The Man from London - MOD

I am not familiar with the work of Bela Tarr. But just from seeing his The Man from London I can tell you that his work will probably not appeal to a mainstram audience.

This film is shot in glorious black and white. The takes are sometimes quite long. The first take in the film lasts about twelve minutes. The story focuses on a man (Miroslav Krobat) who sees a murder. He then discovers a suitcase filled with money.
What does he do with it? Does he go to the police? You will have to see the film to find out.

I thought that the lead actor was very good. Tilda Swinton plays his wife but she is not in the film for very long. I liked the way the film looked and the atmosphere
of it. But considering that it was a murder story there was a lack of tension. Also, I did not like the dubbing. It seemed that Swinton was dubbed and there were characters who were from England and they spoke English. But it looked like they were dubbed too. Also, the film takes place in Hungary but the people speak French.
Very strange.

The Man from London was in competition at Cannes two years ago. It never had a theatrcial release in the States and I can see why. But don't get me wrong - I thought that the film was quite interesting and I am glad that I saw it. But I can't recommend it to most people because I know that they would not like it.

Up

Up is Pixar's lovely new film. It is lovingly co-directed by Pete Doctor and Bob Petersen. And while not my favorite Pixar film (Ratatouille might be the one) I liked this film very much.

The story starts off with the beautiful montage of the story of Carl (Fredrickson) and Ellie. They meet by accident and it is love at first sight. They were really childhood sweethearts. We see them at various times in their lives right up until Ellie's death. The older Carl (the voice Ed Asner) can't deal with his new circumstances. He is stirred a bit out of himself when a friendly but lonely boy named Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai) knocks on his door wanting to help him. Eventually Carl decides to use balloons to help to South America to a place called Paradise Falls. It is a place that he and Ellie always wanted to go to. But because of circumstances they never made it. And somehow young Russell manages to take the trip with him.

I don't want to say more about the plot. So much has already been written about it. I will say the Christopher Plummer is the voice of Charles Muntz and he is an important part of the story. Delroy Lindo also voices one of the characters.

Some of the plot involves things that we have seen in other films. But most of it is very original. There were several times during that film that tears welled up in my eyes. You must stay for the credits because they are part of the story.

Up is a a film for children of all ages except the very young. It really gets you in the heart.

Rudo y Cursi

Rudo y Cursi is director Carlos Cuaron's feature film debut. It is also the first of five films to be produced by Cha Cha Cha productions. This is the company formed by the Three Amigos (Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu). The script was co-written by the two Cuaron brothers.

Brothers (same mother, different fathers) Tato (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Beto (Diego Luna) live in a small Mexican village and work at a banana plantation. Tato loves to sing and has hopes of becoming a famous singer. Beto is married with kids and has a gambling problem. One day a man named Batuta (Guillermo Francella) drives through the village looking for potential soccer players. Out of the two he picks Tato. But a short time later he needs another player for a rival team and Beto is the man for the job.

At first the brothers enjoy their fame. But fame has its price. And for me that is what this film is about. I won't go into anymore plot details. You will have to see the film to find out what happens. I will tell you that Beto is nicknamed Rudo (rough around the edges) and Tato is nicknamed Cursi (cornball).

Bernal and Luna have a wonderful chemistry together. They are totally believable as brothers. Francella is very good as the opportunistic Batuta. The supporting cast is good as well. The music in the film is great. I liked this film and consider it a good film. But it is not in the same class as Y tu Mama Tambien, directed by brother Alfonso. But Carlos has shown potential with this film (which is sometimes quite funny) and I look forward to seeing what he does in the future.

DVD Mini Review - Come Early Morning

Come Early Morning is a wonderful little indie from a few years ago. It was written and directed by Joey Lauren Adams and it stars a marvelous Ashley Judd as Lucy Fowler.

Lucy is a hard drinking woman who finds herself in bed with men she barely knows. She lives with her more grounded roommate Kim (Laura Prepon). Despite her drinking habit Lucy is good at her work as a contractor. She is close to various family members but can't seem to crack the wall that is between her and her father Lowell (Scott Wilson). One day Lucy meets Cal (Jeffrey Donovan) who offers her the chance to have a real relationship. But will she take it? You will have to see the film to find out.

