Eat, Pray and Love under the Tuscan Sun

Julia Roberts has been America’s sweetheart for a long time. This  success includes being one of the richest women in Hollywood and having the luxury of choosing whichever script comes her way. Her box office draw has given her that privilege. Her latest choice? Eat Pray Love.

The story of a woman who realizes how unfulfilled is her life is a pretty brave story when you really think about it. She was a successful writer and was seemingly maintaining her husband financially. Her choice to leave it all behind her and find herself is not something a lot of people would do. A marriage, a life of comfort and all your friends? Tough cookie. The fact that she was so unhappy having all these material things shows her and us that money can not buy happiness. The message of Eat Pray Love?…It starts from within.

The movie begins with a dreary divorce. Her need to leave and begin her quest brings her to offer all her money to her then husband, something I can not imagine being a common occurrence. The cinematography is splendid with a lot of close ups of exquisite dinners including a delicious looking pasta dish and a large traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

You can not watch this film and not have Under The Tuscan Sun creep  into your memory. Both protagonists are writers, but the similarities pertain more to the traveling aspect and maybe even the ballsy way these two women decided to up and change their life in such a permanent manner.

http://player.anyclip.com/PlayerEmYT.swfGo to Italy, Frances! from Under the Tuscan Sun starring Sandra Oh Diane Lane

Julia Roberts’ is based on a real person, Elizabeth Gilbert, versus Frances, who is played by Diane Lane is not. Another difference is Frances is trying to find love, she is hurt and heartbroken, while Roberts’ heartbroken as well, was the one that left not got left. Her quest to find herself means that she will not take on a lover or any real relationship. Eat Pray Love is more of a serious movie if you will, it does have its moments of fun, but the quest is more real and her journey is not an easy one. Divorce is difficult of course, but Under The Tuscan Sun goes about it with a lot more humor, the trailer itself  showcases purely comedy, even the famous scene when after a night of passion with a man, Lane jumps on her bed and starts yelling “I knew it! I knew it!” shows us that Under The Tuscan Sun is just a lot lighter, regardless of the similarity of these two women’s  journeys.

http://player.anyclip.com/PlayerEmYT.swfi knew it! from Under the Tuscan Sun

So, what did I learn from Eat Pray Love? For one, as expected there were no men in the theater except for a poor soul who was dragged there, the whole theater was jam packed with women. To be honest, the fun of going with a bunch of girlfriends is what made the experience better. Nine of my girlfriends came with me and we enjoyed it, though one of us did fall asleep…okay maybe two, nevertheless, the movie was an average feel good movie. You respect it a little more knowing that someone had the guts to do all that the movie shows and you also have to enjoy all the scenery in the film…yet in the middle…when she was in India…it lagged. The first part was fun and the ending was better as well, it was just that middle part that you felt a tad bored. The movie was also a lot longer than I expected. That being said, is it a great movie? No. Does it do its job and show us a story?… The story being of a woman’s personal journey?  Yes. Do I prefer Under The Tuscan Sun? Yes. Diane Lane’s lost  funny self made the movie a lot more enjoyable which I did not give credit to at the time, but after seeing Roberts’ latest, I can conclude that on a Sunday afternoon home relaxing, I would enjoy a funnier film set in a beautiful country versus Julia Roberts’ Eat Pray Love set in three.

Lottery Ticket: Theatrical Review

15 years ago, Ice Cube starred in the stoner comedy Friday. This was a film that crosses over into the mainstream (white audience) and brought forth the emergence of Ice Cube and Chris Tucker as bankable movie stars (Friday grossed $28 million). Today, Ice Cube re-imagined Friday with his new film, Lottery Ticket.

