Caligari!

And the word of the day is… “bleh”. Not much to say, not much to do, all the projects I should’ve done either failed or didn’t get finished. One of those days. Then again, someone dropped by quite unexpectedly and saved the day. So whereas the day may be saved, DV still needs a post before midnight and I don’t have the least bit of inspiration. A quickie from this year’s cinema? A cult classic? Something for DV’s frontpage? Nothing could thrill me enough to write about it.

So here instead is a YouTube clip. It combines Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari, a must-see classic, with a modern soundtrack and it actually picks the right moments that fit the soundtrack. Which is by Devil Music Ensemble, or so I’m told. Three minutes of essential cinema? Three minutes of classic expressionism? Consider it a done deal!

B. Monkey

The first time I saw B. Monkey (at the Ghent Film Festival in 1998), I was amazed at how many people had come to see this action movie starring Asia Argento.
Of course it wasn’t because of Asia’s charismatic performances this movie was so popular, but because it was the latest film by Michael Radford, director of Il Postino (next to Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulin and the horrible La Vita E Bella one of the longest running movies in the last fifteen years).

From Il Postino to B. Monkey was a weird step and perhaps one of the reasons why B. Monkey gets so many negative reviews. I’m well aware that this movie is a male-oriented dream of escapism, but when the result is a movie like this, one wants to take a lot for granted.

B. Monkey was based on a novel by Andrew Davies who has been writing since the late 60s and has penned many scripts for well-known productions such as the script for the Bridget Jones Diary and the lesbian BBC drama Tipping The Velvet. He knows how to tell a story and perhaps this is why, in my opinion, B. Monkey is so much better than the usual drama where a delinquent girl meets an honest man and decides to better her life (genders may be changed here). Even though you can predict the big lines of the story, you’re still surprised at certain plot changes.

Alan (Wayne Wang favourite Jarid Harris) and Beatrice (Asia ‘daughter of’ Argento) couldn’t be further apart: she’s a bank-robbing criminal, he teaches poor kids and has a jazz show on hospital radio. Once again something that makes you realize that this movie walks a thin line between good cinema and a third-rate tv’s movie of the week. Believable acting by Harris, Argento and, not to forget, Rupert Everett helps the movie to stay on the right part of that thin line.

The key to this film is clearly not expecting anything, certainly not something like Il Postino. It’s good boy saving girl that may not be bad, but definitely dealing with baddies. Male escapism, as I said earlier. But why shouldn’t that exist, uncomfortably next to romcoms?

Gimme Gimme Octopus

Gimme Gimme Octopus (a rough translation of Kure Kure Takora) was a Japanese kids show from the 70s. There’s a lot of gratuitous violence and bullying in almost every episode. Themes include the octopus getting high on incense, stealing other’s property, locking up the sheriff and in this particular episode, our favourite octopus… takes over the country and re-installs slavery.

Brothers

When Capt. Cahill (Tobey Maguire) goes missing in action, his brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) helps out his sister-in-law (Natalie Portman) and children. After being presumed dead, Cahill pops up again and has a tough time adapting.

It was nice to see Mare Cunningham again (as the mother of the Cahills) and it isn’t a badly made film (by Jim Sheridan of In the Name of the Father and My Left Foot fame), but you can’t shake the feeling that this film needs half an hour to explain what Kathryn Bigelow could do in one single scene and overall it’s less effective than The Hurt Locker. Also, some scenes are hardly convincing and take out the punch of the entire film. Other scenes are so evidently directed to make you feel emotional, Brothers achieves the completely opposite effect.

Originally a Danish film called Brødre (which was released in 2004), the original version was directed by Susanne Bier. Once again, the remake can’t stand up to the original.

4.5/10

The Disapperance of Alice Creed

In my local cinema there’s room for two giant posters between the cashiers and the staircase. This past fortnight those posters announced two movies, Tamara Drewe and The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Officially it hasn’t been announced, but let’s face it… with two films debuting on the same day, it would only be fair to call this Gemma Arterton week.