Come Early Morning is very well made for a movie with such a low budget. I have to commend Adams for doing such a bang up job with her first film. I hope that she gets to write and direct more films. And I already mentioned how great Judd is. The supporting cast, which includes Diane Ladd and Tim Blake Nelson as well as the above mentione actors and others is top notch.

I should say that the story is set in the south - probably Arkansas. One of the things I liked best about the film is that it didn't turn out the way I thought it would. In many cases things turned out unexpectedly. I didn't always like the way things went but I liked the fact that this is not a Hollywood film but more like real life.

Rent it when you can.

Cannes 2009 Winners

This year I didn't even have the time to post the films in competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival. But I am posting the winners. There are a few strange choices (as always) and some that I was expecting to win a prize. There are a few that I will definitely see in the future. So, here are this years winners:

Palme d'Or

"The White Ribbon" (Michael Haneke, Germany-France-Austria-Italy)

Grand Prix

"A Prophet" (Jacques Audiard, France)

Special jury prize

Alain Resnais, "Wild Grass" (France)

Director

Brillante Mendoza ("Kinatay," Philippines)

Jury prize

"Fish Tank" (Andrea Arnold, U.K.), "Thirst" (Park Chan-wook, South Korea-U.S.)

Actor

Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds" (U.S.-Germany)

Actress

Charlotte Gainsbourg, "Antichrist" (Denmark-Germany-France-Sweden-Italy-Poland)

Screenplay

Mei Feng, "Spring Fever" (Hong Kong-France)

Summer Hours

The new film by Oliver Assayas, Summer Hours, is a beautiful meditation on life, death, the meaning of objects, globalization, memories and and more.

The film starts off with the summer family gathering of Helene and her three children at her beautiful country home. The grounds are gorgeous and the inside of the house is like a museum. There is valuable pieces of art everywhere. Helene's children are scattered around the world. Her oldest son Frederic (Charles Berling) is the only one who lives close by in Paris. Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) lives in New York and Jeremie (Jeremie Renier) lives in China. Both have jobs and lives in these far off lands.

On this particular day Helene is celebrating her 75th birthday. And she is also preparing to take some of her uncle's work to various places in the world in order to show them off to the art world. San Francisco is the first stop.

We then cut to some time later and find out that Helene has passed away. Her children have to deal with their grief but they also have to decide what to do with the house and all of its treasures. Frederic wants to keep the house but Jeremie and Adrienne both want to sell it. The majority rules.

The rest of the film deals with small moments. All of these moments feel very real and these things happen in real life. One of my favorite moments was when Helene's longtime cook/housekeeper Eloise (Isabelle Sadoyan) comes for a visit (with the house being sold she has to go to live with relatives). She picks flowers and puts them into one of the vases because she knows that an empty vase is nothing.

I have liked many of Assayas's films and this is one of my favorites. The film is beautifully shot by master cinematographer Eric Gautier. All of the acting is very good - they seemed like real people.

By the end of Summer Hours I was teary eyed and feeling nostalgic. The film brought up things in my own life. I highly recommend this film to those of you who love intelligent world cinema.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the film ends with a wonderful song by The Incredible String Band, a group from the 60s that I love.

DVD Mini Review - Valkyrie

Bryan Singer's film Valkyrie is based on true events about the plot to kill Hitler.
And it is an interesting and well done piece of historical filmmakaing.

The plot to overthrow Hitler is carried out by Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise). He is joined by many who shared his view. In fact, this was the 15th attempt to overthrow Hitler. And I must say that it is important for the world to know that there were those in Germany who did not go along with what the Nazis did.

The film is suspenseful even though we know the outcome. And for that we have to thank Singer's crisp direction and a well written screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. Cruise gives a good performance as Stauffenberg. And he is joined by such wonderful actors as Kenneth Branagh, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Terrence Stamp and Eddie Izzard. Carice von Houten is also good in a small role as Stauffenberg's wife.