Lottery Ticket stars Bow Wow playing the role of Kevin Carson, a recent high school graduate who unexpectedly wins the Georgia lottery’s $370 million jackpot. The only problem is he can’t claim the golden ticket for 3 days because of the 4th of July holiday. He spends the next 3 days hiding from fairweather friends, manipulative “hoodrats” and an ex-con trying to claim the lottery ticket for himself. Much like Friday, Bow Wow’s character meets a strange assortment of characters throughout the Odyssian journey to fortune.

Lottery Ticket is a mess of a film. With a good premise and interesting characters, Lottery Ticket tries to achieve the same level of comedy as Friday but poorly falls short of such great expectations. The comedy is inconsistant involving social commentary that falls flat. For example, Lottery Ticket brings up the hypocrisy of a Southern Baptist church by portraying the minister as a money grubbing zealot, but nothing comes from this exchange because it quickly ends and follows to the plot of the ex-con trying to rob Bow Wow for the lottery ticket with a pretty standard chase scene.

The social awareness of this film is admirable. The question brought up the most in this film was “What are you going to do with the money?” Comments that follow a long list a extravagant and not necessary things from helicopters and jetskiies. But when asked to Bow Wow’s character the emphasis of giving back to the community was brought up. What’s the point of having money if you can’t give back? The altruistic message and theme of this film is something everyone should take away.

For what it’s worth, Lottery Ticket isn’t a horrible movie. It’s rather ambitious with its social commentary but falls flat in its execution. Watching this film, I did enjoy it but not enough to recommend it. Feeling like Next Friday rather than Friday. And more like Friday meets Blank Check.

Grade: C

Watch – Don't Listen

Well it aint Shakespeare, but it sure comes close – or not! Batman: Under the Red Hood is one of those comic books adaptations that out of a misplaced sense of loyalty manage to utterly destroy a movie.

The movie tells the story of the return of Jason Todd, the second Robin. His murder was one of the more infamous events in DC history with readers calling in to vote whether he would live or die after the Joker blew up the warehouse where he is held captive. The movie tells the story of his resurrection several years later, and boy is he pissed. The Joker is alive, crime is rampant in Gotham, and he happens to be insane because he was bathed in a Lazarus pit – not meant to be used for bringing back the dead, and has the tendency of inducing insanity as a side effect. What was Ra’s Al Ghul thinking?

Watching the film was one of those rare times when you wish the film were actually foreign, and you could blame the Chinaman who translated the subs. The script was literally taken from the comic book at several points, and as much as I am a fanatic slave to Batman, I am honest enough to admit that it is not on the same level as Shakespeare, or Jane Austen – close, but not quite there. The characters’ lines were just not the kind of thing a real person would say, which gave the movie an overall fake feeling. Those words may work in a comic book but saying them out loud? How nerdy can you get? No one is going to remember the exact words that the Red Hood used to threaten criminals, so why repeat them?  More specifically, when I google “prosperous street dealers,” I get only 159 results. Some lines just don’t work so you might as well come up with something original instead.

http://player.anyclip.com/PlayerEmYT.swfprosperous street dealers from Batman: Under the Red Hood

The action was decent, both original and occasionally taken from the comic book. Unlike text, copying fight moves can be pretty cool if you do it right, and they did. The fight scene with Amazo is a perfect example of this: some of the moments were taken from the comic book, but a lot of the scene was remade for the purposes of the movie. Also, taking down the band of four super villains and chasing the Red Hood along the roof tops. These are great scenes of animated action that are fun to watch. It’s nice to see someone give Batman a run for his money.

The star of the movie is the Joker (John DiMaggio). He did a wonderful job of demonstrating how a truly insane psychopath behaves. If there is anyone, I end up quoting after watching the movie it will be him. Shooting the Black Mask’s henchmen, and informing him that he’ll “need some guys. Not these guys well because they’re kind of dead,” was a moment to remember. It was worth watching this movie just to see the Joker in action.

http://player.anyclip.com/PlayerEmYT.swfJoker in action from Batman: Under the Red Hood

This film shows how Batman genuinely deserves to be a member of the Justice league. The threats he handles in this movie are mundane (black mask), superhuman (Amazo), and Supernatural (resurrected Jason Todd), and throughout it all he manages to keep his cool. Handling an android that was designed to fight Superman with the same ease that he handles the Joker. In this movie Batman is way more than just a  man in a batsuit with good Karate, and awesome toys – he is an actual superhero.

