July 7, 2014
It is that time of year again when Japanese films are being shown in the Shangri-La Mall FOR FREE. This much-awaited annual event is the EIGA SAI. This year the theme is Family. Screenings will also be held in Davao City and Cebu City from July 25 to August 10.
Here are my review of three films in the festival that I have seen:
1. THE KIRISHIMA THING
(Kirishima, bukatsu yamerutteyo)
"The Kirishima Thing" comes well-recommended with its major 2013 Japan Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director among others. This the reason why I chose to watch it first among the festival entries.
Kirishima is the star volleyball player and most popular guy of a certain high school. One day he mysteriously just quit the team and disappeared. Understandably, his teammates in the volleyball team and his close friends Hiroki and girl friend Risa, are all greatly affected by his sudden absence. This film also follows all the other kids in school (such as the film nerd and the band saxophonist girl) and how Kirishima's disappearance also affected them indirectly.
It was interesting to see the interactions of the attractive young actors like Ai Hashimoto, Mizuki Yamamoto, Suzuka Ohgo and Masahiro Higashide, who were all very natural in their acting. However, there is hardly a coherent story line that the film follows. We know one student had a crush on another one, and there was a lot of staring and longing that did not lead anywhere. I cannot see a definite point of the film as a whole. It felt like just going on and on without a clear message that it wanted to convey. Maybe there is no message nor story, just a documentation of what happened and nothing more. 5/10.
2. WOLF CHILDREN
(Ookami kodomo no Ame to Yuki)
Hana meets a quiet loner in the university and they fall in love. He reveals that he is half-Wolf, but she accepts him anyway. They have two children together -- the spirited girl Yuki and the serious boy Ame. But as tragedy struck, Hana had overcome great odds to move to the remote countryside and raise their two kids by herself, just as they were both already showing their human-wolf duality.
The animation is really a thing of beauty with its fine lines and gentle details. The dialogues were very well-written and were delivered with much distinct personality by the voice actors. Mamoru Hosoda told his story of maternal sacrifice in a very slow and moving way, as only Japanese can do so well. It was able to establish an emotional connection with the audience from beginning to end. Watching this film is a beautiful and gratifying experience. 9/10.
3. LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
(Soshite chichi ni naru)
We have seen many films delve on the topic of babies being switched at birth. Most of these, the story would revolve around the fortune of the kids. For a change, "Like Father, Like Son" is about the parents, particularly the fathers.
Ryoko and Midori Nonomiya are a well-to-do couple who had a sweet 6-year old son, Keita. Yukari and Yudai Saiki are a lower middle-class couple with a spirited 6-year old son, Ryusei. One day, they get news that a nurse had switched their sons with each another one at the hospital. With that shocking revelation, both families undergo an emotional ordeal in deciding how to settle their big problem in the best possible way for everyone concerned.
Writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda decides to tell the story from the point of view of Ryoko, a driven man at work who was disappointed that his son Keita was not as competitive nor independent as he wanted. When he gets the chance to be father to Ryusei as well, Ryoko discovers that his concept of fatherhood might not be as ideal as he thought.
Koreeda sets the contrasting dichotomy a bit too sharply. The Nonomiya home is sedate, quiet, and darkly lit. The Saiki home is messy, noisy and brightly lit. Ryoko (Masaharu Fukuyama) is handsome and smartly- dressed, but he is serious and haughty. Yukari (Riri Furanki) is homely and shoddily-dressed, but he is cheerful and kind. Which kind of father do you think the boys will prefer?
The important message of this film will definitely resonate with all fathers who watch this film. Fathers will reflect on their own parenting style and on what kind of father he had been. This film deserves all the praise heaped upon it. It is about time fatherhood is discussed very well in a film. 8/10.
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The schedules of the films to be shown in Manila, Davao and Cebu are detailed HERE.
July 6, 2014
The story of "The Rover" is set in Australia, ten years after a cataclysmic event they call "The Collapse." Eric is a farmer whose car gets stolen by three hoodlums. For some mysterious reason only he knows, he is hellbent in getting his car back from them at all costs. In his quest, Eric meets Ray, the injured younger brother of one of the thieves. He helps Ray get medical help and later brings him along with him on his grim road trip in search of his precious car.
Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson had been thoroughly immersed for their roles as Erik and Ray, respectively. They both looked like they have not taken a shower for a month, disheveled and smelly, with flies flying around them. Pearce plays a strong silent type of man, so he relies on his expressive face to deliver his message, and he does so effectively. Pattinson is so far removed from his Edward Cullen persona. He is riveting as the simpleton Ray, and he is completely transformed with his character's little tics and mannerisms.
It was practically a silent film written and directed by David Michôd. There was hardly any dialogue. If there was, it would be in a slurred garbled heavy Australian accent which you can hardly understand. The dialogue is not really essential in this film as well as the actions speak louder than words. However, you can pick up some quotable quotes along the way. A particularly haunting line for me is "You should not forget about a life you have taken away. It is the price you pay for taking it."
The musical soundtrack is as strange and quirky as the story. Hearing Robert Pattinson singing along to Keri Hilson's "Pretty Girl Rock", with those catchy lyrics "Don't hate me 'coz I'm beautiful" is probably the only moment of pure ironic humor in the whole film. The stark photography of the bleak Australian outback is very much complementary to the spirit of the film, as well as the perfectly chaotic production design.
"The Rover" is not an easy film to sit through. It is dusty and dirty throughout its one hour and forty minute running time. It is relentlessly bleak and graphically violent. This is definitely not mainstream stuff, but for serious art film lovers, there is a lot of artistic aspects that can be appreciated. 6/10.
July 5, 2014
Carl Casper is a passionate chef at a fancy restaurant, but a failure as a family man. An unceremonious altercation with an online food critic was a cruel twist in Carl's fate. Fortunately, he gets an opportunity which could reestablish his career, as well get his family back together again. Will Carl be able to make the most out of his second chance at success?
Writer-Director Jon Favreau also stars in the lead role, and he was able to portray the gruff Carl with a big heart and that makes us root for him. The jokes were not exactly laugh-out-loud funny, but were at least delightful. This humor is basically because of Favreau's great chemistry with John Leguizamo, who played Martin, Carl's assistant chef. Leguizamo brings an infectious energy to his role, making it more memorable than it was on paper. Young Emjay Anthony plays Carl's sensitive son Percy with unusual maturity for a boy his age.
A look at the poster will show that there are many big name stars in this film. However, they were in much smaller roles, probably just lending their star power to bolster this film's chances at the box office. Sofia Vergara plays Inez, Carl's estranged wife. Robert Downey Jr. plays Marvin, a rich eccentric Miami businessman, who used to be married to Inez. Dustin Hoffman plays the owner of the restaurant for whom Carl cooked for the past ten years. Scarlett Johansson plays Molly, the bistro hostess whom Carl fancies. Oliver Platt plays the vicious food critic Ramsey Michel whom Carl hates.
I must say though that all those lovingly-shot close-ups of food preparation were so beautiful. They were the best scenes in this film. Seeing those tender barbecued slabs of meat and those tasty Cubano sandwiches made my mouth water. Foodies will love this film. Music, particularly energetic Cuban beats, was also a prominent feature of this film, though those long concert scenes could have been shortened. The road trip from Miami to New Orleans to Austin en route to LA looked like a lot of fun. The influence of Twitter is also well-demonstrated here, almost too well. It felt like watching an advertisement for that social networking site.
We get the sense that Favreau wanted to send a message to the critics of his previous films, probably the Iron Man franchise. He was apparently saying that he was not in complete artistic control in those films and the harsh words of the critics hurt him. This film was his special way of starting over by getting back to his indie film roots.
If not for its generous sprinkling of bad language, "Chef" could honestly have been a Disney Original Movie for TV. This was supposed to be light and fluffy family fare, but I thought that it was tad overdone in terms of its two-hour running time. But as a whole, the meal Favreau prepared for us in "Chef" was sweet and familiar, with just a hint of spice. It was warm-hearted and made with positive intentions, so it will be a pleasant viewing experience for most audiences. 7/10.
July 3, 2014
In a seedy New York apartment, a family is terrorized by strange noises from their basement. In the Bronx Zoo, a woman throws her baby into the lions enclosure. Ralph Sarchie is the policeman who was investigating this series of peculiar phenomena. A renegade priest involved with one of the victims, Fr. Mendoza, suggests that these events show signs of "primary evil," but Sarchie cannot accept this supernatural explanation. One day, Sarchie's own wife and daughter mysteriously disappear. Despite his resistance, he had to join forces with the priest in order to try and exorcise the demon before it is too late to save his family.
