Summer movies

August 1, 2013

In mid-June, after several weeks of immersive viewing during SIFF 2013, TVOR’s movie-watching dropped precipitously.  This was a good thing, and she enjoyed spending much of the summer participating in the real world.  And it’s not like she was missing a whole lot, as Hollywood was not offering much of interest.  She does want to alert you to a few things worth coming inside to see, though.  Some of this summer’s earlier releases are still floating around--if you haven’t seen Much Ado About Nothing or 20 Feet From Stardom yet, do so if you can.

There are some newer options too--

Fruitvale Station:  This film’s release, coming as it does on the heels of the George Zimmerman trial, is another example of a young, unarmed black man being shot by a white man who obviously could not be trusted with a firearm.  It tells the real-life story of Oscar Grant, shot on the platform of a BART station early in the morning on January 1, 2009.  The film, covering the last day of his life, is a beautifully done portrait of an imperfect, but loved, and loving, man who did not deserve to die.  If you think you don’t want to see this because it will be too depressing, think again.  Yes, you know the ending of this film, and yes, it’s tragic.  But the film itself is wonderful and absolutely worth it.

The Way Way Back:  There’s no new ground broken in this coming-of-age story about a kid with a distracted mom, a nasty prospective step-dad, and too much time on his hands.  But the story of how he finds a place for himself working at a run-down water park makes for a nice time at the movies.  Toni Collette and Steve Carrell are the parental figures, and Sam Rockwell and co-writer-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are among the water park employees.  Allison Janney is wonderful, as always, as a neighbor who enjoys a cocktail.

Crystal Fairy:  Chilean director Sebastian Silva’s new film is about tourists so obnoxious--including one in particular, played by Michael Cera--that you wonder why any people in other countries can tolerate us at all.  Granted, they’re drug tourists, so they’re not always operating with clear minds, but still.  This is a well-made film, but be warned: you may find these folks tough to spend time with, especially if you like to think you’re a good tourist.  Gaby Hoffman plays the title character.

The Act of Killing:  This is not your ordinary documentary.  In the 1960’s, Indonesian pro-government death squads killed more than a million people suspected of being Communists.  Fifty years later, the perpetrators are still powerful.  And in this film, these same murderers re-enact their crimes (although they wouldn't characterize them as such) in the style of American movies, and generally seem quite proud of their actions.  This is a film that really gets under your skin--it’s appalling and amazing.

Finally, a couple of TVOR’s favorite documentaries from this year’s SIFF are available on TV.  Yes, you do not have to leave your couch to see two very fine films.

Our Nixon:  This film is made entirely of found footage, including Super 8 movies (shot by White House aides Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin), news footage, and the Nixon tapes.  Although the details are fuzzy, it’s amazing and mind-blowing, even if you already knew a lot about that crazy era.  And if you don’t know much about those times, maybe you’ll understand why the rest of us are kind of warped.  CNN is broadcasting Our Nixon on Thursday, August 1st at 9:00 pm, and a few more times thereafter.  Turn it on or fire up your preferred video recording system.

The Crash Reel:  TVOR was at first put off by the title of this film, but she got over it.  Be assured, it’s not just a series of horrendous wipe-outs, although the story begins with one of those.  The film tells the story of Kevin Pearce, a top U.S. snowboarder, and his family.  After Kevin suffered a severe brain injury in a devastating accident, he and they have worked to try to put back together his life in a way that is satisfying and safe for him.  It’s engrossing and very well-done, and you don’t have to be a sports fan to care deeply about the people in the film.  The Crash Reel is available on demand for HBO subscribers--the rest of you will have to wait a while.

Video notes:

The Maid:  Sebastian Silva’s 2009 film tells the story of a maid trying to hold onto her position in a changing household.  A black comedy that keeps the viewer guessing where it’s headed, this film is a winner.

The Descendants:  Before Nat Faxon and Jim Rash made The Way Way Back, they collaborated with Alexander Payne on the script of his film The Descendants.  If you haven’t seen it, you need to, and if you have, you may need to see it again.  Not even George Clooney looks good running in flip-flops.

