Tetro and Tokyo! (DVD)

Today has been a busy movie day for me. I saw one film in the theater and one on DVD.

I really liked Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro. In fact, I liked it better than I thought I would. The plot is very interesting and puts the pieces of the puzzle together in a unique way. Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) works on a ship. When the ship docks in Buenos Aires he decides to look up his long lost brother formerly Angelo now Tetro (Vincent Gallo). Tetro is not too interested in seeing Bennie but Tetro's partner Miranda (Maribel Verdu) makes him feel welcome.

We gradually come to understand why Tetro is such a mess. A lot has to do with his famous father Carlos (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and also the fact that he is a failed writer.

Coppola shot most of the film in glorious black and white. Only the flashbacks are in color. The film looks terrific. I am not a big fan of Gallo but he was good as Tetro. He has just enough madness in him to pull off the role. Brandauer is very good and young Ehrenreich (who reminds me a bit of the young Leo Di Caprio) has a good future ahead of him. But best of all is Verdu who plays the put upon Miranda with great feeling. I also liked the wonderful Rodrigo De la Serna as Tetro and Miranda's friend Jose. Carmen Maura makes a cameo appearance as the very influential critic Alone - she is partly responsible for Tetro's downfall.

Coppola has created a wonderful saga about a family with plenty of problems. It is good that he has decided to make personal films as this stage in his life. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

I just finished watching Tokyo! on DVD. It was released earlier this year and contains three short films that take place in Tokyo.

The first film is directed by Michel Gondry. It is about a young couple who come to live in Tokyo. He is an aspiring filmmaker but she doesn't seem to do much of anything. As time goes on they drift apart. I liked this film but it becomes very Gondryan towards the end.

The second film is directed by Leos Carax. A mad creature who lives underground (Denis Lavant) terrorizes the people in the city. In fact, he is responsible for many deaths. When he is caught he is put on trial for murder. A lawyer from France comes to Tokyo to represent him. The lawyer is the only one who can communicate with the creature as he speaks a strange language. A very strange film but I liked it.

The last film is directed by Joon ho Bong. It is about a recluse who hasn't been out in the street in over ten years. One day his pizza is delivered by a young woman. While there the house begins to shake and he devlops feelings for her. Odd but intriguing.

As you can tell, I liked Tokyo! but I only recommend it is those of you who like very offbeat films.

Food, Inc.

Robert Kenner's Food, Inc. is one terrific documentary. It exposes the food business for what it is. And what is that may you ask? Well, it is an industry that is cruel to both animals and human workers. It is an industry that can make people very sick. It is an industry that is bad for the planet. And it is an industry that is controlled by a few corporations.

Due to lack of time I won't go into too much detail. But there are many lessons to be learned from this film. Basically, do you want to know where your food comes from? I sure do. And I hope that most people feel the same way.

Some parts of the film were hard to watch as they involved animal cruelty. I am a vegetarian and I had to close my eyes. But issues such as food safety are included as well. And there is a segment on how poorer folks have to chose between healthy vegetables and cheaper and unhealthy fast food. These things make my blood boil.

The film features authors Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser as well as Stonyfield president Gary Hirschberg. I was not happy to find out that many of the organic manufacturers were bought up by bigger companies. The smaller companies certainly are having a hard time.

But even Walmart is getting into the act. They now have organic products. And why? Because people wanted them. And they got rid of all milk that contained the bovine growth hormone. And, again, that was because people wanted it that way.

So go out and see this film (or rent it on DVD when it comes out) and then demand that we have pure, healthy and organic food for everyone.

DVD Mini Review - Cherry Blossoms

I want to say a few words about a wonderful film entitled Cherry Blossoms. Written and directed by Doris Dorrie, the film played in NYC in the winter. It got great reviews but because it played during Oscar season it did not do well at the box office. Therefore, it was pulled after only playing one week. I wanted to see it at the start of the second week but it didn't happen.

Happily, the film has just been released on DVD. I just loved it! Most of the critics gave away some big plot points. I will not do that. I will just tell you a bit about the story. Rudi (Elmar Wepper) and Trudi (Hannalore Elsner) are a couple in their 60s. They are married a long time and live in a small town in Germany. Rudi's doctors tell Trudi that he is very sick and may not have long to live. She is devastated but decides to keep the truth from her husband. She tells him that she thinks it is a good idea to visit their son and daughter. Both of them live in Berlin. They have another son who lives in Tokyo. The beginning of the film reminded me of Ozu's Tokyo Story. But then the film goes off in another direction. Things don't go as planned.