Disappearance is the film worthier of a lengthy DV review. Certain reviewers have compared it to Danny Boyle‘s Shallow Grave, which – as far as comparisons go – is quite a bit of a compliment. Alice Creed, portrayed by the omnipresent Gemma, is a young woman who’s suddenly abducted by two men. The abduction has been carefully planned: the room she’ll be staying in is soundproof, the inside of the van she’ll be abducted in is layered, circumstantial evidence like clothes and mobile phones will be destroyed or discarded as waste, several blocks from the crime scene. The result is one disappeared Alice and one question for both the viewer and Alice herself: why Alice Creed?

You’ll never guess it, but I don’t feel like revealing the plot, so don’t expect me to answer this question. Alice is suddenly grabbed from the street, taken to an empty room, stripped off all her clothes and left… tied to a bed, naked with only a ballgag and a bag over her head. And here’s the good news… Disappearance manages to showcase this in a dignified fashion. Sure, you’ll see the occasional bit of naked flesh, but the film doesn’t abuse the nudity of the victim.

Partially because of the well-chosen camera standpoints. In fact, for a movie that spends at least half of its time in one apartment all the camera angles are excellenty chosen. For obvious reasons, there aren’t too many wide angles, but every shot – from room-filling to extreme close-up – seems to be carefully picked.
In a lot of scenes Arterton doesn’t look sexy as damsels in distress tend to do in most thrillers or horror movies: she looks like a scared and confused victim. Violence is not glorified here.

Similarly, DV is now able to mention the entire cast of the film. There’s Alice (Arterton) and her abductors Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan). And, erm, that’s it. What makes this film so effective is that there’s nothing outside this small cast. There’s two abductors, one abductee and their mutual relationships. You’ll be as close to the characters as you are in a play.

The film provides a couple of twists, some a bit more original than you can expect in thrillers. Often there’s only one giant twist at the end, but in The Disappearance the relationship between the characters changes more than once. Let’s thank J. Blakeson for this, the director but also the screenwriter of this film. Is this the most original film of the past decade? We think not. But is it an excellent example of “less is more”? Oh yes. Sure, the final half of the film is less exciting, but this is only natural: there are only three people present and rather than revealing the plot (as would happen in most movies), the plot is now revealed and the viewer is left with the equally essential question: now that this has been established, what’ll happen next? It’s not revelation here, it’s elaboration.

Then again, it’s the sort of film – and poster! – you’d see more often in the 1970s than in the 21st century, so no wonder DV likes it. And it’s like going to a play, without the discomfort of having to spend 100 minutes around obnoxious people. That’s gotta be worth something…

8/10

Now you see it, now you don’t… Trash!

What on earth has been happening to Arte Trash? Without any information it’s been jumping from day to day, on different slots to boost. Here’s an update from August onwards.

AUGUST

Fri 6: Alucarda
A young girl’s arrival at a convent after the death of her parents marks the beginning of a series of events that unleash an evil presence on the girl and her mysterious new friend, an enigmatic figure known as Alucarda. Demonic possession, Satan worship, and vampirism follows.

Fri 13: Bubba Ho-Tep
Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy.

Thu 19: Sympathy for the Devil
Jean-Luc Godard films the Rolling Stones. Part of the “Summer of the 60s” season.

Thu 26: Les Idoles
Part of the “Summer of the 60s” season. Gigi la folle, the wrongly innocent sweet blonde played by Bulle Ogier, was inspired by pop singer France Gall, whereas Charlie le surineur, played by a wild Pierre Clémenti, is more or less Johnny Hallyday: a supposed natural-born rebel, in fact a totally artificial marketing produce. Jean-Pierre Kalfon, the last of the idols, plays a dishevelled and mystic palm reader turned into a frantic singer, a compromise between the Beatles under their indian period and a bunch of psychedelic bands such as they existed then. The three of them dance and sing all along like roaring lions, giving a very impressive performance of raw pop power. The portrait director Marc’o gives of the French youth on the eve of May 1968 is of a world seething in unrest, reading supposed rebellion orders on the lips of their teen idols. (adapted from an IMDb review)