Have fun at the movies!

The Best of SIFF--and more

6/14/13

Whew.  After 25 days of maniacal movie-going, TVOR is taking a break for a few days to reintroduce herself into the real world.  Which is very nice, actually, although she does miss those dark movie theaters.

Fortunately, although SIFF is over, Best of SIFF is just beginning.  A number of jury award winners and audience favorites will be playing at SIFF’s Uptown Theater.  Some of these films will be distributed and show up at various theaters around the country in the coming months, but some will be harder to find.  Seattleites might want to take advantage of the opportunity to see them while they can.  Here’s TVOR’s take on the offerings--

Fanie Fourie’s Lobola:  This romantic comedy from South Africa won the Golden Space Needle audience award for Best Film, and that’s no surprise.  The film is a delight, and we root for this couple to overcome the genre-required obstacles and get together.  And since he’s an Afrikaans boy and she’s a Zulu girl, there are quite a few obstacles.  Distribution has not been firmed up on this film yet, so see it while you can.

Our Nixon:  It turns out that Richard Nixon’s top aides Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin were making home movies of their time in the White House.  They were having a great time--or more accurately, they were having a great time until they started having a very bad time.  Our Nixon consists entirely of found footage, including the Super 8 footage shot by the three aides, news coverage, and subsequent interviews, with extra audio supplied by the Nixon tapes.  This is by no means a full account of the man or the presidency, but it’s an eye-opener, and very entertaining.  TVOR assumes the film will be available for viewing at some point, but doesn’t know when or where.  It’s another one you should grab the opportunity to see while you can.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks:  Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentarian (for Taxi to the Dark Side--he also made Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, among others) has done it again with this fascinating story about Wikileaks, and the people involved with it.  Neither Julian Assange nor Bradley Manning were interviewed for the film (Gibney and Assange could not agree on terms, and Bradley Manning is locked up) but the portraits that emerge from their writings, already existing film, and interviews with those that know them, are complex and may challenge any opinions you already have about them.  The film also gives a number of people the chance to speak their minds on the subjects of secrecy, leaking, and the consequences of both.  TVOR found much of what they have to say troubling if not downright appalling.  This is one to see, and you’ll have opportunities, as the film is in distribution now.

20 Feet From Stardom:  This documentary about backup singers will please anybody who loves the music these talented but largely unheralded artists help create.  There are interviews with ex-Raylettes, Ikettes, and singers who have worked with the Rolling Stones, Elton John, and others, along with the artists they supported.  And there’s lots of music.  This is another film that is being distributed, so see it in a theater with a good sound system!

7 Boxes:  A low-budget, fast-paced Paraguayan film about a young delivery boy who is tasked with delivering seven boxes from point A to point B in a busy public market. This film has great chase scenes involving hand carts.

Populaire:  A silly but entertaining French romantic comedy set in the late 50’s, with great costumes and art direction, and a plot revolving around a typing competition.  TVOR hasn’t heard anything about distribution on this one, so this could be your last chance...

Key of Life:  A Japanese comedy in which a total loser of a guy gets mistaken for a sophisticated assassin.  TVOR was less enamored than most with this film.  She really got to like the assassin and found the loser quite irritating.

C.O.G.:  This film, which many enjoyed, is based on an essay by David Sedaris.  It’s a well put-together film, with good acting, but TVOR would have preferred to have spent her time reading Mr. Sedaris’ work.

Decoding Annie Parker:  This film tells about the discovery of the BRCA “breast cancer” gene, and one woman who had it.  The film is certainly timely, but TVOR can’t really recommend it.  There is some wonderful acting, especially by Samantha Morton, as the woman battling both cancer and a medical establishment which refuses to believe that there could be a genetic aspect to it, but the film doesn’t really hold together--at least in TVOR’s opinion.  Many disagreed.

Fortunately, there are some other interesting movies that are opening around the country, films that can provide an alternative to the big summer blockbusters, or act as a palate cleanser between those mega-movies.