However, the Joker, the action, and even Batman himself, are still not enough to compensate for the script which doesn’t work. I would recommend watching this movie in mute, or maybe in Chinese, and only turning the English back on for the Joker and perhaps the fight scenes. It may be worth watching, but listening to it is torture.

No One Knows About Persian Cats theatrical review

No one knows about Persian Cats from the Iranian auteur Bahman Ghobadi is based on the true story of Ash Koosha and Negar, two young musicians in the indie pop band Take It Easy Hospital. Supported by a cast of Iranian actors, Koosha and Negar play themselves, which works to blur somewhat the distinction between fiction and documentary, thereby drawing the viewer into deeper involvment with the drama. The ambition of the pair is to make exit from Iran and play gigs in London, which turns out not as easy as it might sound. The film chronicles their adventures, exposing the viewer to underground Iranian music, which emerges as a vibrant and diverse world.

Hip Iranian youth are evidently not that different from their Western counterparts, yet they are separated from them by the iron screen of dictatorship. Throughout the movie we encounter Iranian rock, heavy metal, rap and pop groups; the common denominator to those is the subversive lyrical content of their music. They are modern, secular, un-Islamic. Small wonder, then, that the government wishes to silence their voices. The only kind of music permitted is the folk music that does not have words and thus is consonant with the worldview of the oppressors in charge.

http://player.anyclip.com/PlayerEmYT.swfYellow Dogs from No One Knows About Persian Cats

The importance of the film lies in the realistic portrayal of Iranian youth. In urban centers such as Tehran, what you see in broad daylight – the chadors, the sex segregation, the extreme religiosity – is a show, a make-believe. The true life takes place behind closed doors, far from the eyes of the guards. Beneath the veils there are real people, with talents, ambitions and dreams they refuse to forgo. This tenacity is at the heart of the film – even if going underground instills fear and paranoia, the Tehran hipsters keep on taking risks, whether it is alcohol, mix gender parties or music. While for us “underground” spells cool and bohemian, for the Iranian youth it is an activity you might pay for with your life.

Another aspect of the film where the subversion is manifest is its visual playfulness. Shot with an amateur digital camera, it often looks like a music video. A montage shows the urban life of Tehran: streets rife with poverty and religious strictness are shown to the backdrop of Take It Easy Hospital’s dark synths-driven pop. The discrepancy between the visuals and the soundtrack is what makes the film so vibrant, youthful, so punk.

The director wanted to render the helplessness of rebellious Iranian youth vis-à-vis the oppressive regime of their country, and give voice to the Tehranian underground art scene – and it is some success. Exasperation stemming from inability to break free from oppression, constant fear of raids and arrests is intermingled with the young rebels’ humor and keen sense of friendship, which leaves the viewer with mixed feelings. By the way, if you are unsure about the meaning of the film’s title, I can suggest that it has something to do with the Iranian view of domestic animals as filthy, and the situation of Iranian youth. One thing is certain though – the now-London-based duo will not be packing venues in Iran anytime soon.

Review: The Kids Are All Right

Word of last weeks not-unsurprising news of Avatar Director James Cameron‘s $350 million dollar pay day (the biggest in history), only confirms the age-old Hollywood adage that bigger is better. The epic $400 million dollar film (that to do date has returned almost $3B) has kicked off a summer of spectacles, measured not in minutes but in CGI explosions and 3D Special effects. Surely, some have been better than others (Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland had their moments ,the remake of Clash of the Titans did not) but even the best of the summer’s 3D spectaculars have been unremarkable. For what is often described as a “novel technology,” the unrelenting slew of 3D releases has rendered it anything but.

