I've changed my mind about tonight's films. I now plan to see (subject to change at the last second) "Acidente", "Blame It on Fidel" and "Smiley Face" (not a change and the one that won't change).
I have a feeling that someone will distribute "Hounddog" and I was torn on "How She Moves." So away we go into the closing weekend with hopes for 12 films over three days.
26 January 2007
Sundance 2007: Angel-A
Finally, a movie this year that knocked my socks off. As my friend Randy said right after, "I want to see it again." There's nothing quite like a movie with a happy ending when the last spoken word is "merde!"
Andre (Jamel Debbouze) is an Algerian in Paris with a U.S. Green Card who owes a lot of money to a some very bad people. He's so down on himself that he can't get arrested. When he jumps off a bridge to save a leggy blond stranger from killing herself he complains about her interfering with his suicide attempt.
Angela (Rie Rasmussen) is a chain-smoking enigma to Andre as she helps him solve his financial problems and makes him take a hard look at himself and acknowledge his good qualities. She does tell him she is an angel who is supposed to help him out, but he really has a hard time believing that anyone, even God or an angle, would care about him.
Shot in black and white Paris looks beautiful in this movie. I think the choice to go b/w was well made as color would have been a distraction from the story, and the metaphor works because Andre did not have a lot of color in his life when Angela entered it.
Much as this may sound like "It's a Wonderful Life" I think it is a closer relative to "Wings of Desire." In fact, that'd make a great double feature if/when "Angel-A" comes out on DVD.
This movie made me want to dance and drink vodka tonics.
Andre (Jamel Debbouze) is an Algerian in Paris with a U.S. Green Card who owes a lot of money to a some very bad people. He's so down on himself that he can't get arrested. When he jumps off a bridge to save a leggy blond stranger from killing herself he complains about her interfering with his suicide attempt.
Angela (Rie Rasmussen) is a chain-smoking enigma to Andre as she helps him solve his financial problems and makes him take a hard look at himself and acknowledge his good qualities. She does tell him she is an angel who is supposed to help him out, but he really has a hard time believing that anyone, even God or an angle, would care about him.
Shot in black and white Paris looks beautiful in this movie. I think the choice to go b/w was well made as color would have been a distraction from the story, and the metaphor works because Andre did not have a lot of color in his life when Angela entered it.
Much as this may sound like "It's a Wonderful Life" I think it is a closer relative to "Wings of Desire." In fact, that'd make a great double feature if/when "Angel-A" comes out on DVD.
This movie made me want to dance and drink vodka tonics.
Sundance 2007: The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun
Filmed over five years, "The Monastery" is the story of an 82-87 year old Danish man who is donating Hesbjerg, a castle he purchased 50 years earlier for this purpose, to the Russian Orthodox Church to use as a monastery.
Pernille Rose Grønkjær has made a fascinating portrait of an interesting man, Mr. Vig, and his dealings with the Moscow Patriarchate through a headstrong nun, Sister Ambrosija.
There is the bureaucratic aspect, keeping the castle as part of the estate in a trust after he dies and who will be on the board, the disrepair of the castle, the ecumenical problems of turning a room into a chapel and the personality problems of two very stubborn people of faith.
I wish that Ms Grønkjær had told more of the back story of Mr. Vig. People who did not attend the Q&A will find they are missing valuable pieces of his story - so I'll tell you some of them here. Vig trained as a Lutheran minister but because he was single was discriminated against. His spiritual search took him into Orthodoxy and Buddhism concurrently.
What we know about Vig is what he tells us, he never really loved anyone except his father, he judged people by their noses, he only recalled kissing his mother once and the like. This fairly antisocial, rather odd looking man is, however vibrant and interested.
I would also like to have an idea of what the Russian Orthodox population in Denmark is. Though it is small enough not to be mentioned in the CIA World Factbook (one of my favorite reference sources) online.
The movie moves a little slowly for my taste, but is so beautifully filmed, and the people are so interesting that I can't complain too much about the tempo.
Pernille Rose Grønkjær has made a fascinating portrait of an interesting man, Mr. Vig, and his dealings with the Moscow Patriarchate through a headstrong nun, Sister Ambrosija.
There is the bureaucratic aspect, keeping the castle as part of the estate in a trust after he dies and who will be on the board, the disrepair of the castle, the ecumenical problems of turning a room into a chapel and the personality problems of two very stubborn people of faith.
I wish that Ms Grønkjær had told more of the back story of Mr. Vig. People who did not attend the Q&A will find they are missing valuable pieces of his story - so I'll tell you some of them here. Vig trained as a Lutheran minister but because he was single was discriminated against. His spiritual search took him into Orthodoxy and Buddhism concurrently.
What we know about Vig is what he tells us, he never really loved anyone except his father, he judged people by their noses, he only recalled kissing his mother once and the like. This fairly antisocial, rather odd looking man is, however vibrant and interested.
I would also like to have an idea of what the Russian Orthodox population in Denmark is. Though it is small enough not to be mentioned in the CIA World Factbook (one of my favorite reference sources) online.
The movie moves a little slowly for my taste, but is so beautifully filmed, and the people are so interesting that I can't complain too much about the tempo.
25 January 2007
Sundance 2007: Grace is Gone
John Cusack plays, Stanley Philipps, a father of two girls Heidi (Shélan O'Keefe) and Dawn (Gracie Bednarczyk), whose wife, Grace, is serving in Iraq. Stanley is a store manager who is doing as well as he can to deal with being the parent of a 12 and 8 year old, he even attends a support group for the "wives" of service members - he is the only man present.
When he gets the dreaded knock on the door, that Grace has been killed in action, he cannot bring himself to tell the girls or face his own grief. So he takes them on an impromptu road trip from Minnesota to "Enchanted Gardens" in Florida.