What Maisie Knew:  One of the best films TVOR has seen recently, this film, based on the Henry James novel, tells a modern-day story of a little girl who is the pawn of her divorcing parents.  Excellent performances all around, especially Onata Aprile as the little girl, and Julianne Moore as her mother.

Kings of Summer:  A wonderful coming-of-age film about three teenagers who decide to build a house in the woods and live it in over the summer.  Very nicely done, and Nick Offerman is wonderful as one of the parents.

Stories We Tell:  Actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley has done it again with this fascinating and very entertaining documentary about her own family (and her own parentage).  Fortunately for us, it’s about much more than that, and there’s something for all of us in it.

Much Ado About Nothing:  Joss Whedon adapted Shakespeare’s comedy, set it in modern times, and shot the whole thing in twelve days in his own home, using actors from his previous projects.  It’s a delight, even for suspicious Shakespeare fans, who don’t like their man to be messed with.  This film could generate a whole new group of Whedonites.

Wish You Were Here:  A gripping Australian film about the aftermath of a vacation gone horribly wrong.  Two couples go to a Cambodian beach town, and only three people come home.  Yikes!

Frances Ha:  Directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Greta Gerwig, this story of a lost twenty-something trying to find her way in New York is so much better than it could have been.  It’s not one of TVOR’s favorite genres, but this is a well-done example.

Dirty Wars:  Journalist Jeremy Scahill takes us on a voyage through U.S. covert military operations, things many of us find appalling, and which are occurring in secrecy.  TVOR thinks this should be required viewing for informed citizens.

The Bling Ring:  Sophia Coppola’s new film is a beautifully made film about an appalling group of teenagers who steal from celebrities--but not celebrities who are famous for having done impressive things.  No, they steal from celebrities who, for the most part, are famous for being famous.  TVOR doesn’t watch reality shows, has stayed relatively ignorant of this world, and didn’t enjoy the film.  And if there was a point, she missed it. Others, however, disagreed.

So that's what TVOR knows about summer movies at this point. Do go play outside, but when you come inside and want to see a movie, you now have some non-mainstream options.

SIFF 2013--the madness begins!

Tvor has been taking a nearly year-long break from her duties, but that must end.  The 2013 edition of the Seattle International Film Festival began Thursday night, and tvor has been watching a few press screenings, perusing the schedule, and generally getting excited about the upcoming 25 days.

Between the press screenings and other festivals she has attended in the past year (the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where she lowered the average age of the attendees, and SXSW, where she raised it), she has seen over 30 of the features that will be presented at SIFF.  Of course, over 250 features will be screened, and an additional 150 or so shorts, so this is just a drop in the bucket.

Here are some quick thoughts on what she’s seen--not full descriptions or reviews, just short impressions.  They’re divided into three groups--Recommended, Pretty Decent, and Not So Hot.  Anything in the top two categories is worth the price of admission, in tvor’s opinion, and those in the third...well, they weren't bad enough to make tvor want to rip her eyes out or anything, but they just didn't work for her.

Recommended

Much Ado About Nothing--Joss Whedon’s updating of the play had tvor nervous, as she’s a Shakespeare fan, but fortunately, the film is a success and lots of fun.

What Maisie Knew--a contemporary version of the Henry James novel--beautifully done, wonderful acting, and the child actor is amazing.

Doch (The Daughter)--excellent Russian low-key mystery/thriller with a noirish feel.

Our Nixon--did you know Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Chapin were making super-8 movies of their time in the White House?  Neither did tvor.  This documentary consists entirely of found footage and it’s amazing.

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion--wonderful Italian film made in 1970 about a police homicide detective leading the investigation of a crime he committed.  This will be screened in a beautiful new restoration.

A Hijacking--exciting Danish film about a ship hijacked by Somali pirates.

The Act of Killing--excellent, horrifying documentary in which perpetrators of mass killings in Indonesia in the 1960’s discuss their crimes on screen--and re-enact them using Hollywood movies as a template.  Surreal.

The Hunt--Mads Mikkelsen as an innocent man accused of child molestation.

Goltzius and the Pelican Company--OK, this is a Peter Greenaway film, so it’s erotic and wild and beautifully shot.

