Scorcese on Méliès

Due to “other engagements” (i.e. I now have a second half-time job and am doing my best to get worked into the new job) the review which was planned for 25 November will now appear five days later. Not to worry, because when we watched an episode of The Daily Show recently, we noticed Martin Scorcese was the guest. Yes, he’s there to plug his new movie but the first minutes are about the wonderful and sadly still underrated Georges Méliès. Which is why we found it our duty to show you this interview as well. By the way, you can still guess the title of the upcoming review based on this clue: “Seriously, it’s not photoshopped.”

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Martin Scorsese
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And while we’re at it, we might as well show you a Méliès movie that didn’t just show his original talent but also made it across the pond:

Kokuhaku (Confessions)

If there’s one word that manages to link this review to the previous one (In Time) and the next (Crazy, Stupid, Love.), then it’s this one: climax. Having a climax (or anticlimax) is essential to a film, but finding one that doesn’t damage the film but actually lifts it up to a higher dimension is quite a quest. Let’s start with the bad news: Confessions has a climax that ruined the film for me. “Ruined” may be a big word, but it did manage to turn this film from the best film of 2011 to a possible contender for that title.

Strictly speaking, Confessions is a film from 2010, but it was released in German cinemas this summer (right about the time when I was visiting) and as far as I can remember, it wasn’t even released in Belgium at all. So let’s all be social and welcome Confessions to Film 2011.

Speaking of “social”, the teacher who opens the film with her confession can’t count on the social attitude of her pupils. But she doesn’t cut her farewell speech short and by the end of her confession, everyone is all ears. Not because she’s such a good orator (fear not, this is not Dead Poets Society) but because she confesses her little daughter didn’t drown in a pool as was suggested. She has clear proof that the girl was murdered and not just murdered: the culprits are two pupils from that classroom. She only hints at who the pupils are, constantly referring to them as A and B, but soon everyone knows who they are. And even if they didn’t, at that point the teacher reveals that the milk she distributed to everyone at the start of the lesson was lovely healthy milk for everyone, apart from the cartons of the culprits: their milk was spiked with HIV-infected blood. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out that the two pupils who are suddenly vomiting milk are very likely the murderers.

As far as opening scenes go, Confessions makes sure it enters with a bang. The opening monologue lasts almost half an hour but not a second of it disappoints. Why the film is called Confessions and not Confession soon becomes clear: next up are characters who have to deal with the teacher’s action.
What makes this film outstanding is the level of depth that’s been given to those characters. The second confession comes from a girl from the class, who may or may not have feelings for Shuya (a.k.a. A) and we learn more about Shuya, herself and the other pupils through her story. Next up are the mother of “B” and Shuya himself. Each story doesn’t just keep the film going, it reveals more about the people. Confessions is based on the novel Kokuhaku by Kanae Minato. Director Tetsuya Nakashima (who also made the movie Kamikaze Girls) is also responsible for translating the book into a movie. (And one with quite a British tone: the soundtrack has prominent tracks by Boris and Radiohead.)

The only thing that didn’t work for me was the climax, for which computer effects had to be brought in. Not only were they not the most convincing effects, they also didn’t fit in with the rest of the movie. More than once, the director chooses to hold back the pace of the film by using a slow motion technique that’s reminiscent of Blue Velvet‘s opening scene. In the rest of the film, it helps the film become more beautiful, but in the climax the slow motion – in combination with the effects – actually damage the scene. Had the director been content with only half of the effect used in the film (in order to keep this review spoiler-free, I won’t reveal which part), the result would’ve been a lot better.

In the end, the failed climax cost Kokuhaku a competition-free first spot on this year’s list. But on the plus side, we now have a new climax ourselves: which will be the best film of the year?

8.5/10

Confessions is out on DVD in the UK. The double disc release also includes interviews with the directors and soms of the actors.