Valkyrie was surrounded by negative rumors because of the release date being changed and because of some people's feelings about Cruise. All of this is quite unfair because the film holds your interest and gives us insight into a piece of history that many of us are not that familiar with.

I recommend Valkyrie to those of you like historical dramas.

DVD Mini Review - La Zona

I have been waiting for about a year to see La Zona. Rodrigo Pia's film has won prizes at many festivals, including Venice, but never had a theatrical release in the US. I can't figure out why but that is the way things are these days. In any case, it was worth the wait.

This film shows the difference between being well off and poor in Mexico. La Zona (The Zone) is an affluent gated community. They are autonomous and have their own set of rules apart from everyone else. One rainy night three teenagers from the poor side of town manage to get into La Zona. During a botched robbery attempt one of the boys kills a female resident. This sparks off a vigalante group determined for revenge. The group is headed by Daniel (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and Gerardo (Carlos Bardem). They take care of things in their own way. But one of the boys, Miguel (Alan Chavez) is still in La Zona and they meant to find him.

Policeman Rigoberto (Mario Zaragoza) suspects there is something funny going on in La Zona, In the meantime, Daniel's son Alejandro (Daniel Tovar) finds Miguel hiding in the basement. He has to make a big decision about what to do.

And that is all I will tell you about the film. It is a very good crime drama. But more importantly it is a comment on how one is treated - meaning that you will get away with more if you have money. The acting by all (which also includes Maribel Verdu as Alejandro's mother Mariana) is very good. And certainly Pia is a director to keep an eye on.

This film is highly recommended for those of you who (like myself) love world cinema.

The Limits of Control

I am a big fan of Jim Jarmusch's work. His last film, Broken Flowers, was his most commercial. His new film, The Limits of Control, is anything but.

I really liked this film a lot but I can understand why others would not. For one thing, there is very little dialog. And the film moves along rather methodically which means that it will be too slow for many people. But none of this bothered me at all.

Without spoiling anything I can tell you that the film centers around Lone Man (Isaach De Bankole). At the beginning of the film he is give certain instructions and you will hear some of the things mentioned here throughout the film as well. Lone Man is a man of few words. We rely on his expressions which don't tell us very much. We find out very little about him.

During the film he meets up with various people who take him one step further to his goal. The actors who play these small parts include Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Hiam Abbass and Luis Tosar. I really don't want to say more about the plot or these people. The film is somewhat esoteric but there is also a political message here and it has to do with the way the world is now. We find out who has the control.

The movie is filmed in Spain - mainly Madrid and Seville. It is beautifully shot by Christopher Doyle. I have to give a big round of applause to Jarumusch. In this world where everyone is looking for commercial success he is still a true independent. I recommend this film to those who truly like an unusual cinematic experience.

DVD Mini Review - The Color of Lies

I always enjoy Claude Chabrol's thrillers. He is not only concerned with the crime but concerned with the people affected by the crime. And this film is no different.

The setting is in rural France and the scenery is gorgeous (courtesy of Eduardo Serra). Vivianne (Sandrine Bonnaire) is a nurse who is the household breadwinner. Her husband Rene (Jacques Gamblin) is a painter who make some money by giving lessons. Their world is turned upside down when one of Rene's young students is found raped and murdered. The new police chief Lesage (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) has her suspicions about Rene but Vivianne is behind him all the way. She is sure that her man is innocent. Now add into the mix the crafty writer/journalist Germaine (Antionie de Caunes) who has his eye on Vivianne and you have something a bit spicy.

I won't say more about the plot. But you will find out about all of the various lies. And there are some surprises. So rent this film and enjoy its leisurely pacing, intriguing plot and fine acting.

Valentino: The Last Emperor

Matt Tyrnauer's film about fashion designeer Valentino Garavani (but really known just as Valentino) is delightful.

The film focuses on a few threads. The first is about Valentino's long relationship with life/business partner Giancarlo Giametti. It is a relationship that has endured longer than many marriages. And you can see, without the film being overly sentimental, the love that is their.