And yet their prevalence begs an important question: In an age where characters are dispensable and narrative is but a minor inconvenience, what chance does a filmmaker with a few million dollars and a great story have of getting across to thrill-seeking, lobotomized and expectant viewers?

Ask Lisa Cholodenko whose latest film manages, without a single special effect, to be one of the most novel films in recent memory. Completed in just seven months for less than five million dollars, The Kids are Alright, is a tender, kind-hearted, poignant and funny film that with only an exceptional script and seasoned cast, manages to achieve something films these days rarely do: delight. But to call the film merely delightful would be a disservice given the complexity of its subject matter and the delicacy in which it negotiates an assortment of contentious and emotional issues.

The film follows a lesbian couple, Nic and Jules who, living with their teenage children in an upscale Southern California suburb, are a picture of normalcy. Nic (played by Annette Bening) is a hard-working, wine-drinking OBGYN and the family’s breadwinner while Jules (Julianne Moore) is a more kindred spirit who balances the traditional responsibilites of motherhood with a series of half-hearted entrepreneurial ventures. Their children Joni, 18 and Laser, 15 fall into a similar pattern (a point brought to light during one of the films more tenuous moments) with Joni (Played by Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska) heading off to a choice college having been here school’s validictorian while Laser (Journey to the Center of the Earth’s John Hutcherson) snorts pills and films ill-advised stunts with his thick-headed friend Clay.

It is in watching Clay wrestle with his dad that sparks Laser’s curiosity about his own biological father, his sperm donor Paul, an unshaven organic farmer and restaurateur with a motorcycle and a confidence that occasionally borders on smug. Because the donation is closed and only children over 18 can contact their donor , Laser persuades his sympathetic sister into calling the agency and the two arrange to meet Paul (played by Mark Ruffalo) at his restaurant. Despite an awkward introduction, at least one of the children is won over by his slow-spoken charm and much to the chagrin of their mothers’ they agree to see him again.

Despite Nic’s persistent attempts to be rid of him, Paul quickly becomes a fixture and a projection of each member of the family’s desires. To Laser he is a male influence, to Joni he is a source of fun and excitement and to Jules he is a source of much needed encouragement and self-esteem, over a home cooked meal at his home singing Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Nic is almost sold. But it all comes crashing down before long and Paul ends up causing a lot more trouble than good, threatening to tear the family apart. In the end, Paul is more a mark than monster and even if the characters can’t forgive him, we can. With the even-temper and masterful efficiency that categorizes the entire film, it leaves us with a slew of questions we’re glad it didn’t answer.

If the results of its seven-theater opening (the highest gross per theater this year) are any indicator, I expect we will see more from Ms. Cholodenko. I can only hope that no matter how big her budgets get she can stay small.

Predators: An Exercise of 80s Action Bad-Assery

There has been much missing from this year’s summer movie season. Action, excitement and laughs mixed in with engaging stories and characters will not be found at your local cinema-plex this summer (of course there are a few exceptions). Nimrod Antal’s Predators is the summer exception. This movie is thrilling, exhilarating, action-packed, electrifying and actually fun. This movie reinvigorated my hopes in the last half of the summer movie season.

From the opening seconds of the film, the audience is quite literally thrown into the action and crux of the story. And from that opening beat, the film never really let’s you go (OK, the movie isn’t perfect and there are small pacing issues but for hyperbole’s sake, go along with me).

Antal has successfully remade Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack’s The Most Dangerous Game (1932) only Antal sets the film in an alien world and not on a mysterious island.
I need not a new weapon but a new animal from The Most Dangerous Game
In Predators, a small group of people are dropped into an alien game preserve and are hunted by the indigenous lifeforms of that planet, the predators. Everyone from the group is either the best soldier in their field or a demented murderer or rapist, this group is (somewhat) elite. Adrien Brody plays Royce as a hardened mercenary trapped on the planet set on being a loner trying to escape. I had my reservations of Brody playing this type of role but he surprised me. He was so bad ass in this movie (talk about hyperbole)! The awesomeness of this movie doesn’t stop with Adrien Brody, there’s some wonderful predator vs predator action and a fight sequence that involves a samurai sword that you will not forget.

