shops of the UK. Remembering the passing of thousands and celebrating those who have found new ways to come back to popularity.
Seven Psychopaths (UK) - Sharp and witty dialogue, well-known faces and a crackling storyline means it's not too far out of the average cinema-goers' comfort zone.
Beauty is Embarrassing (US) - A great introductory documentary about an anti-establishment artist who does things his own way.
The Rise and Fall of The Clash (UK) - When this aired, the cinema was full of individuals I hadn't seen at any of the other films. A perfect film to take a music aficionado or an old punk to.
Frank (UK) - For those who don't mind their humour to be dark and twisted, this excellent example of microcinema on a budget will generate plenty of laughs in among the squirms.
The Manky Sankey Awards
Not so many Mankeys this year, but there were some stinkers and disappointments.
Biggest Let Down -
Alps (Gre) Alps would have been put in the 'simply forgettable' pile were it not for it's pedigree. Coming from the same hand that gave us the excellent Dogtooth, I was hoping for something with a comparable wow factor. Though Alps had a few innovative moments and certainly wasn't a terrible film, it felt unfocused and direction-less, and was surpassed in every way by it's predecessor.
Dishonourable Mentions:
Faust (Rus)- The famous Russian fable would always be a combination of a herculean effort to bring to the big screen, and to make such that an audience largely unfamiliar with it might manage to keep up, but Faust - operatic in drama and sumptuous and extravagant in setting, remained too gloopy and impenetrable for many of it's viewers - including myself - to sit through the 2+ hour runtime.
In Love with Alma Cogan (UK) - Though there was nothing you could say was 'wrong' about this low-budget TV-movie, it failed to earn it's place on the big screen in any way. The songs came from an end of pier band who seemed to be revelling in their screen time for a bit of publicity, the British sitcom character cast inhabited one-dimensional, neutered British sitcom roles and the whole thing felt so much like it had been stripped of verve and energy that it had been made specifically for an over-70's audience. It was plain and predictable, with nothing within it's beige, no-frills shell to raise even the slightest emotion either way. It is truly the Nissan Sunny of films.
Damsels In Distress (US) - For a festival launch film, Damsels In Distress felt like such a disappointment compared to some much worthier (but perhaps less mainstream) films on show at Bradford. A mixture of unappealing and narrowly defined characters, a feeling that it thought it was funnier than what it was and a bit of self-indulgent faffing around towards the end (when it hadn't earned it) soured the taste still further.
Heretic (UK) -For a film showcasing the best of local northern talent, the cast and crew that came to Leeds for the premiere not having seen the finished product may have gone away with their noses a little bent out of shape. Difficult to take seriously with some shoddy sound quality and off-putting accents, and some downright annoying camera work and manipulative effects, Heretic managed to miss most of it's targets.
Most Pretentious -
Voluptuous Sleep (US)Voluptuous Sleep, a film by Terminator 2 special effects artist Betzy Bromberg gets the vote by some margin. Water splashing on the ground. Bubbling. Swooshing and swirling about. For hours. The poor audience allowed themselves to have this done to them, on the back of the director's reputation, without being warned that it belonged firmly in the 'experimental film' dump-bin in the corner.
Dishonourable Mentions:
Beyond the Black Rainbow (Can) - I stayed up late for this, and I could have gone home for some much needed sleep. But in order to give the film the best of my attentions, I didn't. And it was for little reward. Black Rainbow left too much in the hands of the viewer to fill in the blanks around the mute, inactive girl or the evil, slow talking scientist, relying all too heavily on the atmospheric but depressing 1980's vision of the future to carry things through.
Damsels In Distress (US) - There was something self-aware and self-congratulatory about this film, especially at the end where the characters gleefully get up for a bit of a song and dance as if to say, 'we've made a really great film that has touched your hearts, so now we're going to let our hair down and just be, like your buddies..'. No, Damsels, you didn't. Your film missed the bits where I was meant to get to like the characters. I had no desire to see them arsing about on screen.
Fireworks (Fra) - How can we not have a French contender of the pretentious category? Fireworks managed to sneak in there this year in a wave of pretentious faux common worker dialogue.
Most Drawn Out Scene -
Malaventura (Mex)It wasn't helped by being started and restarted three times before the damn film would run properly, but the opening scene - where the sun slowly rises through the bedroom curtains and an elderly man wakes and starts his day, is one of the most tedious experiences in cinema history, and it didn't get much better from there on in.
Dishonourable Mentions:
Voluptuous Sleep (US) - Dripping, slooshing water. Static camera shots, minutes long. Ambient sounds in the background. With luck someone might change the lightbulb and the colours change a bit. Cack.