They stop at his mother's house to find that his anti-war, lay about brother Jim (Alessandro Nivola ) is the only one home. When Jim receives a call about Grace they hit the road again rather than Stanley telling the girls and letting himself face his grief.
Cusack, at 40, is playing what is likely the most grown-up role of his career. He is convincing as the father who just wants to extend his girls' childhood a few more days. When he finally tells them the reaction of these two young actresses is very natural and real. I thought it was interesting that 12-year-old Heidi's crying sounded like an adult and 8-year-old Dawn's sounded like a small child. It reminded me of how much more grown-up my 12-year-old nephew seems than my 9-year-old niece.
This pro-military, anti-war (at least that's how I see it) movie is the first of this year's Sundance movies to make me cry.
A note on the perfume mentioned earlier. I know who you are and will be avoiding sitting within three rows or about five seats of you. Only the two rows between us filling up last night made your perfume bearable. If you read this and are putting on perfume it may or may not be about you, so please consider the people around you. Isn't the rule if you can smell it 3 feet away you're wearing too much?
When he gets the dreaded knock on the door, that Grace has been killed in action, he cannot bring himself to tell the girls or face his own grief. So he takes them on an impromptu road trip from Minnesota to "Enchanted Gardens" in Florida.
They stop at his mother's house to find that his anti-war, lay about brother Jim (Alessandro Nivola ) is the only one home. When Jim receives a call about Grace they hit the road again rather than Stanley telling the girls and letting himself face his grief.
Cusack, at 40, is playing what is likely the most grown-up role of his career. He is convincing as the father who just wants to extend his girls' childhood a few more days. When he finally tells them the reaction of these two young actresses is very natural and real. I thought it was interesting that 12-year-old Heidi's crying sounded like an adult and 8-year-old Dawn's sounded like a small child. It reminded me of how much more grown-up my 12-year-old nephew seems than my 9-year-old niece.
This pro-military, anti-war (at least that's how I see it) movie is the first of this year's Sundance movies to make me cry.
A note on the perfume mentioned earlier. I know who you are and will be avoiding sitting within three rows or about five seats of you. Only the two rows between us filling up last night made your perfume bearable. If you read this and are putting on perfume it may or may not be about you, so please consider the people around you. Isn't the rule if you can smell it 3 feet away you're wearing too much?
Sundance 2007: Summer Rain
Director Antonio Banderas showed up to introduce his film "Summer Rain" ("El Camino de los ingleses") Wednesday night at the Rose Wagner. I really can't tell you much about what he said. I was distracted by the fact he is even more beautiful in person than he is on the screen.
The acting is quite good and the characters are 20ish people we've been or have known and maybe still know. The lead is a young man, Miguelito who just had a kidney removed and wants to be a poet, his girlfriend Luli (María Ruiz) who wants to travel the world with a ballet troupe, there's the rich boy Paco (Félix Gómez) who doesn't seem to have any ambition, his girlfriend, "The Body," whom his father wants him to get rid of and Babirusa (Raúl Arévalo) a hothead who worships Bruce Lee and just might love the fat, easy girl who will have sex with anyone. On the side there are "The Dwarf," an old friend who joined the paratroopers, and a slightly older man who wants Luli and offers to pay for her ballet schooling if she will dump Miguelito for him. I musn't slight the narrator either, I'm not certain who the actor is, since I didn't catch the character's name, but he sits in the bar and watches the main character's lives he is a radio weatherman and overnight dj whose poetic remarks offer a frame for the movie.
This aside, "Summer Rain" is a beautifully filmed coming-of-age story with beautiful* actors (all of who were born about the time the story takes place in the late 1970s), but has many of the weaknesses of first films/novels/albums. One of these weaknesses is that this exuberant, youthful film is a tragedy, no one gets a happy ending which is a shame.
An actor who is always worth looking at, Banderas just might also be a director worth watching.
*overused adjective alert, no more of that word in this posting
The acting is quite good and the characters are 20ish people we've been or have known and maybe still know. The lead is a young man, Miguelito who just had a kidney removed and wants to be a poet, his girlfriend Luli (María Ruiz) who wants to travel the world with a ballet troupe, there's the rich boy Paco (Félix Gómez) who doesn't seem to have any ambition, his girlfriend, "The Body," whom his father wants him to get rid of and Babirusa (Raúl Arévalo) a hothead who worships Bruce Lee and just might love the fat, easy girl who will have sex with anyone. On the side there are "The Dwarf," an old friend who joined the paratroopers, and a slightly older man who wants Luli and offers to pay for her ballet schooling if she will dump Miguelito for him. I musn't slight the narrator either, I'm not certain who the actor is, since I didn't catch the character's name, but he sits in the bar and watches the main character's lives he is a radio weatherman and overnight dj whose poetic remarks offer a frame for the movie.
This aside, "Summer Rain" is a beautifully filmed coming-of-age story with beautiful* actors (all of who were born about the time the story takes place in the late 1970s), but has many of the weaknesses of first films/novels/albums. One of these weaknesses is that this exuberant, youthful film is a tragedy, no one gets a happy ending which is a shame.
An actor who is always worth looking at, Banderas just might also be a director worth watching.
*overused adjective alert, no more of that word in this posting
24 January 2007
Sundance 2007 - at the midpoint
At the halfway point I need to stop and deconstruct Sundance 2007 for a moment.
15 down 16 to go. I am delirious with movies this year.
The audiences have been great. I've only heard one cell phone (though my friend Randy has heard two) go off mid-movie. I've only had one really bad talker experience (just because it isn't English doesn't make it less intrusive), and haven't seen anyone try to impress/bully Salt Lake volunteers with how important they are. I did have to change seats last night before "Delirious" started because someone was wearing perfume, or perfumed lotion, that was giving me one of my "shoot me now" chemical reaction headaches.