In Time

The difference between watching a movie and watching a movie as part of an exclusive avant-première night is that the latter has a fairer share of people who can’t leave their mobile phone alone. Time is apparently not in their hands. In case of the film being In Time, that’s a lovely case of irony. In any case, it’s annoying for any other moviegoer. But before we get to the part where I would like to reinstate the death penalty for this sort of asocial morons, let’s go to the review of the movie and hope I will forget about it. Oh, and about what happened during Crazy, stupid, love. (which happened in the same week, no less) … anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yes, a movie. You know, that thing you see in the background of all those flashing phones… (That’s enough, Ed.)*

In Time is the latest release by Andrew Niccol. The film takes us to the future, where the current troubles of the Euro zone have been solved, it seems: the new and only currency is time. Well, at least in the US: as ever so often, this sort of film carefully decides not to mention any other country in the world. We’re probably dead to them. Or maybe just dead in general. Bloody Americans. (That’s enough anti-American sentiment: next thing you’ll get more hatemail telling you are anti-capitalist, Ed.)

No, Ed., that’s where you are wrong: the film itself divides the world (read: the US) into richer and poorer parts – or “time zones” and throughout the movie there’s a clear message of “Wouldn’t it all be dandier if the wealth – read: time – would be distributed over all the time zones? It’s almost as if Michael Moore wrote the screenplay.

No Michael Moore in sight, but we do get to see Justin Timberlake. Timberlake – I must’ve been sick the day he was declared a bonafide actor – is the protagonist. Like so many others in the film, he looks 25. Well, he doesn’t, but let’s pretend he does. That’s because the moment you turn 25 the clock on your arm starts counting down to zero. If you want to stay alive, you’ll have to earn more money (read: time) and as a result you may get as old as you want to, but you’ll never look a day older than 25. The best example of this is when Timberlake’s character meets the Weis family and is introduced to the mother, the wife and the daughter. All look no older than 25.

That’s mainly because women are forced to be sexy in the movie industry. They can’t look too old or Justin Timberlake might not be interested in tearing their blouses off. (Is anyone else still annoyed that puritan America has always looked down on Janet Jackson for having a nipple but not to the guy who actually tore the dress open? I am. Especially since he’s allegedly become this terrific actor.) And whereas In Time‘s women mainly have to look nice, the men have no trouble looking considerably older: they are chosen for their statuses. There’s the guy from Nipplegate, that guy from The Big Bang Theory (Johnny Galecki) and the sleazy bastard from Mad Men (Vincent Karthuiser). Because in the day and age where people tend to stay at home and watch tv rather than going out for a movie, there’s no better cast than people you only know from the telly. Anyway, those three and the main Timekeeper (Cillian Murphy, aged 35) are about as convincingly looking 25 as the casts of Buffy and Beverly Hills 90210 in their attempts to look 16.

Anyway, let’s pretend we haven’t noticed this and go to the plot of In Time. The rich live in the better time zones and the poorer people live in the ghettos. Life in the ghetto is hard: time costs money and time seems to become more expensive every day. One day a bus fare will cost you an hour of your life, the next day it’s two hours. Even worse, the ghetto seems to be full of thugs who come and steal your precious time from you. Will Galas (Timberlake) hopes that one day he is able to take his mother to the better zones and it seems like time is on his side (pun not intended). Galas meets a man who’s so tired of life he goes to a dirty bar in the hope of being killed by thugs. Instead, his life is saved by Galas. The next morning Galas wakes up and notices the rich guy has donated most of his money. He just kept enough to go outside and watch the sunrise. Will wakes up just in time to see that moment. If anything, that’s the most annoying part of In Time: a lot of things in the film seem to happen in the climatic final seconds. After a while, this becomes quite tedious.