Faust (Rus) - After braving the first two acts of this epic, the viewer is asked to endure the third, where what little handle they might have had on the sprawling, messy story is quickly loosened, as the title character wanders aimlessly in distress about the harsh world (some moors) incensed by the choice he made. I felt similar.
Beyond These Mountains (Swi/Ger) - Following these two girls on their journey of self discovery was tiresome, but the scene in their fancy apartment and the final, supposedly metaphorically significant mountain walk became an exercise in testing my patience.
Vikingland (Spa) - Though occasionally interesting, there were some pretty drawn out scenes to endure here. The Christmas party; the crashing waves; the working day. Much of it could have been lost and you would still have retained the sense of a lonely life on a ship.
Most Annoying Film - Beyond the Black Rainbow (Can)There was nothing to come close to how annoying Black Rainbow was. Repetitive, overly reliant on atmosphere and for a thriller/horror, not remotely thrilling or horrifying. It just managed to annoy and deprive me of my much needed beauty sleep.
Dishonourable Mentions:
Black Brush (Hun) - There were literally no likeable characters in this bleak and depressing film about layabouts forgetting to do things and generally arsing about or being unpleasant. The film gave no hints that any of them were going to mature, and the film was so dour that you couldn't even enjoy their antics as a guilty pleasure.
The Shine of Day (Austria) - Generally speaking, not a bad film - until the end. After spending some time to build up to a third act climax, the film promptly ends and we never find out what happened, as if they run out of money, or imagination, or both.
Malaventura (Mex) - A film about the life of a lonely old man ought to be respectful and give us some reason to keep watching. Malaventura didn't go anywhere; just having him shuffle through the streets, staring at younger people with a resigned look on his face. Should have been a short film.
CIFF 2012 Day 5
The festival carries on until Sunday, but this is our last day.
Freedom for Birth (UK) (site)
Another day, another documentary. It can be a bit overwhelming to realise that there is enough going wrong in the world to ensure the documentary film-making strand has enough subject matter to keep it going, and growing, for some time yet. In a bid to join the wave, some producers have perhaps chosen subjects that might be seen as not of the highest priority. Not so here, as it deals with the most fundamental of human rights - that of a mother to decide how, and where, she has her baby.
This basic right seems obvious when stated directly, but many people around the world do not recognise it as such. Many women do not realise it is their choice to make, and many in power do not allow the choice to be made.
The fate of two women on the receiving end of actual legislation to block this right are profiled here. Agnes Gereb is a Hungarian midwife, currently under house arrest. Her crime? assisting mothers to have their children at home, rather than in a hospital. Anna Ternovsky is one of thousands of mothers who were helped to have a natural home birth by Gereb and went to the Court of Human Rights to fight for the rights of women to be reaffirmed and clarified, at least in Europe. But around the world, and not just restricted to the crazy countries either, these rights are being continually denied. Stories of women being forced by a court to have a hospital induced birth, maybe by invasive C-section, is something I never thought I would hear about in a civilised society in the 21st century. But here it is.
Though Freedom for Birth certainly highlights some major injustices in our approach to the most important part of a human experience, it had some issues that stopped it being all it could be. The film was subtitled throughout, even in the English speaking segments (I suspect because the film-makers guessed that the screenings would be full of mothers with screaming kids - which ours was) but the subtitles were not exactly what was being said sometimes, and were peppered with spelling mistakes. The presentation also felt a little sloppy, as if the PR division of your nearest multinational had been taken on to do a commercial-style introduction to the film, and they had just figured out how to put scrolling, zooming text onto the screen and were determined to show people how good they were getting. The whole film had this unfinished taint to it. But my main criticism of the film was that it was very one-sided. There was no option given to allow doctors to present their side of the story and give their account of why mothers are routinely denied the right to make an informed choice. I have no doubt that the film was accurate in it's portrayal of Gereb, but it would have been good to hear the other side of the story - such as representative doctors and nurses, who allegedly deny these services.
But these flaws don't stop it being an important film that highlights some shocking practices, many at out front door. 8/10
Come as You Are (Bel) (wiki)
The exploits of three disabled friends as they organise a trip to a brothel sounds like a low-brow American goofball flick. And somewhere, there will be a direct-to-dvd example that exactly fits this premise. But this film was made in Europe, so there was going to be a chance it wouldn't be as horrible as it sounds.
Lars is disabled since his inoperable brain tumor rendered him unable to use his legs. Josef has the use of his legs, but can barely see anything. Philip is almost completely paralysed, and is completely dependant on others for help. All in their twenties, they meet regularly and are good friends.