Drinking Buddies--Joe Swanberg’s latest, about a couple of friends who work in a brewery, and who both have significant others--but is there something beyond friendship there?

The Final Member--what’s not to like about a documentary about a phallological museum looking to add that final specimen to its collection--a human penis?

Frances Ha--Noah Baumbach’s new film about a twenty-something trying to find her way in New York.  Not one of tvor’s favorite subjects, but this one works.

Camion--a lovely, quiet French Canadian film about a father reconnecting with his two grown sons.

Sadourni’s Butterflies--visually beautiful and inventive, with a story that is wild and not entirely comprehensible, but tvor liked it anyway.

Paradise: Faith--this Austrian film about a religious fanatic is not for everyone, but tvor found it fascinating, enough so that she’s planning to see the other two films in the series, Paradise: Love and Paradise: Hope.

After Winter, Spring--documentary about farmers in a remote part of France trying to keep with their old ways.

Bwakaw--a sweet Filipino film about an elderly gay man in a small town.

Dirty Wars--one of those documentaries that makes us think about things we don’t like to think about, like the U.S.’s covert wars.  Fascinating and depressing but good.

7 Boxes--a Paraguayan film about a delivery boy who must get seven boxes from point A to point B.  Complications ensue.  Great chase scenes involving hand-pushed carts.

The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology--documentary dedicated to one strange philosopher’s view of ideology and movies.  Bizarre but interesting.

After Tiller--a documentary about the the U.S.’s four remaining providers of third-trimester abortions--why they do what they do and why people come to them for help.

Pretty decent

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints--it looks good, it has good actors (Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, and Ben Foster), and tvor would probably have bumped this up a notch, but the mumbly soundtrack made her miss key plot points.  If you go, please let her know why those guys did what they did.

In the Fog--it’s beautifully done, but tvor is much too shallow to fully appreciate this film taking place in the German-occupied USSR in 1942.  It’s war, things are horrible, and there is lots of fog.

Two Lives--a story about woman born of a liaison between a Norwegian woman and a German soldier during WWII.  It takes place after the end of the cold war when the Berlin Wall has come down.  A mix of family drama and spy drama.

Mistaken for Strangers--a documentary about a couple of brothers.  One is an indie rock star.  The other is...still living with his parents.  The non-star makes a film about traveling with his brother’s  band (The National) on tour.  Complications ensue.

Spark: A Burning Man Story--tvor liked it, as she was at Burning Man when the film was shot.  Definitely for Burners, and maybe for other people.  Viewers will get a glimpse of what attendees have so much trouble describing.

Not so hot

The Summit--a documentary about a climbing tragedy on K2, this film suffers from an excessive reliance on recreated scenes, so much that tvor spent much of the film trying to figure out what was real and what was recreated, and ended up distrusting all of the footage.  It also suffered from muddled story-telling.

Una Noche--this film looks good (it was shot in Cuba) but one of the three central characters was so appalling, tvor didn't believe that the others would have anything to do with him.

Putzel --a waste of Melanie Lynskey, this film is probably most appealing to those who live on the Upper West Side.  And even then, tvor is not so sure.

C.O.G.--David Sedaris is a wonderful writer, but the joy of reading his work is his voice (not literally, although hearing him read is great too), not his plots.  Maybe his work is not really meant to be adapted into a narrative film.

Key of Life--part screwball comedy, part crime story, and the two parts never really blended properly as far as tvor was concerned.  The crime story part was interesting, but the screwball comedy part just wasn’t funny, unless you find overacting, mugging, and extreme facial expressions to be amusing.  

So...that’s what tvor knows so far.  She’ll be updating her blog during the festival, and tweeting regularly (only about movies, not detailed coverage of her life).