Galas can’t take his mother to the richest zone: she didn’t have enough time left to take the bus and she and Will run towards each other. He fails to save her by just one second. (Told you…) Galas swears to take revenge on the powers that be and orders a cab to the richest zone, where he’s quickly spotted by a mysterious woman (Amanda Seyfried). It turns out she’s the daughter of Weis, the man who distributes time and, lo and behold, the powers that be think something must be done about Galas. Because the rich must remain rich and the poor have to struggle in order to survive. So the time keepers, the people who are in charge of ensuring time stays in the correct zones, hunt Galas down. Will Galas abducts Weis’s daughter and within a day she has enough sympathy for him to become the future day Robin Hood and go and rob time, Bonnie and Clyde style.

At this point, it might have become clear that In Time doesn’t stand up to serious scrutiny. Which is a shame because, at the centre of the film, there is enough material for a brainy blockbuster. But the brains were thrown out of the window, in favour of tv celebrities, cardboard chases and bad guys, a non-discussion about our financial system and a tendency to bend the plot so much everything seems to happen in the last seconds.
One also semi-failed sci-fi movie In Time reminded me of was Gattaca and, wouldn’t you know it, that was also written and directed by Niccol. If you’ve seen Gattaca and remember its flaws, you know what to expect here. On the plus side: the time effect on the arms is a great touch. And some of the cast doesn’t feel out of place: Karthuiser is typecast to be as slick as his Mad Men character and again Amanda Seyfried doesn’t feel out of place. Now for someone to cast her in a superb movie… – yes, let’s end on a weak pun – it’s about time.

5.5/10

In Time opens in Belgian cinemas on 23 November. It’s already released in the UK and US. It’ll open in most countries between November and January.
* The satirical magazine Private Eye exists 50 years. This was the Avenue’s way of saying “Happy birthday, mag!” (That’s enough flattery, Ed.)

Great moments in cinema: Queen of Black Magic

Long before the Mondo Macabro DVD release, I was happy to own a VHS copy of Queen of Black Magic. This wonderful Indonesian horror movie from 1979, directed by W.D. Mochtar, boasted great dialogue (don’t play the drinking game for the number of times “magic” is used in this clip or you’ll be drunk within seconds) and superb effects.

It looks as if this clip is also taken from a Belgian VHS tape (given the Dutch and French subs), so it may even be my copy. Now that would be magic…

P.S. Feel like playing a game? Let’s go then: here are clues to the next three reviews. Feel free to reveal the answers or check in on the 15th, 20th and 25th to see if you were correct.

1. It’s about time someone casts Amanda in a decent movie.
2. Milk is good for you… allegedly.
3. Seriously, it’s not photoshopped.

The Ides of March

Claiming that George Clooney is politically involved would be an understatement. The actor and director was asked more than once if he had any plans to pursuit a political career and was adamant: no, too many skeletons in his closet made a career in politics impossible. The closest Clooney has gotten so far to running for office is co-writing and directing The Ides of March. If you’re unaware of the plot when watching the film, you see Clooney’s character Morris campaining with the ideas and talking points you can expect from a Democratic politician: greener environment, more jobs, that sort of babble. That this film is released during the search for a new Republican candidate is – I think – far from coincidental.

Clooney’s movie focuses not as much on Morris’s run for office as it does on what goes on beyond the doors of the campaign. It focuses on Ryan Gosling‘s character Stephen Meyers, who – together with seasoned lobbyist Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) – spins the words for Morris just the way they should be. Much to the dismay of Paul Giamatti‘s character, who’s the brain behind Morris’s competitor.
Add to this mix Molly, the talented intern (Evan Rachel Wood) who seems to have the hots for Meyers. Molly gets the best lines in the film: the scene where Gosling’s character falls for all her traps (“My name is Mary.” I know. “Actually, it’s Molly.”) is one of the more memorable parts of the movie.