SEPTEMBER

Fri 3: Lions Love
Agnes Varda directed this fascinating cinema verte like fictional film in 1969. The film traces Gerome Ragnai and James Rado (the composers of HAIR) and Andy Warhol actress Viva as they try to break into the Hollywood lifestyle. American feminist icon filmmaker Shirley Clarke is featured in an extended role, also playing a fictionalized version of herself. Clarke is attempting to get studio financing for a film project that seems to be consciously satirizing the struggles Varda must have had in getting this film made. This film is funny, beautifully shot and imaginatively edited. It is a must see for fans of Varda and the French New Wave. (taken from the IMDb)

Thu 9: This Filthy Earth
The tragic story of two sisters whose lives are disrupted by two men. Amidst a landscape of rural hardship and a community consumed with superstition, events unfurl which threaten their sibling bond.
According to Arte, Andrew Kötting places himself next to Lars von Trier, John Boorman and Pasolini with his debut movie. Poetic and powerful trash.

Thu 16: Tokyo Drifter
In this free-jazz gangster film, reformed killer “Phoenix” Tetsu drifts around Japan, awaiting his own execution until he’s called back to Tokyo to help battle a rival gang. Seijun Suzuki’s “barrage of aestheticised violence, visual gags, [and] mind-warping color effects” got him in more trouble with Nikkatsu studio heads, who had ordered him to “play it straight this time.” Instead he gave them equal parts Russ Meyer, Samuel Fuller, and Nagisa Oshima.

Thu 23: Calamari Union
Finnish film Calamari Union by Aki Kaurismäki is not at all a motion picture with a defined setting, but more of a visual experience with surreal touches which must be seen many times to feel the plight of hapless rock musicians in an urban milieu. The band exists of 14 people, 13 of which are called Frank.

Thu 30: Les Lèvres Rouges
Watch out: this starts at the later hour of 01:10! But try and stay awake for this Belgian cult classic by director Harry Kümel. You may know this film under its English title, Daughters of Darkness.
A newlywed couple are passing through a vacation resort. Their paths cross with a mysterious, strikingly beautiful countess and her aide.

OCTOBER

Oct 7: Macuaima

Based on the 1928 book by Mário de Andrade, the modern-day parable follows the misadventures of a black man who is miraculously born to an old woman, who is supposed to be of the indigenous peoples of Brasil, in the jungles of the Amazon. Though born fully-grown, he has the heart of a playful child. After the death of his mother, he comes face to face with a spring that turns him white. With that change, he and his two brothers move to Rio de Janeiro, but are interrogated by street terrorists upon their arrival.
ARTE says: “A radical and excentric take on a Brazilian classic novel.”

No ARTE Trash on Oct 14, but on October 21 a German comedy, Johnny Flash, is scheduled.
Experimental filmmaker Werner Nekes describes in this, his first comedy, the extraordinary career of the pop king of the Ruhr, “Johnny Flash”. This obstinate offspring of the Potzkothen family succeeds in becoming, thanks to the unflagging support of his mother, his manager and „that girl at Music Satellite“ a celebrated pop star. In the final sequence of this satire on show business and mother-son-love, Johnny and his mama wander off into an uncertain horizon, just as Charlie Chaplin once did at the end of his films …

Lady Blue Shanghai

A few months earlier this year, David Lynch directed Marion Cotillard (La vie en rose, Inception) in a new chapter of the Lady Dior series. Lynch’s contribution, a short just over 16 minutes, followed Lady Noire (Olivier Dahan‘s spy short, which actually just plays as a long commercial) and Lady Rouge, a video for “Eyes of Mars”, sung by Cotillard and backed by Franz Ferdinand. The video was directed by Annie Leibovitz. After a black and a red bag, it was now time to promote the blue bag, hence Lady Blue Shanghai being the title of Lynch’s short.