Fortunately this time and usually, those tend to clear up within a few minutes of moving away from the source of the problem, but they have made me feel for migraine sufferers.
Why would you wear perfume to a movie anyway? At least people who wear too much perfume to outdoor events are mosquito food and get a little of the suffering they deserve. I love perfume, I just have to be very careful about what I wear and never wear much so as not to offend anyone who might be allergic to it or suffer reactions to a different chemical than the ones that get me.
I've decided the snack/meal options that will help me through the rest of the week lean heavily toward protein and caffeine and away from simple sugars. I've tried to keep my evening sugar to dried fruit. That and to drink at least 8oz of water for each movie. It kept me going through five the first Saturday and I'll be testing it on six the second Saturday if things go as planned.
Except for a style point in "A Very British Gangster" and some of the animated shorts I've been lucky enough to like everything I've seen.
My favorites so far are "Ghosts", "Once," "Fido," "Teeth" and "Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten."
15 down 16 to go. I am delirious with movies this year.
The audiences have been great. I've only heard one cell phone (though my friend Randy has heard two) go off mid-movie. I've only had one really bad talker experience (just because it isn't English doesn't make it less intrusive), and haven't seen anyone try to impress/bully Salt Lake volunteers with how important they are. I did have to change seats last night before "Delirious" started because someone was wearing perfume, or perfumed lotion, that was giving me one of my "shoot me now" chemical reaction headaches.
Fortunately this time and usually, those tend to clear up within a few minutes of moving away from the source of the problem, but they have made me feel for migraine sufferers.
Why would you wear perfume to a movie anyway? At least people who wear too much perfume to outdoor events are mosquito food and get a little of the suffering they deserve. I love perfume, I just have to be very careful about what I wear and never wear much so as not to offend anyone who might be allergic to it or suffer reactions to a different chemical than the ones that get me.
I've decided the snack/meal options that will help me through the rest of the week lean heavily toward protein and caffeine and away from simple sugars. I've tried to keep my evening sugar to dried fruit. That and to drink at least 8oz of water for each movie. It kept me going through five the first Saturday and I'll be testing it on six the second Saturday if things go as planned.
Except for a style point in "A Very British Gangster" and some of the animated shorts I've been lucky enough to like everything I've seen.
My favorites so far are "Ghosts", "Once," "Fido," "Teeth" and "Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten."
Sundance 2007: Delirious
It's the Steve Buscemi film festival at Sundance this year and that is a very fine thing.
In "Delirious" Buscemi plays Les Galantine, a paparazzo of the sleaziest sort. He is approached by homeless wannabe actor Toby Grace (Michael Pitt) while he and his fellow celebrity photographers are staked out waiting for pop diva K'harma (Alison Lohman) and her slimy boyfriend.
Les doesn't really befriend Toby so much as decide to tolerate him and makes him his unpaid assistant, though there are a place to sleep, food and free head shots for Toby in the deal.
Buscemi plays almost the opposite of his character Pierre Peters in "Interview" the serious political reporter who hates celebrity "news" and paparazzi. Les loves his work and not much else in his life. His parents are unpleasant people who disapprove of his career and he only has slightly more than contemptuous tolerance for his fellow photographers - who seem to like him despite himself.
Toby becomes the only friend Les has, though the friendship is shaken when Toby and K'harama hook up by chance.
This is a really good story about friendship and celebrity. I was worried that it was going to turn dark but it manages to stay a comedy by focusing on one of the many "rule number one"s in the movie: "Friends is friends."
In "Delirious" Buscemi plays Les Galantine, a paparazzo of the sleaziest sort. He is approached by homeless wannabe actor Toby Grace (Michael Pitt) while he and his fellow celebrity photographers are staked out waiting for pop diva K'harma (Alison Lohman) and her slimy boyfriend.
Les doesn't really befriend Toby so much as decide to tolerate him and makes him his unpaid assistant, though there are a place to sleep, food and free head shots for Toby in the deal.
Buscemi plays almost the opposite of his character Pierre Peters in "Interview" the serious political reporter who hates celebrity "news" and paparazzi. Les loves his work and not much else in his life. His parents are unpleasant people who disapprove of his career and he only has slightly more than contemptuous tolerance for his fellow photographers - who seem to like him despite himself.
Toby becomes the only friend Les has, though the friendship is shaken when Toby and K'harama hook up by chance.
This is a really good story about friendship and celebrity. I was worried that it was going to turn dark but it manages to stay a comedy by focusing on one of the many "rule number one"s in the movie: "Friends is friends."
Sundance 2007: Once
I had every intention of grabbing a sandwich or a slice between movies on Tuesday.
Instead, "Once" inspired me to have a nice plate of linguine with clams and a glass of wine at Mr Z's next door to the Broadway Centre Cinemas. (It was good, and I chased it with lemon sorbet and an espresso in case you wondered).
In the catalogue and even in the intro from director/writer John Carney "Once" is described as a musical. I prefer to say it is a movie about music.
The nameless, non-actors, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are lovely people who it would be fun to spend sometime with. He is a vacuum repairman/street musician/song writer. She is a Czech immigrant who lives with her mother and young daughter. She can't afford a piano, but is allowed to practice in a music shop on lunch break.
The two meet when she walks up to him and asks if he wrote the song he is playing. When he confirms it is his, she asks why he doesn't play it during the day. She is delightfully pushy asking very personal questions on early acquaintance. They become friends through their music and despite his failed pass at her.
Hansard and Irglova sing and play beautifully together and it's hard to believe that neither of them is a professional actor. Though Hansard was in "The Committments," and his character ends that movie busking on the street where "Once" begins, he is better known in Ireland as both a solo performer and the guitarist for The Frames.
"Once" is an inspiring and sweet film with a happy ending, though not the predictable happiest of all Hollywood endings. I walked out smiling and treated myself to a nice dinner.
