Post by Capo on Nov 26, 2005 16:44:21 GMT
I've had a busy week. Here goes...
Love + Hate
Dominic Savage 2004 United Kingdom 1st time; big screen
A young Muslim girl and an English boy fall in love, despite racial tensions of the community.
A schematic drama which fails to offer anything new. The usual Romeo and Juliet stuff which never rises above credibility.
Mój Nikifor My Nikifor
Krzysztof Krauze 2004 Poland 1st time; big screen
A mentally and physically disabled artist forms a trusting bond with another painter, and is nurtured to national fame.
A curious tale of a real-life painter who left behind more than 40,000 images; the painter, a male, is here played by a woman, and to poignant effect, as his lack of conscience provides first humour, and then a warming tale of two artists becoming friends through their mutual trade.
Lad de små børn Aftermath
Paprika Steen 2004 Denmark 1st time; big screen
A couple struggle to come to terms with the loss of their child; while the wife, a welfare carer, takes an interest in a child abuse claim, the husband secretly tracks down his daughter's accidental killer.
A sombre directorial debut of Denmark's most established actress brings out good performances, which are here wasted on characters and situations which never ring true.
Fjorton suger Fourteen Sucks
Filippa Freijd, Martin Jern, Emil Larsson, Henrik Norrthon 2004 Sweden 1st time; big screen
A teenage girl desperate to fit in ends up making a fool of herself at a party, but she finds comfort in a skater who returns her interest.
Music video theatrics make a post-Dogme, visually interesting film, shot in tones of summer oranges and yellows. But the script succumbs to the usual teen drama clichés: the portrayal of teenagers is one of stereotyped banality.
Mørke Murk
Jannik Johansen 2005 Denmark 1st time; big screen
When his brain-damaged sister commits suicide on her wedding night, a journalist suspects the husband; he then finds that he is marrying again, and the bride-to-be is also disabled…
A mystery with which the audience is never in doubt of its conclusion; the killer here, played by Nicolas Bro, has a certain likeable charm about him, and the sense of a close-knit community unappreciative of outsider's meddling brings back memories of The Wicker Man.
Kongkabale King's Game
Nikolaj Arcel
2004 Denmark 1st time; big screen
When the favourite candidate for the next Prime Minister is injured in a car crash weeks before a General Election, a journalist uncovers political conspiracy and a power struggle within the government.
A tense, engaging political thriller shot in moody blues and greys; the acting, visuals and script have a rare weight behind them, invoking memories of All the President's Men. It won eight Danish Oscars.
Anna Karenina
Clarence Brown 1935 US 1st time; big screen
A well-to-do wife of a strict disciplinarian falls for a soldier.
A star vehicle for Garbo at MGM, and a tragic one too; Basil Rathbone, as the husband, steals the show, while everyone else tends to grate, not least of all Freddie Bartholomew who plays Anna's son.
The Gourmet Club
Juha Wuolijoki[/color] 2004 Finland 1st time; big screen
A doctor, deeply in debt and running into trouble with gangsters, begins to find new luck when he serves tonsils at a secret, exclusive club wherein the members wager bets as to what they're eating.
A fine comedy made for Finnish television, set awkwardly in the past but with a contemporary touch to it.
Ett Hål i mitt hjärta A Hole in My Heart
Lucas Moodysson 2004 Sweden/Denmark 1st time; big screen
An amateur porn filmmaker, his best friend, female star and his son all ive in the same apartment; while the latter never leaves his room, the other three suffer the highs and lows of hardcore porn filmmaking and food fights.
A ferocious film made in the vain of Weekend but alienating audiences with its serving of Pasolini leftovers. Vomiting into another's mouth, and sex scenes spliced with graphic footage of vaginal cosmetic surgery, this is a film to push boundaries and challenge censors.
Fajnie Ze Jestes Nice to See You
Jan Komasa 2004 Poland 1st time; big screen
A university student panics when her father shows up unexpectedly.