The cool and gritty cop Sarchie is played very well by Eric Bana. You sense his inner conflicts as he struggles to balance his professional life with his own domestic problems. It is very good to see Bana again in a meaty role of an ex-Catholic cop with family issues, a "radar" for the bizarre and a violent past. I have not seen him in a remarkable lead performance since his excellent turns in "Troy" and "Munich".
The acting of the rest of the cast is generally solid. Edgar Ramirez was mostly effective as the thoroughly hip Fr. Ramirez, and he has good chemistry with Bana. Joel McHale spins some welcome humor as he plays Sarchie's wise-cracking partner Butler. Sean Harris, who plays the sinister-looking house painter Santino involved in these strange events, was aided by gruesome prosthetics in his performance. Olivia Munn does well in her dramatic scenes as Sarchie's neglected wife. Lulu Wilson, the child actress who played their daughter Christina, can get annoying.
The scares here were mainly because of the disturbing and gory images of death it shows in many scenes. There are some effective scares which will make you jump from your seat, particularly with animals. The film approaches two hours in length and does lose some steam in the middle somewhat. There are even instances during the climactic battle itself that went on a bit too long, with Eric Bana only on the sidelines.
Director and co-writer Scott Derrickson had been more successful with his previous horror films like "Sinister" and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". Because "Deliver" uses a lot of disgusting imagery, I can feel a heavy influence of the 1995 David Fincher film starring Brad Pitt of similar style, "Se7en". The soundtrack uses a lot of classic rock riffs to create an eerie atmosphere, making me recall the 1998 Gregory Hoblit film "Fallen" with Denzel Washington. Overall though, despite its meandering storytelling, I still believe "Deliver Us From Evil" is a good enough horror thriller in its own right. 6/10.
June 26, 2014
Director Michael Bay sets "Transformers: Age of Extinction", the fourth installment of the Transformers film franchise, further into the future after the Battle of Chicago from the last film. At this time, man is waging a war against all alien robots, including our friendly Autobots. In fact, all the Autobots have been destroyed except for five: the ever-dependable Bumblebee, the green paratrooper Crosshairs, the cigar-chomping and bearded Hound, the blue samurai-like Drift, and of course, everybody's all-time favorite, Optimus Prime.
For the human characters, gone are the Witwickys and enter the Yeagers. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is an down-on-his-luck engineer and frustrated inventor of household robots. He has a pretty (and irritatingly petty) 17-year old daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), whom he guards like a hawk. But of course, she has a secret boyfriend Shane (Jack Raynor), who was a racecar driver.
When Cade bought a rundown trailer truck for $150 to fix up, little did he know that he was buying the damaged Optimus Prime himself, putting him and his family right in the path of the government people, led by the double-dealing Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammar). Attinger seeks to destroy all Transformers for good, but has ironically connived with the ruthless mercenary robot Lockdown to do the job.
The action brings the Yeagers and the Autobots from Texas to Beijing then Hong Kong, battling not only human soldiers, but also fantastic new robots created by the arrogant Joshua Joyce (Stanley Tucci) and his company. These were made from a new programmable element called "Transformium" obtained from remnants of destroyed Transformers including Megatron, whose evil "spirit" has somehow entered the new leader robot Galvatron.
You can see from the lengthy synopsis that there are many new characters, both human and robot, that go in and out of this story. It can get difficult to remember and follow all of them. The film makers themselves seemed to have difficulty taking inventory of all the characters at the end. I have not even mentioned the robot T- Rex Grimlock and the other Dinobots, which also make their spectacular debut in this film.
The film runs more than two hours and a half. The story telling is very uneven, with a pace that was off-putting and even strangely boring at times. The introductory scenes at the Yaeger farm went on for so long. The lines were generally corny clichés with lame humor or sappy sentiment, like before. There were a lot of blatant product placement ads, most memorably Bud Light. Only when the Transformers come out and actually fight with explosive flair does the movie truly come alive.
The film is generally entertaining with lavish special visual and sound effects, done Michael Bay style. The Transformers remain to be awesome robots which transform into the sleekest models of cars and trucks. It was fun to see OP act like Voltes V and fight with a sword and see Grimlock breathe fire. There are some very exciting car chase scenes and martial arts fight scenes (of course, they were in China!) for the human characters as well, not that they were all that necessary for the story. Stanley Tucci steals his scenes in his humorous take on an annoying character.