Instead, "Once" inspired me to have a nice plate of linguine with clams and a glass of wine at Mr Z's next door to the Broadway Centre Cinemas. (It was good, and I chased it with lemon sorbet and an espresso in case you wondered).
In the catalogue and even in the intro from director/writer John Carney "Once" is described as a musical. I prefer to say it is a movie about music.
The nameless, non-actors, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova are lovely people who it would be fun to spend sometime with. He is a vacuum repairman/street musician/song writer. She is a Czech immigrant who lives with her mother and young daughter. She can't afford a piano, but is allowed to practice in a music shop on lunch break.
The two meet when she walks up to him and asks if he wrote the song he is playing. When he confirms it is his, she asks why he doesn't play it during the day. She is delightfully pushy asking very personal questions on early acquaintance. They become friends through their music and despite his failed pass at her.
Hansard and Irglova sing and play beautifully together and it's hard to believe that neither of them is a professional actor. Though Hansard was in "The Committments," and his character ends that movie busking on the street where "Once" begins, he is better known in Ireland as both a solo performer and the guitarist for The Frames.
"Once" is an inspiring and sweet film with a happy ending, though not the predictable happiest of all Hollywood endings. I walked out smiling and treated myself to a nice dinner.
23 January 2007
Sundance 2007: A Very British Gangster
A Very British Gangster
Disclaimer: the filmmaker’s cousin, Brian, is a dear friend of mine - but I'd have seen this anyway the topic interests me.
Investigative TV journalist and filmmaker Donal Mac Intyre has made a compelling and very human portrait of Manchester gangster Dominic Noonan.
As an openly gay Catholic, from a working class (on a good day) background, Noonan could be an interesting subject for a documentary. As a mob boss and self described community “social worker” who has spent most of his life in assorted correctional facilities Noonan is a fascinating subject.
He does bad, violent things. But he also supports his two children, his sister and her family, his nephews and godsons and encourages them in their endeavors whether legal or not. He tells horrible stories in a matter of fact way, and is disturbingly likable. His criminal record seems to focus on armed robbery and assault. His late brother, Desmond, was an enforcer and hit man suspected of between 20 and 30 successful hits, though his addiction to crack interfered with his career.
Noonan became a gangster to support his family (it was that or a poorly paid - probably gone now - industrial job) and is very successful, some of his younger associates are in it for the rush. Despite this success he still still lives in and is deeply tied to his working class community. Instead of calling the police with problems, people call Dom. He makes a few calls or knocks on the right door and suddenly the problems are gone.
Stylistically this documentary is beautiful. The music is perfectly apt, the film work and editing are sharp and amazing -- almost a feature feel to parts of it. The people are fascinating and many are likable if you don’t think of what they do for a living. I’m impressed that there is no violence shown in the film.
However...
There’s always an however.
I don’t like how much of Donal Mac Intyre we see in this movie. It is part of the TV style, so it’s the type of work he is used to, but just doesn’t work for me.
Well, I'm caught up through last night's films so I'll see you at the pictures tonight.
Disclaimer: the filmmaker’s cousin, Brian, is a dear friend of mine - but I'd have seen this anyway the topic interests me.
Investigative TV journalist and filmmaker Donal Mac Intyre has made a compelling and very human portrait of Manchester gangster Dominic Noonan.
As an openly gay Catholic, from a working class (on a good day) background, Noonan could be an interesting subject for a documentary. As a mob boss and self described community “social worker” who has spent most of his life in assorted correctional facilities Noonan is a fascinating subject.
He does bad, violent things. But he also supports his two children, his sister and her family, his nephews and godsons and encourages them in their endeavors whether legal or not. He tells horrible stories in a matter of fact way, and is disturbingly likable. His criminal record seems to focus on armed robbery and assault. His late brother, Desmond, was an enforcer and hit man suspected of between 20 and 30 successful hits, though his addiction to crack interfered with his career.
Noonan became a gangster to support his family (it was that or a poorly paid - probably gone now - industrial job) and is very successful, some of his younger associates are in it for the rush. Despite this success he still still lives in and is deeply tied to his working class community. Instead of calling the police with problems, people call Dom. He makes a few calls or knocks on the right door and suddenly the problems are gone.
Stylistically this documentary is beautiful. The music is perfectly apt, the film work and editing are sharp and amazing -- almost a feature feel to parts of it. The people are fascinating and many are likable if you don’t think of what they do for a living. I’m impressed that there is no violence shown in the film.
However...
There’s always an however.
I don’t like how much of Donal Mac Intyre we see in this movie. It is part of the TV style, so it’s the type of work he is used to, but just doesn’t work for me.
Well, I'm caught up through last night's films so I'll see you at the pictures tonight.
Sundance 2007: Interview
Steve Buscemi took on quite a challenge with the remake of Theo Van Gogh's movie "Interview."
He, as formerly respected political reporter Pierre Peters, and Sienna Miller, as hottie actress and interview subject Katya, take the challenge and do quite well with it.
On the surface this is the story of a reporter fallen from grace and stuck doing soft pieces such as celebrity interviews and his probably failed interview with hot young actress Katya.
I see "Interview" as the story of any failed relationship in fast forward. It starts with a bad blind date, she's an hour late and he hasn't read up on her. There's passion, confession of both weakness and sin, humor, tears (crocodile), kisses, dancing and finally the bitter break up with nothing left but the bad feelings.
This "Interview" is a retelling and Americanization of the original, but stand up quite well on its own.
It seems to be the year of Buscemi at Sundance -- director, actor (also in "Delirious" which I'm planning to see tonight), interview subject in "Joe Strummer..." -- it's about time.
He, as formerly respected political reporter Pierre Peters, and Sienna Miller, as hottie actress and interview subject Katya, take the challenge and do quite well with it.