If you’re in Seattle, go to SIFF early and often.  And if you’re not, here are some video ideas, films tvor enjoyed at last year’s SIFF:

Safety Not Guaranteed

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

Your Sister’s Sister

Robot & Frank

Hello I Must Be Going

Sleepwalk With Me

Teddy Bear

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Moonrise Kingdom

I Wish

How to Survive a Plague

Summer movies worth going inside for

6/7/12

It has come to TVOR's attention that in much of the northern hemisphere, summer has arrived.  True, it's not official yet, but summer has definitely arrived.  TVOR, however, does not live in a place like that, so she is happy to have been sitting inside in dark movie theaters at the Seattle International Film Festival instead of remaining outside in the cold and damp, complaining about the weather.

In honor of the (in her case theoretical) season, there will be all sorts of big summer movies coming out over the next several weeks, showing up in theaters all over the place.  These films will be full of superheroes, explosions, CGI, and other Hollywood contrivances.  There will also be some smaller, quieter, movies in theaters, and a few of these are actually worth going inside to watch.  Here are a few:

Moonrise Kingdom--Wes Anderson, the director of Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and others, has come up with a winner.  He has made a film that it is pure pleasure to spend 94 minutes with.  The basic plot revolves around a couple of twelve-year olds who run away together, but the world Anderson creates (the visuals, the music, the sensibility, the writing, the acting, etc.) elevates the film into something that is about way more than that.  A recommendation: don't read too much about this film before you see it.  Just enjoy.  And it's PG-13, and would work for lots of kids as well.

Safety Not Guaranteed--this funny and sweet film was inspired by this actual ad, which appeared in a magazine:

"WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me.  This is not a joke.  You'll get paid after we get back.  Must bring your own weapons.  I have only done this once before.  Safety not guaranteed."

The movie's fictional story follows a writer and two interns who investigate the ad and the guy who placed it.  Good writing, acting, direction, etc.--the result is a lot of fun.  

Your Sister's Sister--Lynn Shelton's newest film is another winner.  It's basically a simple film:  one guy, two sisters, complications ensue.  The nice thing is that the characters are intelligent, flawed, human people, a trio you care about and enjoy spending time with.

Headhunters--if you're lucky, this Norwegian corporate thriller/crime movie/dark comedy will play at a theater near you.  Based on a book by the crime writer Jo Nesbo, the movie will take you (along with the protagonist) for quite a ride.  In it, a corporate headhunter/art thief finds that his dual career is a lot more complicated than he bargained for, and the result is a game with increasingly high stakes.  It's funny, scary, bloody, and a lot of fun.

    

Video notes:

Check out Wes Anderson's earlier films, especially Rushmore, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Royal Tenenbaums.  They all involve the creation of wonderful worlds populated by interesting people (or animals, in the case of Fantastic Mr. Fox).   

Lynn Shelton's last film, Humpday, is a good place to start if you've never seen her work before.  It's about a couple of straight male buddies who decide to prove how hip and arty they are by making a gay porn film for an amateur porn contest.  It's an hilarious examination of friendship, growing older and probably a few other things.  TVOR also liked an earlier Shelton film, My Effortless Brilliance, about an obnoxious writer reconnecting with an old friend by barging in on his rural home.

SIFF 2012--one week to go

6/4/212

TVOR has been watching movies in Seattle International Film Festival venues pretty much full time for 18 days, and has been in her element.  The films have been generally quite good--there have been a number of delights, and very few disasters.  Now she's on the home stretch, with one week to go.  Many films have come and gone, but here are some brief thoughts and recommendations on films you still have a chance to see:

RECOMMENDED:

Coteau Rouge--a lovely French Canadian film, a little slice of life taking place in a Montreal neighborhood.

Hello I Must Be Going--a thirty-something woman ends up living with her parents after her life and marriage fall apart.  A little funny, a little dark, a little sweet.

4 Days in May--at the tail end of WWII, residents of a community on the Baltic coast of Germany wait for the Russians to arrive.

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists--very good documentary about computer hackers, focusing on Anonymous and related groups.  Entertaining and informative.

Charles Bradley: Soul of America--good music documentary about an R&B singer "discovered" at age 62.

Earthbound--sweet little flick about a guy who may or may not be space alien and his quest for a human mate.

Guilty, Innocence, The Invader, and Red Road are more good films that have screenings in the upcoming week--TVOR wrote brief blurbs about them in her last post.