The film also focuses on Valentino's long career. He clothed many famous women, including Jackie Kennedy. But as times are changing so is the fashion world. It is being scooped up by the big corporations as is everything else. This is a sad fact of life.

The last sequence, in which we see Valentino celebrating his 45th year in the business, is spectacular. It took place in Rome's Colisseum. The scenery is beautiful as it the music.

As an added attraction we get to see a number of scenes of Valentino's beloved pugs. And what beauties they are!

I am not at all into fashion but I very much enjoyed this look the man and his life. And you just might too.

Revanche

Goetz Spielmann's Revanche is one terrific film. It got a well deserved Oscar nomination in the best foreign film category. It is a marvelous character study and is also very suspenseful. Oh, and I should add that it is quite sexy.

Alex (Johannes Krisch) and Tamara (Irina Potapenko) have a thing for each other. But it is not easy for them to have a relationship. They both work for Konecy (Hanno Poschi). He owns a brothel and Tamara is one of his prostitutes. Alex, who has been in jail, and does menial work for his boss. Both Alex and Tamara have financial problems. But Alex has a solution - rob a bank. At first Tamara doesn't want to have anything to do with it. But eventually she goes along with it. And that is all I will say about the plot. Why should I spoil things for you.

Other characters figuring heavily into the story are Alex's elderly grandfather (Johannes Thanheiser) who lives in the country and a couple Robert (Andreas Lust) and Susanne (Ursula Strauss) who live nearby.

Spielmann has created s film that has a lot of tension. I was on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. The acting is all around terrific with Krisch giving a particularly intense performance. I want to see more of him. Thanheiser was very moving in his role and Strauss hit all the right notes.

I found the ending very satisfying. I can only imagine how the film would have ended if it was a Hollywood. Let's hope that they never remake this film in Hollywood style.

I higly recommend Revanche and it you can't see it in the theater (it is in very limited relase) then see it on DVD when it comes out.

DVD Mini Review - Lou Reed's Berlin

In 1973 Lou Reed recorded the concept album Berlin. It dealt with love, breakups, drug abuse, hatred, etc. It was very emotional. But the critics didn't like it and it was a commercial flop. He never performed the album.

33 years later Julian Schnabel, who loved the album, makes a film of Reed performing the album at St. Ann's Warehouse in NYC. What you have is a wonderful, visually stunning music documentary. It is a concert film and there aren't any interviews at all. But you don't need them because everything is so good.

Reed is very emotional as he sings. And his band is perfect. He has great backup singers and a marvelous choir. In one song he duets with the wonderful singer Antony (who was a standout in Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man). Schnabel adds amazing footage in the background. His daughter Lola helped with this. During some of the songs we see actress Emmanuelle Seigner. She is playing the part of a woman named Caroline.

This film is a must for Reed fans. If you are not a fan then don't see the film. I have always liked him and think he is very underrated. And I am also a big fan of Schnabel and wanted to see what he did with this genre. He did not disappoint, that is for sure.

Three Monkeys

It is easy to see why Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the best director award at Cannes last year. The film is outstanding and do is his directing.

I would say that the film is quite noirish. A politician named Servet (Ercan Kesal) falls asleep at the wheel and runs over someone. We never find out who it is. With an upcoming election he has to think fast and asks his driver Eyup (Yavus Bingol) to take the rap. He offers money and Eyup accepts. But this has a negative effect on Eyup's wife Hacer (Hatice Aslan) and son Ismail (Rifat Sungar). I can't go into any plot details without giving anything away. Let us just say that they both are quite restless.

Ceylan's direction and Gukhan Tiryaki's cinematography make you feel that you right there. The way they focus on the faces of the characters is amazing. All of the actors are wonderful and Aslan is just amazing. I don't think this film will go much further than a few art houses (I hope I am wrong) so if you can't catch it in theaters than make sure you see it on DVD.

Oh, and the three monkeys are not hearing, not seeing and not speaking. See the film you will understand what this means.