However, "Age of Extinction" simply tried to stuff in too much that it already felt bloated and tedious at several points. Even with all his physical ability, Mark Wahlberg did not seem to be a right fit to be the main human protagonist of this franchise. I can't believe I am saying this, but I think I actually enjoyed the messy Shia Lebeouf films more than I did this one. 6/10.
June 6, 2014
Paul Haggis is best known as the director of the movie "Crash", which was the controversial winner of the Oscar for Best Picture in 2006 over its closest rival "Brokeback Mountain." Haggis is also the first screenwriter to win Oscars for Writing for two consecutive years, "Million Dollar Baby" in 2005 and "Crash" in 2006. It was the name of Paul Haggis that drew me to check out "Third Person" without knowing anything else about it.
Like "Crash", "Third Person" is also a film with multiple interlocking story lines. I have liked movies like this since I have seen "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams." I have admired how the scriptwriters of these films managed to clearly tell three or four separate stories and then connect them to each other with an overarching bigger story.
In Paris, Michael (Liam Neeson), an aging Pulitzer-prize winning author who left his wife Elaine (Kim Basinger), is having an affair with a much younger aspiring writer Anna (Olivia Wilde). In Rome, Scott (Adrien Brody), an American businessman, gets entangled with the shady financial problems of a gypsy-like local lady Monika (Moran Atias). In New York, Julia (Mila Kunis), a poor divorcée, lost custody of her young son to her estranged husband Rick (James Franco) because of an unfortunate accident with a plastic laundry bag.
It was good to see Liam Neeson again in a straight drama, not in another action vehicle that he is wont to do lately. Olivia Wilde is daring, gorgeous and smart, the perfect femme fatale. Mila Kunis stands out in a very serious dramatic role. Her brutally-emotional confrontation scene with James Franco was amazingly acted out. Casting Ermenegildo Zegna model Adrien Brody as a man who rips off designer clothing is humorously ironic.
The underlying issue and conflict in all three stories was about trust. Anna's bizarre behavior is driving Michael nuts about her loyalty. On the other hand, Michael is using their stormy relationship as the subject of his book seemingly without Anna's consent. Monika's connection with a sleazy extortionist has Scott doubting her innocence. Rick cannot trust Julia anymore with even basic visitation rights to their son.
Even when the stories were set in three different cities, you occasionally see the characters and things tangentially intersecting, adding mystery and confusion. At the two hour mark, the three stories seem to be slowly losing their steam and getting nowhere without any detectable connection to each other.
However, just as I was losing hope as to this film's ability to end properly, suddenly a most surprising development comes up that actually manages to solidify the three disparate segments of this film into a single coherent whole. Paul Haggis has done it again to weave his magic with this inventive type of film story telling. 7/10.
June 20, 2014
"21 Jump Street" was a pleasant surprise when it was released two years ago. Instead of the lame comedy rip-off of a classic 80s TV series that it was expected to be, it turned out to be a rip-roaring action comedy delight. The comedic chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum was sizzling and carried the film through its absurd premise of adult cops undercover as high school students.
In this sequel "22 Jump Street", Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) were sent undercover to college this time with the mission of uncovering the truth about the death of a coed involved with a new party drug called "Whyphy".
As the investigation of the case got underway, Jenko meets a kindred spirit in Zook (Wyatt Russell), a frat jock who thought and acted exactly like Jenko did. Even as Schmidt hooks up with a pretty art major named Maya (Amber Stevens), he is majorly distressed that Jenko is getting more and more into his fraternity bros and his football and was steadily drifting away from their partnership.
Action peaks in a wild spring break party on the beach where the "Whyphy" gang threatens to spread the drug big time to more college students. Schimdt and Jenko have to get their acts together in time to prevent that from happening and apprehend the drug fiends.
Again as with the first film, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum throw all shame to the wind and go all out in going for the laughs. Their chemistry together works as well now as it worked back then. The uncomfortably squirmy scene where Schmidt and Jenko are in session with a shrink is particularly hilarious.
Hill acts as he usually acts as the dorky misfit. He really can't go wrong with that funny face of his. He has a natural talent for physical comedy. But it was Tatum who steps up more in this sequel as he fearlessly makes fun of his "him-bo" image. Tatum's athletic skills are also highlighted in many exciting scenes. Ice Cube steals his scenes as their ill-tempered foul- mouthed boss, Captain Dickon. He would even figure in what I thought was the most jaw-droppingly awkward and outright laugh-out-loud moment of the film.