Lady Blue Shanghai is very much Lynchian. The film opens with (the unnamed) Cotillard entering a hotel in Shanghai. The images look very much like Inland Empire, a combination of digital video and high speed cameras. Cotillard goes up to her room, but is very much surprised to hear music coming from her room. As she turns the record player off, a blue bag suddenly appears in the middle of the room. Cotillard rings the lobby and two men are sent up to her room. Not being able to find an intruder, they question what she’s been up to in Shanghai. Enter flashback.

Cotillard is at her best in this Lady chapter. Seeing her perform a song and occasionally rocking to the beat in “Rouge” was nice, but her puzzled look make her a good protagonist for a Lynchian short. As for art direction and confusion, Lady Blue Shanghai is very much like Inland Empire, but another Lynch movie that springs to my mind was the 2002 short The Darkened Room. As for the story and the art direction, the short is very much David Lynch, but I couldn’t help also thinking of Wong Kar-Wai‘s nostalgia. Combine the flow of In The Mood for Love (or 2064, if you want to stretch the hotel reference) with the visual style of Chungking Express and you sort of see what I’m referring to. In fact, WKW would’ve probably made this more interesting. The least convincing bit for me was the special effects with the bag. It’s almost as if they didn’t want to make sure the bag wouldn’t be ruined.

Truth be told, I’ve seen Lynch direct better stuff than this, but it’s only 17 minutes long and if you browse the Lady Dior site you also hear Cotillard recite a poem. The site also directs you to the two earlier Lady Dior projects. A little disappointed perhaps, we move on to the next review… (though please bear in mind that this is still 20,000 times better than that Magnum ad).

LINK

Busby Berkeley

From our calendar article and a little too early for Busby’s birthday, but I came across this clip from Footlight Parade today and didn’t want to postpone this post. Just sit back for this wonderfully choreographed slice of classic entertainment:

Busby Berkeley (1895 –1976) was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berkeley’s quintessential works used legions of showgirls and props as fantastic elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances. He started as a theatrical director, just as many other movie directors. Unlike many at the time, he felt that a camera should be allowed mobility, and he framed shots carefully from unusual angles to allow movie audiences to see things from perspectives that the theatrical stage never could provide. This is why he played an enormous role in establishing the movie musical as a category in its own right.

Berkeley’s popularity with an entertainment-hungry Great Depression audience was secured in 1933, when he choreographed three musicals back-to-back for Warner Brothers: 42nd Street, Footlight Parade and the aforementioned Gold Diggers of 1933. Berkeley’s innovative and often sexually-charged dance numbers have been analyzed at length by cinema scholars. In particular, the numbers have been critiqued for their display (and some say exploitation) of the female form as seen through the “male gaze”, and for their depiction of collectivism (as opposed to traditionally American rugged individualism) in the spirit of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Berkeley always denied any deep significance to his work, arguing that his main professional goals were to constantly top himself and to never repeat his past accomplishments.

LINK

Night on Fire

The team of Avenue Kurtodrome apologizes. They’ve seen too much arthouse the past few days and their brains are only capable of watching fodderlike schlock. So here’s Hinoi Team with the excellently odd “Night on Fire”. Featuring, for what it’s worth, Koriki.

PG Porn

PG Porn caters directly to you, dear DV viewer: it’s porn for people who like everything about the porn, apart from the sex. PG Porn was made by James Gunn and his brothers. But it’s not just them: the cast also exists of genuine porn stars and the occasional star. Nathan Fillion is quite good (in being awful) as a handy man in “Nailing your wife” (alongside Aria Giovanni). And the episode we’re showing here has Sasha Grey, pornstar and actress (in a.o. a Steven Soderbergh movie).

All the episodes I’ve seen lasted three minutes and if you want to keep watching them time and again, you can go to James Gunn’s site to watch ‘em there. I’ll leave you with the link.