That is all I will say about the plot. The performances are splendid. There is a terrific turn by Aya Irizuki as Yu. You will see how she figures into the story if you see the film. And the film is emotional and spiritual - not to mention beautiful to look at. Cherry Blossoms hits you right in the heart. I cried after the film. I highly recommend this one.

Seraphine

Martin Provost's Seraphine is a marvelous film about the painter Seraphine Louis (aka Seraphine de Senlis).

The story starts off in 1914. Seraphine (Yolanda Moreau) works as a cleaning lady for many people. It is hard for her to make ends meet. But her real passion is painting. And is is a very talented woman. You can immediately tell that Seraphine is a bit different. But you get a better understanding of things when she visits two nuns that she used to live with. One of them asks if everyhing is okay in her head.

One of the people who Seraphine cleans for is Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tucker) a German art dealer/collector and critic. When he sees Seraphina's paintings he is mesmerized.
He tells her that he wants to help her but World War I breaks out and he has to flee to Germany. Many years later Uhde returns to France with his sister and lover. He doesn't try to find Seraphine but one day at an exhibition of local artists he finds some of her paintings. He then finds her and helps her to sell some of her paintings. He also promises that he will bring her work to Paris with her very own show. To see what happens you must see this film.

Seraphina is well directed, well written and is beautifully shot. The film takes its time telling the story but that is how it should be. I was totally absorbed in what was happening and I could that the rest of the audience was as well. Tucker and the supporting cast are terrific but the film belongs to the amazing Moreau. She tranforms herself into Seraphine and for not one moment do you think that is an actress on the screen. She is that good.

When the film ended I sat in my seat humming along to the sad strains of the closing music. Needless to say, this film is highly recommended.

DVD Mini Review - Love Me If You Dare

A few words about a film that I missed when it was in theaters a few years ago. Love Me If You Dare is an original, unconventional love story written and directed by Yann Samuell.

Julien (Thibault Verhaeghe) and Sophie (Josephine Lebas-Joly) meet when they are eight years old. There friendship is based on a game of dare. And what a wild time they have. It is too bad the adults don't share their enthusiasm. They remain friends throughout college and are now played by Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard. Julien and Sophie are still into their game but the older they get the darker their dares become.

I won't say much more about the plot. If you want to see what happens to them during their lives then rent the film. The film is beautifully shot and the music is wonderful. All of the actors give fine performances.

It is interesting to note that various versions of La Vie En Rose play throughout the film. Some time after this film Cotillard made the film La Vie En Rose and won the Oscar for portraying Edith Piaf. Canet directed the film Tell No One, a thriller that was a big hit last year. And the two of them are actually a couple off screen.

In any case, if you want your typical Hollywood love story then stay away from this film. But if you are looking for something different then check this out.

Easy Virtue, O'Horen and Taken (DVD)

This past weekend I saw three films - two in the theater and one on DVD. Because of time constraints I will say just a few words about eat.

Stephan Elliott (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) directs Noel Coward's Easy Virtue. The story is of the very British John (Ben Barnes) meeting the American race car driver Larita (Jessica Biel) in France. In no time they fall in love and get married. The trouble starts when John brings home Larita to meet his family. His mother (Kristing Scott Thomas) is appalled and the bickering begins. His sisters aren't happy either. But his father (Colin Firth) is quite pleased with his son's choice. The rest of the film focuses on Larita's struggle to fit in with John's family.

The film is nicely shot and I enjoyed most of the music. Scott Thomas is wonderful as the controlling mother. And I liked Firth's portrayal as the mostly passive father. But Biel didn't feel right in the role. Her acting was forced and she seemed too modern for the part. Barnes really didn't do much at all. And the chemistry between the two young lovers was lacking. Some of the film was funny but I didn't appreciate the joke about the poor little dog Poppy. However, I am glad that I saw the film because of Scott Thomas, Firth and some witty dialog. Also quite good was Kris Marshall as the man servant Furber. I saw this on the big screen but this one could be seen as a rental.

O'Horten is a wonderful deadpan and heartfelt film directed by Brent Hamer. It takes place in Norway in what seemed like an endless winter. Odd Horten (Baard Owe) is a train conductor who, at 67, is retiring after almost 40 years of service. He lives alone with his parakeet. His is a simple life.

After his retirment Odd (I love that name!) has a series of encounters with people that change his life. None of them is earth shattering but instead they are things that we can all relate to. Hamer's direction is spot on and Owe gives an outstanding, understated performance. His face says volumes. If you can't find this film in the theaters then rent it when it comes out (Netflix is a great way to see many of these small films with limited runs).