MAYBE THESE ARE FOR YOU, MAYBE NOT:

Hail--very well made film about a career criminal getting out of jail and starting again in life.  The quality of the filmmaking makes this movie very hard to watch, as the viewer gets in the head of this man, and that is a very unhealthy place to be.  A warning: there were many walk-outs in the screening TVOR attended.  

6 Points About Emma--nicely done Spanish film about a deaf woman whose one strong desire is to be a mother.  Good, not great.

Simon and the Oaks--a crowd-pleaser about life in wartime Sweden.  Many loved it, TVOR had a little less love for it.

My Dad is Baryshnikov--another crowd-pleaser taking place in mid-80's Moscow about a ballet-obsessed fatherless kid who chooses a father (based on no factual information) and proceeds to tell people about it.  Again, TVOR felt a little less love than many.

Mirage--interesting South Korean film about a young writer who returns to his home town to accept an award, and ends up reconnecting with some old friends who informed his work and his life.  One of several films from South Korea in which adolescent bullying is featured, there are some scenes that are difficult to watch.

TVOR wrote about Starbuck and Hunky Dory in her last post--check out those blurbs if you're interested.

NOT TVOR'S CUP OF TEA:

Prime Time Soap--a strange Brazilian film that tries to combine a sort of bright and breezy tale of the life and adventures of a call girl in late 1970's Rio de Janeiro with a more realistic story about dictatorship and corruption.  This strange brew did not work for TVOR, and hard-to-read subtitles did nothing to improve the situation.

170 Hz--two deaf teenagers fall in love in this Dutch film.  The filmmaking is very interesting--the problem TVOR had with the film is that she didn't want to spend time with the people in it.  The boy was appalling--the girl was slightly less so, although still pretty obnoxious.

Go to the movies!

TVOR's pre-SIFF 2012 edition

5/16/12

TVOR has been silent for a while, but now she's fired up and has things to say.  This year's Seattle International Film Festival starts tomorrow, and people in the area will have the opportunity to see hundreds of films from around the world for the next 25 days.  TVOR got a head start on the fest and can help guide overwhelmed folks in navigating through the huge number of offerings.  During her electronic silence she attended a couple of film festivals (Palm Springs and SXSW), and saw quite a few films that will show up at this year's SIFF.  She has also seen some press screenings during the past few weeks that she can comment on as well. 

Here's her take on what she's seen so far--and remember, descriptions of films don't really tell you that much.  It's all about how the story is told.

THIS GROUP IS RECOMMENDED:

Las Acacias--a sweet Argentinian road movie, a winner at Cannes.  See it!

Breathing--a kid living in a detention center gets a job in a mortuary in this Austrian film that is nothing like Departures.  Another top pick.

Dreams of a Life--a fascinating documentary about a young woman who dies in her apartment in London--and is not discovered for three years.  One of TVOR's favorite films from SXSW.

The Central Park Effect--an hour-long gem, a documentary about the birds of Central Park and the humans who watch them.

The Do-Deca Pentathlon--an entertaining story of sibling rivalry from the Duplass brothers, shot in their pre-Hollywood days, but just now hitting the festivals.

Elena--a story of the 1%--Russian style--and of some of the 99% who would like to share the wealth.  (Clue: there aren't a lot of good guys in this one.)  From the director of 2003's excellent The Return.

The Invader--a gripping, sometimes disturbing Belgian movie about immigration, race, class, sex, and probably a few other things.  

Guilty--this French movie, based on a true story, tells of legal proceedings gone seriously awry when a man is accused of pedophilia.

Innocence--another movie about an accusation of molestation, only this one is Czech.  Lots of shades of grey in this one.

Killer Joe--an over-the-top, bloody, entertaining black comedy/thriller from William Friedkin.  The script is by Tracy Letts, who won a Pulitzer prize for his play August, Osage County.  Good performances, even from Matthew McConaughy.

Lucky--a South African drama about a young boy who loses his mother to AIDS and an elderly Indian woman who ends up helping him.