On the surface this is the story of a reporter fallen from grace and stuck doing soft pieces such as celebrity interviews and his probably failed interview with hot young actress Katya.
I see "Interview" as the story of any failed relationship in fast forward. It starts with a bad blind date, she's an hour late and he hasn't read up on her. There's passion, confession of both weakness and sin, humor, tears (crocodile), kisses, dancing and finally the bitter break up with nothing left but the bad feelings.
This "Interview" is a retelling and Americanization of the original, but stand up quite well on its own.
It seems to be the year of Buscemi at Sundance -- director, actor (also in "Delirious" which I'm planning to see tonight), interview subject in "Joe Strummer..." -- it's about time.
Sundance 2007: Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
My friend Robin describes Joe Strummer with a guitar as "soft porn." She is a wise woman.
Filmmaker Julien Temple (whose film work I am an unrepentant fan of) knew Strummer when he was in his first London band, the rock-a-billy 101ers.
He started filming Strummer and The Clash in 1976, when they lived in squats around the corner from each other. Temple attended a benefit Strummer played about a week before he died in 1992, they lived in the same small town at this point.
The frame for this documentary is the bonfire. Old friends, fans, bandmates, family, people with every reason to love and hate Strummer sit around bonfires and talk about him and sing along to songs on recordings of his BBC World Service program "London Calling."
Even people with every reason to dislike Strummer, such as two bandmates who were fired for being junkies, show their dislike of the circumstances but not of Joe. Even when there is residual anger at the circumstances of their dismissal, they don't seem to hold it against him, at least not completely.
Joe Strummer, guitar god, punk rock warlord, artist... Child of a diplomat who lived all over the world before being sent to boarding school in England. Loving and imperfect husband and father.
Julien Temple has made a touching tribune to his friend and neighbor.
Filmmaker Julien Temple (whose film work I am an unrepentant fan of) knew Strummer when he was in his first London band, the rock-a-billy 101ers.
He started filming Strummer and The Clash in 1976, when they lived in squats around the corner from each other. Temple attended a benefit Strummer played about a week before he died in 1992, they lived in the same small town at this point.
The frame for this documentary is the bonfire. Old friends, fans, bandmates, family, people with every reason to love and hate Strummer sit around bonfires and talk about him and sing along to songs on recordings of his BBC World Service program "London Calling."
Even people with every reason to dislike Strummer, such as two bandmates who were fired for being junkies, show their dislike of the circumstances but not of Joe. Even when there is residual anger at the circumstances of their dismissal, they don't seem to hold it against him, at least not completely.
Joe Strummer, guitar god, punk rock warlord, artist... Child of a diplomat who lived all over the world before being sent to boarding school in England. Loving and imperfect husband and father.
Julien Temple has made a touching tribune to his friend and neighbor.
Sundance 2007: Broken English
Zoe Cassavetes and her movie, "Broken English" are being done a disservice by the reviewers at Sundance.
If this movie had been a regular release they'd be using words like "charming" and "refreshing." Instead the reviews are lukewarm at best.
How dare those audacious Sundance programmers let in a sweet, romantic comedy with a fairly predictable happy ending?!? This is Sundance, it's supposed to be gloom, doom and ambiguity. Damn it! Sundance is about film, and art, what's with programming in a movie?
Pphht. I like it, though I must admit I am a sucker for a fun romantic comedy and the older woman/younger man relationship is refreshing.
Until recently I haven't been much of a fan of Parker Posey, I haven't disliked her, just not been much impressed. But the last few movies I've seen her in have really made me like her work. She's aging well and growing into a better actor.
In "Broken English" she plays Nora, a woman in her late 30s who isn't happy with her job, only does things with her married friends and just can't catch a break on the dating scene.
Then, bored to tears she goes to a party at a co-worker's house and meets Julian (Melvil Poupaud) a 10 years or so younger Frenchman who is charmed at first sight and only in New York for a few more days.
Drea de Matteo, as Nora's best friend (whose character name I've forgotten), is touching and underplayed as the woman who is feeling constrained by her marriage of 5 years.
This is just a sweet movie. I've recommended it to my friends who like movies. They know there's a place film and for art, but sometimes they just want to be entertained for their movie dollars.
If this movie had been a regular release they'd be using words like "charming" and "refreshing." Instead the reviews are lukewarm at best.
How dare those audacious Sundance programmers let in a sweet, romantic comedy with a fairly predictable happy ending?!? This is Sundance, it's supposed to be gloom, doom and ambiguity. Damn it! Sundance is about film, and art, what's with programming in a movie?
Pphht. I like it, though I must admit I am a sucker for a fun romantic comedy and the older woman/younger man relationship is refreshing.
Until recently I haven't been much of a fan of Parker Posey, I haven't disliked her, just not been much impressed. But the last few movies I've seen her in have really made me like her work. She's aging well and growing into a better actor.
In "Broken English" she plays Nora, a woman in her late 30s who isn't happy with her job, only does things with her married friends and just can't catch a break on the dating scene.
Then, bored to tears she goes to a party at a co-worker's house and meets Julian (Melvil Poupaud) a 10 years or so younger Frenchman who is charmed at first sight and only in New York for a few more days.
Drea de Matteo, as Nora's best friend (whose character name I've forgotten), is touching and underplayed as the woman who is feeling constrained by her marriage of 5 years.
This is just a sweet movie. I've recommended it to my friends who like movies. They know there's a place film and for art, but sometimes they just want to be entertained for their movie dollars.
Sundance 2007: Chicago 10
Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Bobby Seale, Richard Daley, the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Even though I wasn't quite three when the trial started, these names resonate with me. It seems like I've always been aware of this event and these people.