I saw Taken on DVD. My nephew let me borrow the film. On Netflix there is a very long wait and the film made tons of money when it was released earlier this year.

It is the story of former FBI agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). He quit in order to repair the relationship between him and his teenage daughter. He is uneasy when she joins a friend on a trip to Paris for the summer. And his hunch was right - she and her friend are kidnapped shortly after they arrive in the city. What follows is Mills killing and hurting many people in order to find his daughter. Neeson raises the film above what it really is. He is a fine actor and he shines even with this material. It is action packed but the action was a bit too over the top for my taste. But it is a popular film and some of you might enjoy it.

DVD Mini Review - A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia

Everyone knows of the epic film Lawrence of Arabia. But many (perhaps most) don't know about a follow up film called A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia. It was made for British television and surfaced in the early 90s. It is the story of what happens when T.E. Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) goes to the Paris Peace Conference after World War I. He goes to bat for Arab independence and his friend Feisal (Alexander Siddig) but we know that things did not go as he wanted them to.

Director Christopher Menual's film is a terrific piece of historical filmmaking. I learned quite a bit from the film. All of the acting is spot on and Fiennes and Siddig are outstanding. They have terrific chemisty and, yes, there is a homoerotic theme running throughout. It didn't seem like Lawrence was interested in women.

This was one of Fiennes first films and I read that Steven Spielberg was so impressed with his performance that he cast him in Schindler's list. It is easy to see why. I highly recommend that you rent this film.

Departures

Departures was this year's surprise foreign film Oscar winner. Many people were upset because they wanted either Waltz with Bashir (a great film) or The Class (okay but a bit disappointing) to win. This seems to have lead to resentment from some critics who have unfairly bashed the film. It is a beautiful and heartfelt film and deserves to be seen.

Director Yojiro Takita and screenwriter Kundo Koyama do a wonderful job of bringing the story to the screen. Daigo (Mashiro Motoki) is a cello player in an orchestra based in Tokyo. However, things are not going well in the financial department and the orchestra has to disband. When Daigo tells his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) that he wants to go back to his place of birth and live in the house that his mother left him she agrees to it. When looking for a job he sees an ad in the newspaper saying departures. He thinks that it is a travel agency. But it is anything but. This agency helps prepare dead people for cremation.

Now, this might sound depressing but there is a lot of humor in the film. And there were a number of moments where my eyes welled up with tears. We learn a lot about Japanese rituals. The way one prepares the body for its journey from this world to the next is filled with the utmost respect.

The acting is very good by all involved. And I should make a special note of Tsutomu Yamazaki. The veteran actor was outstanding as Ikuei, the owner of the agency.

Despite winning the Oscar the film is not doing that well at the box office. I guess the reviews (including A.O. Scott's dismissive one in the NY Times) might have something to do with that. But people don't like to see films dealing with this subject matter. Westerners seem to deny the fact that they will die. Well, guess what? Everyone dies. And people from the east seem to understand that fact very well.

Did Departures deserve to win the Oscar? Well, I can't say. I still would have preferred the innovative Bashir to win. But I certainly can't be that upset if a film this good takes the prize instead. I hope that people will take a chance and see Departures either on the big screen (if you can find it) or on DVD when it comes out. It is an experience that you won't forget.

DVD Mini Review - Summer '04

Stefan Krohmer's Summer '04 was recommended by two friends. And it was a very good recommendation. The film is smart and very interesting.

Progressive couple Miriam (Martina Gedeck) and Andre (Peter Davor) are at their summer country home. Things seem as they should be. Ah, but everything changes when their son Nils (Lucas Kotaranin) brings his twelve year old girlfriend Livia (Svea Lohde) to the house. She is very mature for a twelve year old.

One day Nils and Livia go sailing and Nils comes back by himself. They met a 30ish year old man named Bill (Robert Seelinger) who Livia has taken a fancy to. And the feeling seems to be mutual. Miriam feels responsible for Livia and when the girl starts to spend more time with Bill Miriam decides to do some investigating.

That is all I will say about the plot. I will say that things do not to as expected.
And that makes the film quite intriguing. I was surprised at how things turned out.
Krohmer's directing style reminded me of Michael Haneke. The acting is good from all involved but Gedeck is a standout as Miriam. She gives a very nuanced performance.

All of you who love world cinema must see this intelligent film.