Nimrod Antal does an amazing job creating a savage world inhabited by Predators. From the smallest details, you are convinced that this world is not of our own. Robert Rodriguez produced this movie and if you ask me, I think this role of producer suits him better than the role of writer/director, a role he is known for doing. But lately since his first film, El Mariachi, his career has been on a steady decline with no signs of growth or excitement. He seems to be more content delivering gruesome gore (Planet Terror), lame brain kid fare (Shorts) or full on exploitation (Machete). Sure, these films do have a place in cinema but there’s nothing exciting about how Rodriguez uses their storytelling elements. And if you compare Rodriguez work with his filmmaking counterpart, Quentin Tarantino, there is no contest. Rodriguez has not matured as a filmmaker wherein as Tarantino has flourished.

Nimrod Antal grounds the film with human emotions and solid storytelling. Not only is Predators action-packed, it’s rather engaging. We feel the weight behind every character, as if they were actually people living in a this world. Screen time between these characters are evenly divided and it doesn’t feel like we’re missing any pieces. There are a few questionable choices such as the “extended cameo” of Laurence Fishburne, whose role seems out of place in the context of the film. It doesn’t fit and feels needless.

This film is a joy to experience. It was the first time this summer my audience cheered and showered the moments of bad-assery with applause. Watching this film, you will be entertained as if you were watching the 1987 original. Predators exudes the sensibility of 80s action movies in every way imaginable and then ramps it up to 11. Highly Recommended!

B+

The Last Airbender: A Theatrical Review

When I heard the hit Nickelodeon TV show Avatar was being made into a feature film called The Last Airbender, I was ecstatic. I thought a live action adaptation would be really spectacular. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, check out this video.

Looks pretty epic, right? Then I realized M. Night Shyamalan was slated to direct and my heart sank because he has a habit of, well, sucking. Yet, I held out for hope. He might be an awful writer, but his visual sense has always been very dynamic and he expressed in lots of press that he was a fan of the show. Worst-case scenario, it would be mediocre, but Shyamalan would still capture the spirit of the show

Well, folks. The jury is in:  The Last Airbender is the biggest cock tease in cinema.

Problem #1: This time, it’s personal.

Shyamalan has a personal agenda to address with this film.

“I’m a martial arts freak and I’ve been dying to figure out a way I can make a martial arts movie.” -M. Night Shyamalan, “The Last Airbender: Revealed,” Nickelodeon.

This results in Shyamalan’s version of “bending,” or controlling the elements, boiling down to intricate martial arts choreography with too many flourishes and not enough actual control over the elements. In a movie hailed as containing some of the most cutting age special effects, I was left wondering where they were. During the climax of the film, two of the world’s most powerful benders fight each other and Shyamalan gives us a good three minutes of hand-to-hand combat sans bending. There’s an even more infuriating scene where Katara and Aang work on their water bending skills together. They perform what ends up being a boring Tai Chi sequence, and NOTHING HAPPENS. As my friend put it quite aptly after the film, “SHIT WOULD BEND!”

Problem #2: Hey fan base! Fuck you!

One of the best things about making a film adaptation of a cult classic from a marketing prospective is that there’s a built-in audience. Unfortunately, in the case of The Last Airbender, Shyamalan hijacks the story and uses it to whine about his own cultural hang-ups.

“I changed the pronunciation of a handful of the names to the Asian pronunciations and that was for me a way to ground the movie, make it more realistic, and honor the source material… But that’s the reason the names changed. It’s because, um, I’m Asian.” -M. Night Shyamalan, “The Last Airbender: Revealed,” Nickelodeon.