Filmmaker Bret Morgen is even younger than I am, but he has made a powerful film which blends file footage and animation. This documentary/drama (I can't really decide which) is a reminder of the need to speak up and speak out with passion and humor.
"Chicago 10" has gotten so much buzz that I'm not going to say much else about it, except this: like everything else from Participant Productions SEE THIS FILM.
Even though I wasn't quite three when the trial started, these names resonate with me. It seems like I've always been aware of this event and these people.
Filmmaker Bret Morgen is even younger than I am, but he has made a powerful film which blends file footage and animation. This documentary/drama (I can't really decide which) is a reminder of the need to speak up and speak out with passion and humor.
"Chicago 10" has gotten so much buzz that I'm not going to say much else about it, except this: like everything else from Participant Productions SEE THIS FILM.
Sundance 2007: Crazy Love
Readers of New York newspapers in the late 1950s may recall the story of Linda Riss whose jelous former boyfriend, Burt Pugach, hired a man to throw lye in her face. She was mostly blinded and he went to prison for the attack.
They were married a few years after his release.
"Crazy Love" is their story.
She was a beautiful working class girl in her early 20s, he was a lawyer and nightclub owner in his 30s - not really handsome but intriguing and exciting for a young woman. He didn't bother to mention that he was married and had a severely disabled daughter.
This is not a nice love story and the Pugachs are not nice people.
Burt lied to Linda throughout their early relationship, telling her that he was divorced and when caught in that lie telling her that he was waiting for the final papers. He also cheated on Linda after their marriage. His sanity is questionable throughout. Toward the end of the film one of Burt's oldest friends says, "Even Hitler had friends."
Linda acknowledges that she is difficult to be with, even saying something along the lines of his being married to her is his true punishment.
When the lye was thrown, Linda had dumped Burt for his lies (she was beautiful and tough) and had met and was engaged to another man. While she was in the hospital she offered to break off the engagement, her fiance did not break the engagement until she was out of the hospital and he realized that there was no way he could pay her medical expenses. She doesn't seem to have any hard feeling about this. Though mostly blind, Linda continued to work until she was fired after she married Burt.
When the song "You Really Got a Hold On Me" plays in the soundtrack, it just seems perfect. Especially the line, "I don't like you but I love you." It is a fitting summation of their relationship.
This is a sick, sad relationship but a really fun film.
They were married a few years after his release.
"Crazy Love" is their story.
She was a beautiful working class girl in her early 20s, he was a lawyer and nightclub owner in his 30s - not really handsome but intriguing and exciting for a young woman. He didn't bother to mention that he was married and had a severely disabled daughter.
This is not a nice love story and the Pugachs are not nice people.
Burt lied to Linda throughout their early relationship, telling her that he was divorced and when caught in that lie telling her that he was waiting for the final papers. He also cheated on Linda after their marriage. His sanity is questionable throughout. Toward the end of the film one of Burt's oldest friends says, "Even Hitler had friends."
Linda acknowledges that she is difficult to be with, even saying something along the lines of his being married to her is his true punishment.
When the lye was thrown, Linda had dumped Burt for his lies (she was beautiful and tough) and had met and was engaged to another man. While she was in the hospital she offered to break off the engagement, her fiance did not break the engagement until she was out of the hospital and he realized that there was no way he could pay her medical expenses. She doesn't seem to have any hard feeling about this. Though mostly blind, Linda continued to work until she was fired after she married Burt.
When the song "You Really Got a Hold On Me" plays in the soundtrack, it just seems perfect. Especially the line, "I don't like you but I love you." It is a fitting summation of their relationship.
This is a sick, sad relationship but a really fun film.
22 January 2007
Sundance 2007: Fido
What can a person say about a zombie love story? "Hooray!" comes to mind.
After the Zombie wars, people live in fenced communities and the remaining zombies have been collared by ZomCon so that they make useful, if slow, domestic servants.
Timmy (K'Sun Ray) is not popular at school because he asks questions like "are Zombies dead or alive?"
The 1950s sitcom idyll is broken when Timmy's mother (Carrie-Anne Moss), tired of being the only one on the street without a Zombie, buys one (Billy Connolly). Timmy's father (Dylan Baker) has personal reasons to hate and fear Zombies and agrees to keep him only if he is chained up in the backyard when he isn't working. Timmy, a very compassionate child, decides to name him "Fido" after the Zombie protects him from the class bullies.
A funny movie, and quite sweet as it deals with issues of discrimination and fear.
There was a Lionsgate thingie (sorry I don't know the term) before the movie, so there's hope that a wider audience will be able to get a good laugh out of this movie.
After the Zombie wars, people live in fenced communities and the remaining zombies have been collared by ZomCon so that they make useful, if slow, domestic servants.
Timmy (K'Sun Ray) is not popular at school because he asks questions like "are Zombies dead or alive?"
The 1950s sitcom idyll is broken when Timmy's mother (Carrie-Anne Moss), tired of being the only one on the street without a Zombie, buys one (Billy Connolly). Timmy's father (Dylan Baker) has personal reasons to hate and fear Zombies and agrees to keep him only if he is chained up in the backyard when he isn't working. Timmy, a very compassionate child, decides to name him "Fido" after the Zombie protects him from the class bullies.
A funny movie, and quite sweet as it deals with issues of discrimination and fear.
There was a Lionsgate thingie (sorry I don't know the term) before the movie, so there's hope that a wider audience will be able to get a good laugh out of this movie.
Sundance 2007: Teeth
"Teeth" was one of the movies listed on the box office door as not for people with delicate sensibilities. OK, that isn't what the sign says, and I don't remember the exact words but that's the gist of it.
It is also a movie that most of the audience seemed to be laughing, but the women laughed more than men. So there's a lot of blood and some disturbing themes (conservative Christianity, literal vagina dentata and penile amputation). It's a funny movie.