The humor of this film is very shallow and can even be offensive for some people, but truth to tell, it is really very funny. If you don't mind the mile-a-minute profanity-laden script with heavy sexual or drug- themes, you will be laughing from start to finish with the misfortunes and misadventures of Schmidt and Jenko. The laughs carry on all the way up to the closing credits where they mock their own possible future sequels in a montage that is a must-see in itself. 8/10.
June 19, 2014
In 2011, an Indonesian film called "The Raid: Redemption" was released. In that, a group of elite policemen, including rookie Rama, conducts a raid on this dilapidated apartment building in Jakarta to apprehend a notorious crime lord. This film shocked the action film fans with its audacity for unbridled violence, and they erupted in unanimous praise. Its director Gareth Evans was already being hailed as a genius, with his innovative and realistic fight scenes, which did not let up on the gore.
This sequel is called "The Raid 2: Berandal." While the first film was over in a quick hour and a half, this second one was an hour longer in its running time. Compared to the first where the flimsy story seemed just a mere excuse for all the action scenes to take place, this sequel takes its time to tell a more substantial story of police corruption within rival criminal gangs. But similar to its predecessor, the fight action, violence and gore did not let up, from the very first frame up to the explosive finale.
Rama is back, recruited to penetrate a bigtime local gang undercover to investigate policemen under its payroll. by gaining the trust of Uco, the son of the kingpin, Bangun. Uco is impatient to gain a bigger role in their organization, so he associates himself with a rival gangster, Bejo, to rile up conflict against another rival Japanese gang. As these criminals work under a constant cloud of mistrust and Uco's plans implode, Rama has to fight to free himself out of the violent web spun around him.
From the gun and knife fights we saw from the first film, this second film ups the ante even more. There are supporting killers who use the most outlandish weapons, like hammers, a baseball bat and scythes. There are big fight scenes in the very confined spaces such as a sedan or a train car, as there were in the streets of Jakarta and in a prison yard. Blood is generously splattering or flowing as usual, purposely made to contrast with the pale brown mud or a white kitchen floor.
The lead star Iko Uwais is as awesome a martial arts action star as he was in the first film as Rama. He was really put through the wringer in both films with all of the punishing superhuman routines he was made to do. He definitely pulls all of these exhilarating scenes off spectacularly with his impressive fighting skills.
As the main antagonist, Arifin Putra does very well also. He was very cool there in that scene where Uco was slicing necks like it was nothing. His striking half-Caucasian features enhances his viciousness. Tio Pakusodewo was very good as Uco's father and gang leader Bangun. That scene where father and son were arguing about Uco's dishonorable behavior was very well acted out by both actors.
One of the most memorably long fight scenes in the first film was that of Rama with a character named Mad Dog, played by Yayan Ruhian. In this sequel, Yayan again makes an appearance as another marked character Prakoso, a Bangun loyalist who was set up to be killed by Japanese gangsters. Again, Yayan's mixed martial arts skills were in full display.
"The Raid 2" is a very worthy sequel to an excellent first film. Conservatives might not approve of the brazen display of realistic violence, but hardcore action film fans will cheer for sure. Admittedly, a two- and-a-half hour film is not always easy to follow, but in this one, your adrenaline will be kept pumping by the relentless action scenes. A third episode is already in the works and so much anticipation is already brewing for that one. 8/10.
June 13, 2014
Adam Sandler has been in a lot of film disasters of late like "Jack and Jill" and "Grown-Ups 2". He desperately needs a good one to recover lost ground. Reuniting with Drew Barrymore, his co-star in two of his biggest and most beloved hits of his career, "The Wedding Singer" and "50 First Dates," is a great idea.
Sandler plays Jim, a widow with three girls. Barrymore plays Lauren, a divorcée with two boys. After a disastrous blind date in Hooters, by some contrived plot manipulation, Jim and Lauren and all their kids were forced by circumstances to spend time together on a luxurious South African resort vacation!
Of course, as most rom-coms go, after bonding over the ostrich rides, the jungle safari, the jeep para-gliding and couples massage, these two mortal enemies get to know each other and their kids more and more. Will they eventually fall in love and live happily ever after? What do you think?
Adam Sandler seems to be the same guy in all of his films, only he is much older now. He still has that signature lazy smart-ass vibe his loyal fans love. This is benign stuff for him, not as memorable as his breakthrough parts in Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore.