In another interview, Shyamalan goes further into his reason for making us cringe every time the name of a beloved character is uttered:

“At the end of the day a South Indian guy directed the movie. It’s a personal thing. So ‘Aang,’ like Tang, is ‘Aang,’ like Tong… See, my first name is Manoj as Man-oh-j and everyone mispronounced it in school and butchered it as ‘Man-ahhj.’ So this is coming from a specific place, from a multicultural appreciation. –M. Night Shyamalan, Interview with Jordan Hoffman, UGO Entertainment

Sadly his efforts at “multicultural appreciation” alienate the very people who want to enjoy his film the most. Moreover, he seems to scoff at Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the shows original creators, who happen to be Caucasian Americans. Shyamalan refuses to allow the story to live in a universe that’s inspired by different cultures rather than rooted in them. While Avatar is undeniably influenced by Asian philosophy, mythologies, and cultures, Shyamalan forgets that the story lives in its own fictional world. The Earth Kingdom isn’t China, it’s The Earth Kingdom. This is a fictional world created by DiMartino and Konietzko. Fans have been playing in this swimming pool for years and Shyamalan basically arrives and takes a piss in the pool rather than joining us in a game of Marco Polo.

Problem #3: I want cake.

Shyamalan opted to ground the film directly in the cultural settings that inspired the source material instead of focusing his energy on cinematically developing a magical world. By removing the magic and fun from the movie, it ended up taking itself way two seriously. Shyamalan has missed the point of what makes Avatar special, which is not so much the culture of the world as it is the philosophy, the characters, and the mysticism. Chris Gravenstine, a fellow viewer of this cinematic atrocity put it succinctly.

“When you’re say you’re serving cake, you don’t put out separate bowls of eggs, flour, milk, and sugar on the table and say, ‘Here you go. I made you a cake.’ It doesn’t taste good and I feel betrayed.’” -Chris Gravenstine, NYC

Problem #4: The dialogue makes the Star Wars prequels look like Gone with the Wind.

One of the most agonizing things about the movie is that it is extensively overwritten. Shyamalan tells us what is happening at every turn via voiceover narration that not only keeps the audience from connecting with his characters, but also keeps the characters from connecting to each other. We are told who is in love as soon as we see them in remote proximity to each other for the first time and we are told that the characters are starting a rebellion without really seeing them do it in any way that allows character development. If I hadn’t seen the TV show, I wouldn’t be able to name one defining personality trait for any of the characters.

Shyamalan is faced with the impossible task of cramming the action from the entire first season of the TV show into an hour and a half of screen time that ends up feeling like a lifetime because so much of the dialogue is repetitive for the sake of making sure the audience knows what’s going on. We are stuffed with over-explained mythology and scenes where actors look at each other desperately and utter complicated lines of dialogue when a simple shot of them holding hands for the first time would do the trick. Actions speak louder than words, Shyamalan.

Problem #5: If that’s acting, then what is Meryl Streep doing?

Another huge problem is that the acting in the film is atrocious. Even more experienced actors like Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone and Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel fall flat amidst the rich landscapes and sets. It seemed like these more seasoned actors were struggling to explore any morsel of personality for their characters, and I’m fairly sure they’re not to blame. The way the lines were written, anyone could have said them. They lacked the soul and the essence of what makes each character so singular. Emily Floyd, who watched the film with me, had the following to say.

“All of the events were there, all of the characters where there, but none of the heart… [When Aang and Katara meet in the television show], the first thing he says is, ‘Will you go penguin sledding with me?’ In the movie… you’re just waiting for the penguin sledding, and it doesn’t happen… It’s the essence of ‘penguin sledding’ that is missing from the movie.” -Emily Floyd, NYC

In addition to cutting out any shred of charm the characters have in the show, Shyamalan also decided to cast unknowns for the two main characters, Aang and Katara. I’m all for discovering new young talent, but they had the power to scour the world for the best people to play these roles, and they chose a kid who was great at martial arts but who has never acted before. Would you want to bank the success of a three-movie cycle on someone like that? Apparently, M. Night Shyamalan would.