A short which won awards at Cannes, with a stunning opening shot and a curious, rather unfathomable, and ultimately forgettable script thereafter.
Wesele The Wedding
Wojciech Smarzowski 2004 Poland 1st time; big screen
On his daughter's wedding day, a rich man runs into trouble with a car, the police, his father, the band for the party, sanitation, catering, a drunken female wedding guest, and a corpse.
A wittily black comedy which piles on upheaval after upheaval in an almost surrealist fashion; it is the kind of film Godard may have once made, in which the protagonist, a charming and despisable millionaire, solves all his problems with money, of which he has an endless supply.
Voksne mennesker Dark Horse
Dagur Kári 2005 Iceland/Denmark 1st time; big screen
An irresponsible graffiti artist falls for the crush of his best friend, a training soccer referee.
An offbeat, lingering comedy told in a series of Godardian episodes, each with their own chapter titles. Lovingly shot in black and white, it embraces its characters with admiration and a Jarmusch sentimentality. Rewarding.
Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen The Forest for the Trees
Mauren Ade 2005 Germany 1st time; big screen
A young teacher arrives at a new school, desperate to make new friends. But her over-enthusiasm and lack of control over the pupils fail to bring happiness.
A tragic character study with an amazing final scene but a repetitive (perhaps necessarily so) narrative bogs it down.
The West Wittering Affair
David Scheinmann 2004, GB 1st time; big screen
A man, proud of never having an affair, confesses to a therapist that he had sex with two different women on the same night; the therapist's girlfriend is one of them.
A fantastic, low-budget comedy which hits the strings both aesthetically and emotionally; it is a fresh, original piece on relationships, beautifully written, played and edited.
Queen Christina
Rouben Mamoulian 1933 US 1st time; big screen
A young queen of protestant Sweden risks all for her love for a Catholic Spanish emissary.
Historical hokum and Garbo's finest hour; the camera loves her, and she loves being photographed, relishing the chance to shine as one of the most memorable female characters in cinema.
Luffarpetter Petter the Tramp
Erik A. Petschler 1922 Sweden 1st time; big screen
The last remaining eight minutes of an early Garbo feature.
This comedy, now lost, features Garbo as a bathing beauty; encouraged by her performance, she successfully applied to the Royal Drama School in Stockholm, and thence to stardom.
The Overcoming
Tomas Gislason 2005 Denmark 1st time; big screen
Documentary on the CSC Pro-Cycling team, and it's attempt at winning the Tour de France.
A fascinating, original subject is here opened up and explored rewardingly; for a subtitled film, however, the director clumsily also has English titles overlapping, causing information overload where a more subtle approach is needed. Herzog would have had a field day with this.
Mata Hari
George Fitzmaurice 1931 US 1st time; big screen
An exotic dancer and undercover spy falls in love and is betrayed because of it.
Another MGM vehicle for Garbo, with striking visuals and a commanding performance which overrides everything else on screen. She was fond of her tragedies, and this is no exception.
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Michael Winterbottom 2005 GB 1st time; big screen
The adaptation of an unfilmable novel is narrated by one of the story's characters, played by Steve Coogan, who also plays himself in the filming of the film.
An exceedingly playful and clever film which pushes boundaries in a fast, exciting way; the intertexuality is here used to explore both the novel it is adapting, and to offer a witty insight into the filmmaking process.
Diva
Jean-Jacques Beineix 1981 France 1st time; big screen
A postman records a performance of an opera singer who has never made a record, and is pursued by gangsters who want to make a pirate copy. He is also pursued for a tape implicating a police chief in a murder case.
The explosion of France's new New Wave, of sorts, catalysed by this beautiful fusion of thriller and surreal romance; obsessed with surface detail, any critical exploration of this film is redundant, as it's all in the film's language and style.