Polisse--well-done French film profiling a group of cops who deal with child protection cases.  Let's just say the stress levels are high.  

Ai Wei-Wei: Never Sorry--very good documentary about the Chinese artist and dissident.  Note to Chinese government: It's a bad idea to piss off a guy who's a very heavy Twitter user.

High Ground--affecting documentary about a group of Iran and Afghanistan vets dealing with physical injuries and emotional trauma who climb a Himalayan mountain.  Very good storytelling.

How to Survive a Plague--excellent documentary about the early days of Act Up and its efforts to prod the Reagan administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the drug companies into action to get treatments for AIDS out to people with the disease.  Great use of archival footage.

Red Road--a very good early film of SIFF 2012 Emerging Master Andrea Arnold.  The story unfolds slowly and the tension is high.

THIS GROUP IS OK--NOT GREAT, NOT BAD: 

The Imposter--TVOR really wanted to like this documentary more, as it's the amazing story of a kid who goes missing, and his reunion with his family several years later.  Except it's not really him, and the guy who returns to the family doesn't even look like him, yet nobody seems very perturbed by that.  So...great setup, but somehow the filmmaking didn't really work for TVOR.  Still, it's not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.  

ELIMINATE: Archie Cookson--pretty entertaining at times, but not consistent in tone.  The central performance by Paul Rhys is very good. 

Hunky Dory--a pleasant film set in mid-70's in Wales.  Minnie Driver is a teacher who decides the school play will be a musical version of The Tempest.  Fairly predictable things happen, and you listen to period music while they do.

Starbuck--a French Canadian movie about a 40-something underachiever who finds out he's been spectacularly successful as a sperm donor--and now his hundreds of offspring want to find him.  There are no surprises here, but it's broadly entertaining.

The Intouchables--more broad comedy from the French, in which a Senegalese immigrant helps a quadriplegic rich guy find joy in life.  It sold about a bazillion tickets in France.

Tey--a Senegalese film that is interesting to look at (especially since most of us have never been there) as we follow a man around on the last day of his life.  The problem is that we don't really know why this is happening.  There are undoubtedly cultural references TVOR is clueless about, as well as symbolism, metaphor, and lots of other things that totally went over her head.

Wetlands--terrible things happen to an already dysfunctional family running a farm in Quebec.  And then they make things worse.

Cracks in the Shell--SIFF's blurb compares this to The Black Swan.  The good news is it's better than that.  It's well done, in fact, but the maniacal director character and the screwed-up student actress character can try one's patience.

FEEL FREE TO SKIP:

Fat Kid Rules the World--this is just not a good movie.  There are some pretty good people in it, but they're not at their best, the script is not so good, and the whole thing just looks cheap.  Some of the edits are positively  jarring.

The Woman in the Fifth--a terrible waste of talent.  The cast (Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, etc.) and the director (Pawel Pawlikowski) have done far better work elsewhere.  This attempt at a thriller not only had no thrills, it didn't have much else either.

Trishna--Tess of the d'Urbervilles updated to modern-day India.  So you know it's probably not a light comedy.  It looks pretty, as it should, as it was directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Freida Pinto.  But the story really doesn't update that well, and TVOR never really believed that the character had so little control over things.

Hemel--this could have been an interesting portrait of a seriously screwed up father-daughter team but they left out the parts where they help us understand why the heck they are so messed up.  Can you say inappropriate behavior?

38 Witnesses--inspired by the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York in the mid-60's, this film takes us to modern-day Le Havre, where once again a bunch of witnesses fail to help a woman being murdered right outside their windows.  TVOR just didn't buy the way it plays out in the movie.

So, once again, if you live in or around Seattle, it's time to go to the movies.  And if you can't go  out to the movies, take a look at Red Road or The Return on video.  Or, if you're in the mood to laugh, watch Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton, whose new film Your Sister's Sister opens the festival on May 17th.

Late November--time to release the good movies!

11/22/11

TVOR hasn't had much to say about movies recently. She simply didn't see many over the summer and in the early fall. Now is the season for quality movies, though, and there are things to talk about.