I confess I am a sucker for the charms of Drew Barrymore in most of her films. Here, she maintains her classy beauty and genuine kind-hearted image even as she goes for the laughs. She is the perfect foil to Sandler's crassness. My favorite Drew moment in this film is that scene where she sings a lullaby for the kids.
The five kids, who have distinct problems of their own borne out growing up with a single parent of the opposite gender, mostly do well without being too annoying. Standing out among the kids is Bella Thorne, who plays Jim's eldest daughter Hilary, who often gets mistaken for a boy because of her pageboy haircut and basketball skills.
The supporting actors share in the glow of the Sandler-Barrymore charisma, as stereotypically corny as their characters were. Jessica Lowe delightfully plays a kooky blonde bombshell who is the second wife of a much older man. Zak Henry manages to be funny as an Edward Cullen clone. It was fun to see Shaquille O'Neal again as Jim's co-worker at the sports store. Muscle-bound Terry Crews steals scenes as the sleazy lead singer of a Greek Chorus of sorts at the African resort.
Overall, this film gets by mainly by the comedic chemistry between Sandler and Barrymore. The jokes may not really be so original or smashing. Somehow though, we still smile and chuckle because they are the ones delivering those jokes together. Though "Blended" does not exactly match their first two films together, but this is definitely a major step-up from Sandler's last two lame outputs, mostly thanks to Barrymore. 7/10.
June 13, 2014
The Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Alliance Française de Manille, and Institut Français hold the 19th French Film Festival from June 10 to 15, 2014 at the Greenbelt 3 cinemas in Makati City. Unlike the previous years though when admission was free, this year they are charging P100 per screening.
The opening film of this year’s festival is “20 ans d’écart” (“It Boy”). Others in the lineup are “La Vénus à la fourrure” (“Venus in Fur”), “Mon âme par toi guérie” (“One of a Kind”), “Une autre vie” (“Lovers”), “Amour et turbulences” (“Love is in the Air”), “Les beaux jours” (“Bright Days Ahead”), “L’Écume des jours” (“Mood Indigo”), “Quai d’Orsay,” and “Situation amoureuse : C’est compliqué” (“Relationship Status : It’s Complicated”).
Here are my personal reviews of three of these films that I have seen:
1) La Vénus à la fourrure (Venus in Fur)
"Venus in Fur" is one mesmerizing film, the latest by controversial director Roman Polanski. This is despite having only one setting -- an old Parisian theater on one stormy night. Furthermore, it has only a cast of two -- Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric. There is something so vital about their one hour and a half long conversation that that is simply compelling.
Amalric plays Thomas, a stage director conducting an audition for lead actress for his play entitled "Venus in Fur." Seigner plays Vanda, an down-on-her-luck actress who arrived very late for the auditions. Vanda convinces Thomas to still give her a chance to audition. Thomas will soon discover that he will get more than what he bargained for.
Amalric and Seigner worked very well together with an electric chemistry and erotic tension that transcends language barriers and subtitles. I would have imagined a younger actress to play Vanda, but I must admit that the 48-year old Seigner still manages to be as sexy and seductive as Vanda should be. Amalric's character was captivated by her allure, and so will you. Of course, director Polanski will not make his wife look bad.
This film is based on a play by David Ives, and this was obvious in the way the dialog of the characters went. It was fascinating, and at times confusing, how their conversations moved from within the play's script into reality seamlessly. For people who love the theater, this film that will grab them from the get go all the way to its unpredictable climax. 6/10
2) Quai d’Orsay (The French Minister)
Arthur Vlaminck is a fresh graduate from a noted university is hired to be a speech writer for the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandre Taillard de Worms. Arthur would soon discover that his new boss is vainly self-centered and overly meticulous. Despite saying he wants a speech which is direct to the point, he has a speaking style that tends to be pretentious and rife with quotes from classic political texts.
The script brings us in the thick of the daily goings-on in the French foreign ministry, as the busy bureaucrats address this and that conflict. While the superpowers, US, Germany and France, are mentioned by name, the smaller countries they have issues with are hidden under fictitious names, like Ludemistan or Ubanga. There are generous references to NATO and the UN.
The elegant egoistic Minister Taillard is very well-portrayed by Thierry Lhermitte. He knows his character very well and the subtle style of comedy the role demanded. You will feel sorry and root for the harassed and toxic Arthur Vlamnick as played by Raphaël Personnaz as he not only deals with his difficult boss, but all the other big egos in the staff as well. Nils Arestrup provides that balancing force as he calmly plays the efficient Chief of Staff Claude Maupas.