“The lead of the movie is the first person ever cast off the internet. When we were looking for this kid, Aang, I was like, this kid has gotta exist… We searched for every actor kid in every country and then I get [a DVD of] one kid who’s in his basement dressed up like the character, head shaved, and then he does a whole [martial arts] routine… So the secret is, I just picked a kid off the internet.” -M. Night Shyamalan, “The Last Airbender: Revealed,” Nickelodeon.

Secret or epic fail, Shyamalan? Not only was the heart omitted from the story, but sadly, Noah Ringer didn’t have the acting chops to make us care about Aang and his struggle to accept the massive responsibilities of the Avatar. In her turn as Katara, Nicola Peltz was whiny, tearful, and useless. She lacked the power and determination of the water bending prodigy all the fans idolize.

Problem #6: It cannot be unseen.

I know if you’re a true fan, you’ll want to see this movie no matter what I tell you, but I urge you to stay away. The worst part about the whole thing is that it can never be unseen. Shyamalan has managed to ruin my ability to watch the original series without thinking of his cinematic catastrophe. The Last Airbender is not only the worst movie I’ve ever seen because it didn’t work on a basic story telling level, but because it had the potential to be very special fell incredibly short.

Do yourself a favor and watch this story unfold the way it was meant to be seen; by streaming the TV show’s three perfect seasons on Netflix: http://ow.ly/27Qzu or watching reruns on Nickelodeon.

Des Hommes et des Dieux Theatrical Review

At the closing of the München Film Festival, I went to see Xavier Beauvois‘s Des Hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men). I was sitting in the cinema just as the big Germany-Argentina World Cup game was about to begin. Around me were only French women with diet cokes. No self respecting German will show his face here, certainly not in a French film. Between the quiet and contemplative shots of the movie, you could actually hear the people outside the cinema roar and thump their beer glasses as Schweinsteiger embarked on another attack.

In sharp dissonance to the shouts of joy from the outside, the movie (based on a true story) tells the tragic tale of a group of eight Trappist monks who face a life altering dilemma. While engaged in a humanitarian mission in Algeria, their lives are threatened by a highly aggressive terrorist group. The monks are pressured by all sides to leave the place, and must choose whether to hold their ground, risking their life in the process, or to abandon the monastery, leavening the locals to their fate. Eventually, the monks stay, are kidnapped by the terrorists and murdered.

Visually, the movie is spectacular. The scenery is amazing, wild and oriental, yet still peaceful, directly connected to the characters and their feelings. But the characters themselves are the real focus of the film. Beauvois focused the film on the monks as individuals, as a group with a certain dynamics; and as people of faith, which is put to test. We are being led through the monks’ daily routines, relationships, emotional journeys  and personal and religious crises; these are all treated with a kind touch. But that is also the weak spot of the movie. None of the characters is shown in a really idiosyncratic light. For instance, the decision of Christian (Lambert Wilson), the head of the group, to stay in the monastery, rejecting any military support, is treated very lightly. Personally, I could see the ‘walking on eggshells’ of Beauvios, trying not to hurt the feelings of the victim’s families.

Des hommes et des dieux is a wonderful film, but it does leave a certain weird aftertaste. There are some unanswered questions, and it seems the director choose not to probe too deep into them. But it does gives a spectacular insight into the world of a group of true believers, with their faith being tested in a time of unbelief and terror. It’s also connected to contemporary European issues, above all the Muslim- Christian relations. All in all, this is a very good film, though a bit tedious sometimes (the first half an hour is a bore), but the movie takes tells a truly compelling story.

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? Theatrical review

My son, my son, WTF was that?