Dawn (Jess Weixler) is a beautiful, naive high school girl who speaks on teen celibacy at churches. Her slightly older step-brother, Brad (John Hensley) is about as bad as a bad boy can get, smoking pot and having anal sex (never vaginal) with his girlfriend. Neither he nor Dawn remember just how he lost the tip of his finger when their parents were still dating.
In her fundamentalist run town the sex-ed class can study the anatomy of the penis, but not the vagina. And the discussion of evolution, well that's something else as well, though the teacher is very poised. So Dawn doesn't realize until an unfortunate incident with the new boy in school, that there's something very wrong with her.
I feel like anything I say from here will be complete and utter spoiler, so I'll stop with just a few words more. This movie is bloody, not for the feint of heart and funny in a variety of very wrong ways. If it gets distributed I'll probably see it again - with the girls and may recommend it to a few former boyfriends.
One of the two guys from New York who were sitting next to us said, after the movie was over, "that'd be a great date movie." Yes, it may have been sarcasm, but who can tell. My first reaction was, "a man wrote that?"
Somehow I think this film could become the ultimate realization of girl power.
Oh, and if you think the premise of "Teeth" is something writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein pulled out of the air, do a quick hunt on your favorite search engine for "vagina dentata." You may learn a few things that were skipped over in your world mythology and religion classes.
It is also a movie that most of the audience seemed to be laughing, but the women laughed more than men. So there's a lot of blood and some disturbing themes (conservative Christianity, literal vagina dentata and penile amputation). It's a funny movie.
Dawn (Jess Weixler) is a beautiful, naive high school girl who speaks on teen celibacy at churches. Her slightly older step-brother, Brad (John Hensley) is about as bad as a bad boy can get, smoking pot and having anal sex (never vaginal) with his girlfriend. Neither he nor Dawn remember just how he lost the tip of his finger when their parents were still dating.
In her fundamentalist run town the sex-ed class can study the anatomy of the penis, but not the vagina. And the discussion of evolution, well that's something else as well, though the teacher is very poised. So Dawn doesn't realize until an unfortunate incident with the new boy in school, that there's something very wrong with her.
I feel like anything I say from here will be complete and utter spoiler, so I'll stop with just a few words more. This movie is bloody, not for the feint of heart and funny in a variety of very wrong ways. If it gets distributed I'll probably see it again - with the girls and may recommend it to a few former boyfriends.
One of the two guys from New York who were sitting next to us said, after the movie was over, "that'd be a great date movie." Yes, it may have been sarcasm, but who can tell. My first reaction was, "a man wrote that?"
Somehow I think this film could become the ultimate realization of girl power.
Oh, and if you think the premise of "Teeth" is something writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein pulled out of the air, do a quick hunt on your favorite search engine for "vagina dentata." You may learn a few things that were skipped over in your world mythology and religion classes.
Sundance 2007: Red Road
This gritty Scottish movie deserves the five (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress) Scottish BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards it won, not to mention the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes.
Jackie (Kate Dickie) is a widowed CCTV operator (she keeps an eye on the monitors for the Closed Circuit cameras which have caused so much complaint about the UK becoming a BigBrotherish nanny state). She is having an occasional affair with a married man and isn't getting much pleasure out of it. Her coworkers, mostly older and male, all seem to care about her in a brotherly way and her relationship with her in-laws is awkward at best. We see no signs of any close friendships in her life.
One night she spots Clyde (Tony Curran), the man responsible for her husband and daughter's deaths, on the monitor. She thought he wasn't out of prison for another three years and ends up essentially stalking him through the cameras - hoping for a slip up which will send him back to prison.
When Clyde seems to be a model ex-felon trying to get on with his life, she sets him up for a fall.
The unwanted sexual tension between Jackie and Clyde, who does not recognize her, is amazing. Jackie hates this attraction in part because it takes her out of her grief and puts her back into the world of the living, and in part because of who Clyde is.
I do seem to remember some comments in articles about this film in The Scotsman about my only major complaint about the film - it's subtitled. So it takes a bit of time for most English speakers to get their ear wrapped around Scots accents, I found the titles distracting and thought there was no need for this in "Red Road." Of course, I had a friend in elementary school whose parents were Scottish, so maybe I just know how to listen to the accents.
This is a dark, slightly predictable movie, and very human. The plot isn't what deserves the awards, but Dickie and Curran's characters are so familiar the viewer can't help but be caught up in their stories.
Jackie (Kate Dickie) is a widowed CCTV operator (she keeps an eye on the monitors for the Closed Circuit cameras which have caused so much complaint about the UK becoming a BigBrotherish nanny state). She is having an occasional affair with a married man and isn't getting much pleasure out of it. Her coworkers, mostly older and male, all seem to care about her in a brotherly way and her relationship with her in-laws is awkward at best. We see no signs of any close friendships in her life.
One night she spots Clyde (Tony Curran), the man responsible for her husband and daughter's deaths, on the monitor. She thought he wasn't out of prison for another three years and ends up essentially stalking him through the cameras - hoping for a slip up which will send him back to prison.
When Clyde seems to be a model ex-felon trying to get on with his life, she sets him up for a fall.
The unwanted sexual tension between Jackie and Clyde, who does not recognize her, is amazing. Jackie hates this attraction in part because it takes her out of her grief and puts her back into the world of the living, and in part because of who Clyde is.
I do seem to remember some comments in articles about this film in The Scotsman about my only major complaint about the film - it's subtitled. So it takes a bit of time for most English speakers to get their ear wrapped around Scots accents, I found the titles distracting and thought there was no need for this in "Red Road." Of course, I had a friend in elementary school whose parents were Scottish, so maybe I just know how to listen to the accents.
This is a dark, slightly predictable movie, and very human. The plot isn't what deserves the awards, but Dickie and Curran's characters are so familiar the viewer can't help but be caught up in their stories.