Highlights of the Northern Lights Film Festival, all must-see films, were:
Bleeder (1999)
Kongkabale King's Game (2004)
Wesele The Wedding (2004)
Voksne mennesker Dark Horse (2005)
The West Wittering Affair (2004)
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
Love + Hate
Dominic Savage 2004 United Kingdom 1st time; big screen
A young Muslim girl and an English boy fall in love, despite racial tensions of the community.
A schematic drama which fails to offer anything new. The usual Romeo and Juliet stuff which never rises above credibility.
Mój Nikifor My Nikifor
Krzysztof Krauze 2004 Poland 1st time; big screen
A mentally and physically disabled artist forms a trusting bond with another painter, and is nurtured to national fame.
A curious tale of a real-life painter who left behind more than 40,000 images; the painter, a male, is here played by a woman, and to poignant effect, as his lack of conscience provides first humour, and then a warming tale of two artists becoming friends through their mutual trade.
Lad de små børn Aftermath
Paprika Steen 2004 Denmark 1st time; big screen
A couple struggle to come to terms with the loss of their child; while the wife, a welfare carer, takes an interest in a child abuse claim, the husband secretly tracks down his daughter's accidental killer.
A sombre directorial debut of Denmark's most established actress brings out good performances, which are here wasted on characters and situations which never ring true.
Fjorton suger Fourteen Sucks
Filippa Freijd, Martin Jern, Emil Larsson, Henrik Norrthon 2004 Sweden 1st time; big screen
A teenage girl desperate to fit in ends up making a fool of herself at a party, but she finds comfort in a skater who returns her interest.
Music video theatrics make a post-Dogme, visually interesting film, shot in tones of summer oranges and yellows. But the script succumbs to the usual teen drama clichés: the portrayal of teenagers is one of stereotyped banality.
Mørke Murk
Jannik Johansen 2005 Denmark 1st time; big screen
When his brain-damaged sister commits suicide on her wedding night, a journalist suspects the husband; he then finds that he is marrying again, and the bride-to-be is also disabled…
A mystery with which the audience is never in doubt of its conclusion; the killer here, played by Nicolas Bro, has a certain likeable charm about him, and the sense of a close-knit community unappreciative of outsider's meddling brings back memories of The Wicker Man.
Kongkabale King's Game
Nikolaj Arcel
2004 Denmark 1st time; big screen
When the favourite candidate for the next Prime Minister is injured in a car crash weeks before a General Election, a journalist uncovers political conspiracy and a power struggle within the government.
A tense, engaging political thriller shot in moody blues and greys; the acting, visuals and script have a rare weight behind them, invoking memories of All the President's Men. It won eight Danish Oscars.
Anna Karenina
Clarence Brown 1935 US 1st time; big screen
A well-to-do wife of a strict disciplinarian falls for a soldier.
A star vehicle for Garbo at MGM, and a tragic one too; Basil Rathbone, as the husband, steals the show, while everyone else tends to grate, not least of all Freddie Bartholomew who plays Anna's son.
The Gourmet Club
Juha Wuolijoki[/color] 2004 Finland 1st time; big screen
A doctor, deeply in debt and running into trouble with gangsters, begins to find new luck when he serves tonsils at a secret, exclusive club wherein the members wager bets as to what they're eating.
A fine comedy made for Finnish television, set awkwardly in the past but with a contemporary touch to it.
Ett Hål i mitt hjärta A Hole in My Heart
Lucas Moodysson 2004 Sweden/Denmark 1st time; big screen
An amateur porn filmmaker, his best friend, female star and his son all ive in the same apartment; while the latter never leaves his room, the other three suffer the highs and lows of hardcore porn filmmaking and food fights.
A ferocious film made in the vain of Weekend but alienating audiences with its serving of Pasolini leftovers. Vomiting into another's mouth, and sex scenes spliced with graphic footage of vaginal cosmetic surgery, this is a film to push boundaries and challenge censors.
Fajnie Ze Jestes Nice to See You
Jan Komasa 2004 Poland 1st time; big screen
A university student panics when her father shows up unexpectedly.
A short which won awards at Cannes, with a stunning opening shot and a curious, rather unfathomable, and ultimately forgettable script thereafter.