OK. I’ve seen Werner Herzog’s German premier of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? at the München Film Festival. Now, I’m having a real hard time to describe what I’ve just experienced. On one hand, here’s a touted and anticipated movie by a well known director. On the other hand, what the hell just happened?! For an hour and half, I saw a mishmash of a thriller, ancient Greek theater, pink flamingos and a midget in a tuxedo standing in the snow. That’s right. Flamingos!

If I had to sum up the movie in one word, eerie would be it. Pretty obvious actually, being a David Lynch production and all. The film tells the story of Brad McCullum, (Michael Shannon), a mentally disturbed inhabitant of San Diego who commits matricide after a far too deep identification with the role he portrays in a Greek play. After the murder, mcCullum fortifies himself in his house, threatening the lives of two supposed hostages and babbling random philosophical and religious crap. A homicide detective, played by the seemingly ageless Willem Dafoe, is learning about McCullum’s life by interviewing those close to him. Said life revolves in the main around a fiancé (the not very convincing Chloë Sevigny), a drama teacher (the scary Udo Kier) and a very, very disturbing mother played by Grace Zabriskie. That’s right, of Twin Peaks fame. But don’t worry kids, he stabs her dead.

This movie was not a good experience for me. I’m the not really a big Twin Peaks fan, but I certainly enjoy the odd hallucination now and then. For instance, I liked Mulholland Dr., yet I swore not to see it ever again. Apparently, my opinion on My, Son, My Son was not held by me alone. During the screening, there was an overall unrest in the audience. People were humming, moving in their chairs, looking aside and leaving the cinema pretty often. Yawning was another thing they did.  But it seems that the opinion of the audience were somewhat divided. In an overheard conversation at the unrinators after the movie, a couple of young Germans concluded this film to be “Good. Interesting”. Perhaps I misunderstood their German, because I was just thinking: “OMG, WTF?!”

Maybe I’m just not the type for this kind of movies. Maybe I’m not smart enough to figure out the philosophical connection between a midget in a tuxedo to a flowing Peruvian river, or the link between black jelly and running ostriches. And yet again maybe I’m in posession of a superior grasp of reality, a reality that is shared by the rest of the world. And maybe it’s just not a very good movie.

Abel Movie Review

The first screening I attended here in the München Film Festival was a light, funny and amusing documentary. In order to balance things out, I got myself a ticket to something a bit more bitter, Mexican-bitter to be exact. And so I found myself acquainted with Abel. In the festival, Abel is part of what is called “Visiones Latinas”, a line of films that brings forth new and independent films from Latin America.

Abel tells the story of the eponymous protagonist, a 9 year old boy suffering from deep emotional stress, which drives him into assuming the patriarchal role in the collapsing family his mother tries to manage after the disappearance of the real father of the family. This movie is the debut feature of Mexican filmmaker Diego Luna. The star of the movie is the wunderkind Christopher Ruíz-Esparza, who depicts Abel. This kid is amazing. His natural charm is enhanced in the depiction of Abel’s relationship with his (true life) brother, Paul, for whom Abel becomes a combination of a father figure and a friend to play with.

I admit, this movie got me in the gut. Well, mostly because I’m a big wuss, but there also is something very genuine about it. The narrative itself is somewhat predictable, but the acting and atmosphere are really special. The entire bizarre premise, and the director’s decision not to treat the child as a mentally disturbed person, but more as a child playing a game, is fascinating. This is a truly bitter-sweet story, raising questions of manhood, childhood and the way these are perceived by a small boy.

All in all, I think this movie is definitely worthwhile, even though it’s not a must. Being a debut for the director, it’s clear that he’s trying real hard to imprint his signature on this one. Fittingly, the result is somewhat blurred: a film offering a unique outlook on Mexican family and social life, but with several undeveloped directions and a bit of melodramatic tones (father-leaving-strong-yet-sentive-wife, family-collapsing-but-wonder-child-brings-them-to-confront-their-issues). Still, I enjoyed this one, even though I’m not really the drama type, and I will be happy to see more of Luna’s works in the future.