Secretly, they have been plotting the trip of a lifetime - one they wish to take without their parents. Heading through France and into Spain, getting a view of the world they don't see within their suffocating bedrooms. After a little persuading, their parents agree to a heavily-regimented holiday with every minute accounted for, but the trio have missed out one detail - their intended destination is at a brothel in the heart of Spain, one that caters specifically for the needs of disabled customers.
A last minute setback hits Lars hard. His tumor is growing aggressively, and the holiday is put off - by the parents, but not the friends, who enlist the help of Claude - an overweight, resigned minibus driver - to get them there on the quiet.
Come as You Are immediately reminded me of Third Star, with both films heading to a very similar conclusion. The Belgium effort however manages to be a little deeper with character development, and a more evenly-distributed focus to the progression of the plot, although it's ending was a smidge weaker. However both films are excellent examples of buddy-road movies with an emotional clout. 8/10
Freedom for Birth (UK) (site)
Another day, another documentary. It can be a bit overwhelming to realise that there is enough going wrong in the world to ensure the documentary film-making strand has enough subject matter to keep it going, and growing, for some time yet. In a bid to join the wave, some producers have perhaps chosen subjects that might be seen as not of the highest priority. Not so here, as it deals with the most fundamental of human rights - that of a mother to decide how, and where, she has her baby.
This basic right seems obvious when stated directly, but many people around the world do not recognise it as such. Many women do not realise it is their choice to make, and many in power do not allow the choice to be made.
The fate of two women on the receiving end of actual legislation to block this right are profiled here. Agnes Gereb is a Hungarian midwife, currently under house arrest. Her crime? assisting mothers to have their children at home, rather than in a hospital. Anna Ternovsky is one of thousands of mothers who were helped to have a natural home birth by Gereb and went to the Court of Human Rights to fight for the rights of women to be reaffirmed and clarified, at least in Europe. But around the world, and not just restricted to the crazy countries either, these rights are being continually denied. Stories of women being forced by a court to have a hospital induced birth, maybe by invasive C-section, is something I never thought I would hear about in a civilised society in the 21st century. But here it is.
Though Freedom for Birth certainly highlights some major injustices in our approach to the most important part of a human experience, it had some issues that stopped it being all it could be. The film was subtitled throughout, even in the English speaking segments (I suspect because the film-makers guessed that the screenings would be full of mothers with screaming kids - which ours was) but the subtitles were not exactly what was being said sometimes, and were peppered with spelling mistakes. The presentation also felt a little sloppy, as if the PR division of your nearest multinational had been taken on to do a commercial-style introduction to the film, and they had just figured out how to put scrolling, zooming text onto the screen and were determined to show people how good they were getting. The whole film had this unfinished taint to it. But my main criticism of the film was that it was very one-sided. There was no option given to allow doctors to present their side of the story and give their account of why mothers are routinely denied the right to make an informed choice. I have no doubt that the film was accurate in it's portrayal of Gereb, but it would have been good to hear the other side of the story - such as representative doctors and nurses, who allegedly deny these services.
But these flaws don't stop it being an important film that highlights some shocking practices, many at out front door. 8/10
Come as You Are (Bel) (wiki)
The exploits of three disabled friends as they organise a trip to a brothel sounds like a low-brow American goofball flick. And somewhere, there will be a direct-to-dvd example that exactly fits this premise. But this film was made in Europe, so there was going to be a chance it wouldn't be as horrible as it sounds.
Lars is disabled since his inoperable brain tumor rendered him unable to use his legs. Josef has the use of his legs, but can barely see anything. Philip is almost completely paralysed, and is completely dependant on others for help. All in their twenties, they meet regularly and are good friends.
Secretly, they have been plotting the trip of a lifetime - one they wish to take without their parents. Heading through France and into Spain, getting a view of the world they don't see within their suffocating bedrooms. After a little persuading, their parents agree to a heavily-regimented holiday with every minute accounted for, but the trio have missed out one detail - their intended destination is at a brothel in the heart of Spain, one that caters specifically for the needs of disabled customers.
A last minute setback hits Lars hard. His tumor is growing aggressively, and the holiday is put off - by the parents, but not the friends, who enlist the help of Claude - an overweight, resigned minibus driver - to get them there on the quiet.