Wesele The Wedding
Wojciech Smarzowski 2004 Poland 1st time; big screen
On his daughter's wedding day, a rich man runs into trouble with a car, the police, his father, the band for the party, sanitation, catering, a drunken female wedding guest, and a corpse.
A wittily black comedy which piles on upheaval after upheaval in an almost surrealist fashion; it is the kind of film Godard may have once made, in which the protagonist, a charming and despisable millionaire, solves all his problems with money, of which he has an endless supply.
Voksne mennesker Dark Horse
Dagur Kári 2005 Iceland/Denmark 1st time; big screen
An irresponsible graffiti artist falls for the crush of his best friend, a training soccer referee.
An offbeat, lingering comedy told in a series of Godardian episodes, each with their own chapter titles. Lovingly shot in black and white, it embraces its characters with admiration and a Jarmusch sentimentality. Rewarding.
Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen The Forest for the Trees
Mauren Ade 2005 Germany 1st time; big screen
A young teacher arrives at a new school, desperate to make new friends. But her over-enthusiasm and lack of control over the pupils fail to bring happiness.
A tragic character study with an amazing final scene but a repetitive (perhaps necessarily so) narrative bogs it down.
The West Wittering Affair
David Scheinmann 2004, GB 1st time; big screen
A man, proud of never having an affair, confesses to a therapist that he had sex with two different women on the same night; the therapist's girlfriend is one of them.
A fantastic, low-budget comedy which hits the strings both aesthetically and emotionally; it is a fresh, original piece on relationships, beautifully written, played and edited.
Queen Christina
Rouben Mamoulian 1933 US 1st time; big screen
A young queen of protestant Sweden risks all for her love for a Catholic Spanish emissary.
Historical hokum and Garbo's finest hour; the camera loves her, and she loves being photographed, relishing the chance to shine as one of the most memorable female characters in cinema.
Luffarpetter Petter the Tramp
Erik A. Petschler 1922 Sweden 1st time; big screen
The last remaining eight minutes of an early Garbo feature.
This comedy, now lost, features Garbo as a bathing beauty; encouraged by her performance, she successfully applied to the Royal Drama School in Stockholm, and thence to stardom.
The Overcoming
Tomas Gislason 2005 Denmark 1st time; big screen
Documentary on the CSC Pro-Cycling team, and it's attempt at winning the Tour de France.
A fascinating, original subject is here opened up and explored rewardingly; for a subtitled film, however, the director clumsily also has English titles overlapping, causing information overload where a more subtle approach is needed. Herzog would have had a field day with this.
Mata Hari
George Fitzmaurice 1931 US 1st time; big screen
An exotic dancer and undercover spy falls in love and is betrayed because of it.
Another MGM vehicle for Garbo, with striking visuals and a commanding performance which overrides everything else on screen. She was fond of her tragedies, and this is no exception.
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Michael Winterbottom 2005 GB 1st time; big screen
The adaptation of an unfilmable novel is narrated by one of the story's characters, played by Steve Coogan, who also plays himself in the filming of the film.
An exceedingly playful and clever film which pushes boundaries in a fast, exciting way; the intertexuality is here used to explore both the novel it is adapting, and to offer a witty insight into the filmmaking process.
Diva
Jean-Jacques Beineix 1981 France 1st time; big screen
A postman records a performance of an opera singer who has never made a record, and is pursued by gangsters who want to make a pirate copy. He is also pursued for a tape implicating a police chief in a murder case.
The explosion of France's new New Wave, of sorts, catalysed by this beautiful fusion of thriller and surreal romance; obsessed with surface detail, any critical exploration of this film is redundant, as it's all in the film's language and style.
Highlights of the Northern Lights Film Festival, all must-see films, were:
Bleeder (1999)
Kongkabale King's Game (2004)
Wesele The Wedding (2004)
Voksne mennesker Dark Horse (2005)
The West Wittering Affair (2004)
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005)