There are two movies to be released soon that are so good and so beautiful to watch that they demand to be seen on the big screen. If you wait until they come out on video, you will miss much of the beauty and the magic. Both movies are by filmmakers who love movies and movie history, and the films pay tribute to their predecessors in tremendously entertaining ways. On top of everything else, these films are appropriate for a wide range of audience members, and suitable for holiday viewing with the family.

The Artist

Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius

This film is pretty unusual for 2011 America. It's in black and white, it's silent, and it has French people in it. The film takes place in Hollywood just as silent films were making way for talkies, and is a loving homage to that era and old movies in general. The types are familiar--the big star of the silent era (Jean Dujardin), the young girl who wants to make it big in the movies (Berenice Bejo), and the winners and losers of Hollywood. The look of the film is familiar as well--it's in the 4:3 aspect ratio used for old films, and it's beautifully shot. There's a lush score, appropriate for a silent film, and there are title cards for the dialog (so it's not like you can tell who's French). In spite of its French pedigree, The Artist was shot in Hollywood, and has a very good (and familiar) supporting cast including John Goodman as a studio chief and James Cromwell as the star's faithful chauffeur. There's a great dog in it, too. So go to a theater, take the family, and embrace a new (old) way to enjoy movies.

Hugo

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Screenplay by John Logan based on the book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick

Here's another movie you should really leave home to see in a big theater, and wear funny 3D glasses while you're doing it. Good movies take us into new worlds, and if we're lucky, we get lost in those worlds for a couple of hours. Hugo takes us into a particularly magical world, and the experience is enhanced by the fact that it's in 3D. Most 3D movies these days seems to be designed for no good reason other than to get a few more dollars out of the ticket-buying audience, and bad 3D can make films look dark and muddy, ruining the fun of going to the movies. This time, however, the 3D is beautifully done and really enhances the movie-going experience. The glasses (new, fancy-schmancy ones) are comfortable, and that third dimension lets the viewer experience the world of the film more fully. And it's a wonderful world. Hugo is a twelve year-old orphan who lives alone in the clock (really) in a train station in Paris in the 1930's. TVOR won't go into the story too much, but just know that he will meet people and things will happen and old films (and filmmakers) play an important part. The script is good, the acting (by Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, and Chloe Grace Moretz, among others) is excellent, and the film is a winner. And it's PG, but not the kind of PG that makes adults want to run out of the theater.

So there you have it. Two wonderful new movies by filmmakers who love old movies. If you know a lot about old movies, you'll see references to them. If you don't, you may sense you're seeing something similar to an older film, but you'll just enjoy it. Because that's what going to the movies is supposed to be about.

Video notes:

If you can't make it to a theater to see one of these new movies, you do have some options--

Michel Hazanavicius made a couple of very silly, very funny spy spoofs, and OSS-117: Cairo, Nest of Spies is the first and funnier. Jean Dujardin is a spy of the Maxwell Smart school--supremely confident, utterly clueless--and Berenice Bejo is one of the ladies who falls for him while he's making the world a safer place. Or trying to.

Beginners--Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer star in Mike Mills' film, one of the best of last summer, now available on video. There are a couple of stories going on in the film--one about a seventy-something father who comes out of the closet after his wife of many decades dies, and the other about his son's tentative start of a love affair. There's a wonderful dog in it too.

Super 8--another summer release now out on video, this J.J. Abrams film is sort of an ode to early Spielberg. There are kids who have time on their hands, some supernatural stuff, and character and story are more important than stuff blowing up. Although some stuff does blow up nicely. Be sure to watch through the credits and you can see the Super-8 movie the kids are working on throughout the film.

Buck--a documentary about a real horse whisperer. Although he really murmurs more than whispers. You don't have to be interested in horses to like this film, but if you do, TVOR suspects that you'll like it even more. The film shows us a lot about people as well as horses.

Page One: Inside the New York Times is another good recent documentary. If you care about the current state of journalism, it's good food for thought. David Carr, the paper's media columnist, is our very entertaining guide for much of the film.

Now go to the movies!