Sundance 2007: Animation Spotlight
Again, the problem with shorts...
Of these 8 animated short films, I frankly found two of them tedious and just didn't like two others.
"One Rat Short," a love story between a lab rat and a subway rat was just delightful. Who could guess what a Cheetos bag could inspire? The most touching love story of the festival so far.
"Duct Tame and Cover" puts a new department of Homeland Security spin on the old "duck and cover" films.
Though it is a bit long, "Gold Age" was a kick. In a send up of all of those "whatever happened to" type shows, we discover the trials of former beloved cartoon characters including a movie concessions gum drop, a cartoon mascot and a trio of World War II dictators from war bond cartoons. I laughed and laughed. Thanks to Aaron Augenblick for that.
So I guess I only really liked three of them. This does not take away from the animation work and story telling skills of the other animators, just gives my opinion.
Some of these animation shorts are also available at: http://festival.sundance.org/2007/watch/index.aspx
Of these 8 animated short films, I frankly found two of them tedious and just didn't like two others.
"One Rat Short," a love story between a lab rat and a subway rat was just delightful. Who could guess what a Cheetos bag could inspire? The most touching love story of the festival so far.
"Duct Tame and Cover" puts a new department of Homeland Security spin on the old "duck and cover" films.
Though it is a bit long, "Gold Age" was a kick. In a send up of all of those "whatever happened to" type shows, we discover the trials of former beloved cartoon characters including a movie concessions gum drop, a cartoon mascot and a trio of World War II dictators from war bond cartoons. I laughed and laughed. Thanks to Aaron Augenblick for that.
So I guess I only really liked three of them. This does not take away from the animation work and story telling skills of the other animators, just gives my opinion.
Some of these animation shorts are also available at: http://festival.sundance.org/2007/watch/index.aspx
Sundance 2007: Shorts Program 1
I never quite know how to review shorts. I did like all of them in this program though. I guess the overarching framework on this one is the matter of truth, too much truth and personal growth/growing up.
In "Sophie" a woman asks her husband about his sexual past, even though she really can't face the answer. A young boy lies to his mother in "Pop Foul" to back up his father, only to find out that mom doesn't want to know the truth when he finally does fess up. Plane crash victims re-enact the aftermath in "The Dawn Chorus" because they can't stand the truth and are finally forced to grow-up - even the ones who were adults when the crash happened. Break-ins, burglar alarms and very smart children force the truth in "Windowbreaker." "Hard to Swallow" is the story of three couples dealing with alcohol, drugs and one man calling his girlfriend by the wrong name. "William," the story of four passengers in a cab, doesn't really fit the truth part of the theme as the growing up part.
As I said, I liked all three and "Windowbreaker" and "Sophie" were probably my favorites. Both of these, and "The Dawn Chorus" are available at http://festival.sundance.org/2007/watch/index.aspx.
In "Sophie" a woman asks her husband about his sexual past, even though she really can't face the answer. A young boy lies to his mother in "Pop Foul" to back up his father, only to find out that mom doesn't want to know the truth when he finally does fess up. Plane crash victims re-enact the aftermath in "The Dawn Chorus" because they can't stand the truth and are finally forced to grow-up - even the ones who were adults when the crash happened. Break-ins, burglar alarms and very smart children force the truth in "Windowbreaker." "Hard to Swallow" is the story of three couples dealing with alcohol, drugs and one man calling his girlfriend by the wrong name. "William," the story of four passengers in a cab, doesn't really fit the truth part of the theme as the growing up part.
As I said, I liked all three and "Windowbreaker" and "Sophie" were probably my favorites. Both of these, and "The Dawn Chorus" are available at http://festival.sundance.org/2007/watch/index.aspx.
21 January 2007
Sundance 2007: Ghosts
Sorry about the delay. I had a bit of internet disruption just before my 5 movies on Saturday. I saw this Friday evening at the Tower.
If you follow the news, you may remember just short of three years ago when a group of illegal Chinese immigrants in England were caught in a high tide while cockleing (an activity much like raking clams) during a storm - to avoid the racist locals. Most of the workers drowned. If you don’t remember, here’s the link to the initial article on the incident from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/3464203.stm
“Ghosts” is the story of one of the women who survived.
Ai Quin is a single mother who feels compelled to leave China so that she afford a better life for her son and herself. She hires a “snakehead” (much like the “coyote” people smugglers in North America) to smuggle her to the UK, the land journey across Asia and Europe takes 6 months and costs her $25,000. Once she arrives in England she finds herself working menial day jobs, ranging from onion picking to packaging meat, and living in a small house with 12 other people. 25% of her first paycheck goes to rent.
Nick Broomfield has made a touching human story out of this tragedy. It is a personal story as well as a parable on the global problems of illegal immigration. There is a brief sledgehammer moment at the end, but I can forgive that.
If you follow the news, you may remember just short of three years ago when a group of illegal Chinese immigrants in England were caught in a high tide while cockleing (an activity much like raking clams) during a storm - to avoid the racist locals. Most of the workers drowned. If you don’t remember, here’s the link to the initial article on the incident from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/3464203.stm
“Ghosts” is the story of one of the women who survived.
Ai Quin is a single mother who feels compelled to leave China so that she afford a better life for her son and herself. She hires a “snakehead” (much like the “coyote” people smugglers in North America) to smuggle her to the UK, the land journey across Asia and Europe takes 6 months and costs her $25,000. Once she arrives in England she finds herself working menial day jobs, ranging from onion picking to packaging meat, and living in a small house with 12 other people. 25% of her first paycheck goes to rent.
Nick Broomfield has made a touching human story out of this tragedy. It is a personal story as well as a parable on the global problems of illegal immigration. There is a brief sledgehammer moment at the end, but I can forgive that.
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