From the start, you already get that this is written as a political satire as you witness Taillard address pressing issues with his strange idiosyncrasies -- how he orders a rewrite without even reading the draft, how he makes papers fly around by merely entering the room, or how he wildly wields his neon highlighter as he goes through his readings. This pattern unfortunately tends to be repetitive and will lose steam as the film progresses. 5/10
3) L’Écume des jours (Mood Indigo)
The basic story seems simple enough. Boy lives a charmed magical life with his outlandish inventions and talented friends. Boy meets the girl of his dreams and marries her right away. Girl falls ill with a mysterious ailment, and boy does everything in order to save her.
In the hands of noted French director Michel Gondry however, this tale is taken to surreal directions, fantastic and absurd. It was obviously going to be an art film from the get-go with the out-of-this-world imagery that gets weirder and weirder as the mood of the film turns from happy to somber. There were some very disturbing images of blood and gore, which felt misplaced in this film whose general mood was romance.
Audrey Tautou is of course a familiar name, playing the ill-fated Chloe. This role is somewhat reminiscent of her past roles. Romain Duris plays Colin rather unevenly, as you cannot really read his true personality of his character. Omar Sy, who was recently seen in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" plays Colin's faithful valet/friend with the flair for preparing fancy food, and dancing with his rubbery legs to blues music.
This will not be an easy watch for mainstream movie audiences. This is strictly for the art-house crowd. I read that this film was based on a beloved 1947 French novel by Boris Vian, and fans of the book liked how this film brought their favorite story to life. However, for those unfamiliar with the book, this film with its two hours plus running time will be unbearably slow and bizarre. 3/10.
June 12, 2014
Writer and director Darren Aronofsky gives us his own interpretation of the familiar Biblical tale of Noah and his Ark. Whatever underlying message he has behind this very odd and unconventional version, I confess I can only guess at, and I do not like my interpretation of what Aronofsky is trying to say. I think his artistic imagination went too far for a story that many people have a definite idea for since childhood.
There was Noah (Russell Crowe), his wife (Jennifer Connely) and his three sons Shem (Douglas Booth), Ham (Logan Lerman) and Japheth. There was an ark and a flood. That is what they show in the trailer, which indeed looked good. But when you see the actual film, you realize that those trailer scenes are all that what this film has got in common with the Bible. Everything else that stretched this film to more than two hours is all from the dark imagination of Darren Aronofsky.
There were scenes of supernatural magic, but not from God. They were care of their miraculous grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) who can cause an entire barren valley to become a lush forest with a river all from one single seed. He can also cause a barren woman to again have the capacity to bear children, with his mere touch. But that is not the oddest thing about this film.
My vote for the most absurd idea and imagery would have to be those robotic giants made of stone called The Watchers, who move and sound like the Transformers. They were supposed to be the fallen angels, whose only "sin" was wanting to help man. They were the ones who help Noah build his ark. This idea is heretical to the core. But even without going into religious beliefs, their presence in this type of film is ridiculous.
I do not get the look and costumes that Noah and the other characters were made to sport. There is a dystopian futuristic vibe going on that is hard to take, since this is supposed to be about the ancient past. Particularly with the villain character Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) you certainly feel that he lost his way into this film from the set of "Mad Max" or "Waterworld" with his leather duds and hairstyle.
The cast of actors looked excellent on paper, but unfortunately, they were all overacting to the hilt here. Russell Crowe portrayed Noah with his signature grit and passion. However, his Noah felt like a mad man, even giving off a psychotic killer vibe in parts. A role was created to accommodate Emma Watson as Shem's wife who will test Noah's will in the end, but she was made to act so whiny and annoying. Jennifer Connely and Anthony Hopkins do not seem to bring anything outstanding to their performances. Logan Lerman at least manages to give us something interesting with his rebellious middle-child character.
The single part of the film I really liked was when Noah told the story of Creation. The montage of imagery Aronofsky conjured up was magical. It evokes memories of Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" imagery, but more accessible. Only for that inspired sequence alone do I award this film another star.
As a whole, I did not like this movie. If the intention was being artistic, it did not feel like a good art film. If you think too much into the nebulous references within the story, you may get the feeling that this film is sending negative messages about the Creator. It is too long, boring and pretentious for most movie audiences. Watch at your own risk. 2/10.