After a slow build-up (so slow in fact the first half hour didn’t leave me much impressed) the film finally finds its breath and the story develops: Morris’s campaign is only apparent in the background and Clooney doesn’t have to show his face to have Morris’s integrity sink down. At the end of the film things have changed drastically for all the characters in the film but to the public things may very well look the same. The Ides of March shows the seedy underbelly of politics and all you can do is hope this won’t happen to your favourite candidate. Well, we can always dream… the ending seems to suggest all is but a vicious circle.

The Ides of March is a good film and another successful collaboration between Clooney and Grant Heslov (based on Beau Willimon‘s play Farragut North), but despite the momentum the film doesn’t have enough memorable lines and scenes to become the sort of classic film people in the 2020s will think of when they’re asked their favourite political film.

6.5/10

Halloween Highway: The Stuff

In 2008 the Avenue hosted a week of horror movies called Halloween Highway. As of this year, Halloween Highway will be back around 31 October. This year it’s a double offering, the recent Dutch horror film Sint and today it’s cult classic The Stuff.

Why Larry Cohen, the director of a.o. The Stuff hasn’t been in the Avenue’s spotlight is even for us a guess. Even at DV, where the Avenue was hosted from 2004 to 2011, Cohen never got the mention he deserved. This is something we’ll soon change and one of Larry Cohen’s movies will be allowed into the Kurtodrome Vault but one thing is sure: it won’t be The Stuff.

I didn’t like The Stuff when I first watched it. Oddly enough, I remembered it more fondly than I usually do for unpleasing movies. Maybe that’s why, when I was recently given a chance to buy The Stuff for a bargain, I whopped out my wallet.

The Stuff is a yoghurt-like substance that’s absolutely yummy and quite healthy too… apart from the fact it eats you up from the inside. Well, we can’t have it all, eh? A former FBI officer (hey, didn’t we tackle that cliché yesterday in Sint?) finds a couple of like-minded souls and tries to get the world to understand eating the Stuff is not good for you.

That is the short summary. There are a couple of things I’ve always found strange about the film: how, supposing The Stuff is so lethal, does it keep harmless enough to get in the shops? Why does an avid opposer of the product eat it (or else, how could he be eaten up)?
Those are just two examples of a plot that doesn’t always make sense and then we’re  glossing over the special effects that don’t always deliver. As Larry Cohen mentions in the dvd commentary, the film was made on a tiny budget and the time of digital effects wasn’t yet upon us. And it’s true: those cruder effects sometimes do look more realistic than sophistically made digital effects. That is why the unconvincing effects don’t bother me. Cohen also mentions they used lots of things for The Stuff and this is something I also noticed the first time I watched the film: the product doesn’t always move in the same manner.

Nitpicking aside, the tiny budget and occasionally apparent lack of convincing effects actually works in the favour of Cohen, the maverick director of “guerilla cinema” – something that’ll be the main focus in the upcoming Vault entry and therefore we won’t spend too much time on it now. The dvd commentary reveals that because of the shoestring budget Cohen sometimes had to improvise and that storyboards were hardly ever made. The film continued itself once a location was discovered, much like The Stuff seemed to find its own ways.

The commercials for this delicious product are a clear satire on our consumer behaviour and that’s something Cohen evidently wanted to show. The producers didn’t allow the director to put some fake commercials up before the credits of the film and I have to agree with Cohen that this was a bad decision. Nevertheless, you can’t deny the tongue-in-cheek mockery of 80s culture. Maybe that is what helps The Stuff sell itself these days. Then again, it’s The Stuff. Of course it’ll manage to be sold.

The Region 2 dvd is as basic as it gets: there are not even subtitles, but there is a short text on Cohen’s career, a trailer and there’s a director’s commentary that is somewhat entertaining. It’s mainly useful if you haven’ t seen the film in 10 years and want to hear some details while rediscovering the film. That’s the way I watched it and though I liked the film better than the first time I’d watched it I don’t think it’s essential horror – or even essential Cohen.

6.5/10

That’s it for 2011′s Halloween Highway. The next regular update of Avenue Kurtodrome will be on 5 November.