Come as You Are immediately reminded me of Third Star, with both films heading to a very similar conclusion. The Belgium effort however manages to be a little deeper with character development, and a more evenly-distributed focus to the progression of the plot, although it's ending was a smidge weaker. However both films are excellent examples of buddy-road movies with an emotional clout. 8/10
CIFF 2012 Day 4
V.O.S. (Cat/Spa) (site)
A last minute entry into one of the TBA slots in the timetable meant we could have a look at VOS. Based on a novel about a screenplay within a screenplay, VOS morphs to a film within a film. The romantic lives of two couples intertwine as two of them, Clara And Manu argue over how they should move on together after sleeping with each other, instead of their partners. They also happen to be trying to create a rom-com film about the hijinks of two couples at the same time, and the lines between what is their own life and what is being acted out frequently blur and tease the audience, just when they think they have a handle on the situation.
Some may be frustrated with VOS's novel style, where clever story switches mean that the usual cutting between scenes is often replaced with the actors walking between wooden sets, and possibly their real lives, though again, it's deliberately hard to distinguish. With a narrative a little like Satoshi Kon's Millennium Actress, you will either relish the challenge of understanding the whole story from the clues hidden away, or you will become frustrated and give up as their reality changes again and again. Personally, although the film was dialogue-heavy and subtitled, I found it an entertaining extra layer on top of an appealing and original work. 7.5/10
Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (Swe) (site)
It might sound like the tackiest title for gay porn film you have ever heard of, but Frederik Gertten's meta-documentary is serious stuff from the get-go. In 2009, he made Bananas!*, a documentary about a lawsuit against multinational fruit giants Dole. In Nicaragua, a handful of plantation owners under Dole's control sued them as they believed the pesticides Dole was using on the crops were making them sterile. As Gertten was about to premiere it at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Dole's lawyerbots sent out threatening letters to everyone connected - the festival, the sponsors, and especially Gertten himself, peppering the text with threats and denials, and making out the film to be full of lies, despite not having actually seen it. When it did get shown, the threats of litigation were made real, and Gertten found himself with very few friends; least of all the press, who had swallowed Doles' early PR punch that they were wronged by a fraudulent documentary.
So this sequel of sorts was born of the experience, a fine example of corporate might brought down heavily to silence a small film company in Sweden by use of some plain nasty dark arts, practices and techniques employed all too often by dedicated PR firms for clients who want to silence any bad publicity. Feating for his career and livelihood, and those of his staff, Gertten nevertheless recognised a precedent would be set if he did not fight his corner, and so somehow he did.
Though less impacting than yesterdays Call me Kuchu, and covering subject matter less immediately harmful than the earlier film that caused all the hoo-ha, Big Boys is an eye opener to just how much power still resides in the hands of those who least require it. And techniques such as Astroturfing show that the internet is not as democratically free as you would hope it to be.
Frederik Gertten was present at the screening which made for an enlightening half hour of Q and A (overrunning its timeslot in the process). As if there weren't enough revealing documentaries out there here are two more that I would recommend, on the subjects of third world mistreatment, and first world abuses of the justice system. 8/10
Frank (UK) (interview with director Richard Heslop)
Shown under the Microcinema strand, dedicated to films made on a shoestring budget (the excellent 2007 film Kin was also shown here previously), Frank is an example of what can come of a film with creativity unrestricted by corporate interest, or trying to satisfy the most punters. That can sound dangerous but in the right circumstances can expose new talent.
Frank is a single man with mental problems. Fallen through the cracks of the social systems meant to care for him, he lives alone in squalor in a nasty part of a dying seaside town. Franks heart is pure but he has no direction or role model, and no-one seems interested in helping him. When not at the charity shop helping out, he whiles away his hours at the sea shore, where one day he makes a discovery - a dead body washed ashore.
What follows is a masterful, if gruesome playing out of a broken mind trying to make sense of the new things entering his fragile world. Tideland by Terry Gilliam is a close comparison to the premise, although the conclusion plays out far differently; the part of Frank played to perfection by Darren Beaumont, surely a face that will appear again soon. Gritty and gruesome but by equal measure gentle and beautiful, Frank is another example that a small budget can create big things in the right hands. 8/10
Guinea Pigs (UK) (review)
And for our last film, we have a psychohorror from the UK. The spotless and professional-looking surroundings of the fictitious Limebrook Clinic get a new coat of scarlet on the floor, walls and ceiling, as the testing of their new drug, PRO-9 on a gang of volunteers, goes horribly wrong. In the order they were injected, each of the volunteers, isolated from the outside world, succumbs to the effects of the drug, meaning a lot of paranoid creeping around wrecked laboratories for the survivors.
Though guilty of a few unresolved threads and a couple of silly moments, Guinea Pigs kept the suspense ramped up high after a slow build-up, although the suspense went limp towards the end, which though it wound up things competently, felt a little disappointing given the build-up of tension to that point. If you like being scared however and are willing to forgive a few slipups, you have a solid night's screaming ahead of you. 7/10
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