genre exercise; b-movie language
alignment: from artist who puts aborted fetuses in his sculptures to savior of abused children to mass murder to abused child to... priest?
nihilism; no child wants to be born to this world
the forbidden door...
05 March 2012
04 March 2012
Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo García, 2011)
Glenn Close clearly wanted a 'crowing achievement' (what various critics have called her performance in the film) at this point in her career after meddling mostly with TV the last couple of years. She is not only the title character of the film, Albert Nobbs, but she produced and co-wrote it as well. Clearly a star vehicle for herself. What better to way to make sure everyone notices her performance than to play a part where she will be dressed as a man for the entirety of the film (except one scene). You can already hear the critics of the future saying, "what a bold choice to play such an unappealing character! Instead of some sexualized woman or respected elder she decided to portray a man, knowing she would look so unappealing!" etc etc. Her performance seems to be the only thing that people are talking about this film, which is no surprise since the film itself has absolutely no merit: it has no visual style or coherence, it is completely un-engaging and by the end seems completely pointless. And if we actually look at Glenn Close's performance it is quite an awkward performance, and not a very great one. While she certainly does look like a man (the make-up was good), she doesn't portray one well at all. Her performance is just not believable and seems incredibly stiff. While the awkwardness might be one of Nobbs' character traits, it was the way they were portrayed that were problematic. Actually, the only enjoyable scenes in the film were those when the acting was so awkward that it became humorous. Mia Wasikowska's performance is also terrible; completely unbelievable; I enjoyed Jane Eyre, this just wasn't the role for her, or anyone.
DANGEROUS GAME
One of the best American films of the 1990s for $4.99 (members get an extra 10% off)! Abel Ferrara's masterpiece; the find of the year while browsing at B&N the other day.
03 March 2012
02 March 2012
Tropical Fish (Chen Yu-hsun, 1995)
part of my 2012 MUBI World Cup coverage
An incredibly odd, charming and funny film. Words that wouldn't necessarily come to mind when thinking of a film about child kidnapping. A young boy who dreams of escaping his uneventful school-based life ends up having to do just that when he gets kidnapped. The interactions between the boy and his kidnappers reveal, especially by the end, that the whole time the boy, even while being kidnapped, was better off than his kidnappers. The satire doesn't end there, continuing onto the failures of the schooling system and its ridiculous testing principles, as well as the ineptitude and constant failure of the police. It's also interesting that the only real villain in the film, the original kidnapper and pedophile, was an ex-cop and someone's boss (exploiter). The film also didn't shy away from surreal aspects: the grandmother spouting anything from incomprehensible sayings to sudden revelations, the song and caricature world that the film morphs into:
the tropical fish mysteriously found after a flood to the most obvious, massive tropical fish at the end:
Something else that comes off as surreal is the normality that kidnapping is treated with. Something that had to happen for Ah-Jiang to get the preparation and 'reality-call' that he needed; for the family to come together, etc. Something else worth noting was the ending. The film ended very ambiguously. We don't learn if the boy passed his exam, the outcome of the kidnappers. We are left to wonder, does it even matter? It seems that Ah-Jiang has learned more through his experience than he would ever from studying for the test or his trials and tribulations afterwards.
Some more screenshots:
01 March 2012
Thanks Marty
For all my reservations about Hugo and all the awards it won I must say that I couldn't be happier about seeing that one of the local video stores in town is now carrying the Georges Méliès: First Wizard of Cinema: 1896-1913 box-set. The fact that Marty has been able to re-interest people in cinema that is over a decade old is quite the feat. And about Hugo, the local arthouse Ciné is now showing it in 2D 35mm, which I plan on going to soon in order to re-evaluate the film, especially since my main nreservation about the film was the 3D technology.
The Clay Bird (Tareque Masud, 2002)
part of my 2012 MUBI World Cup coverage
Compelling film that shows the contradictions of a completely singular vision (religious or otherwise). It displays Islam and religion in general in a compelling way. While not completely dismissing it, it definitely portrays religion as having an important yet sometimes dangerous role on people's lives. The film follows Anu's (Nurul Islam Bablu) family in a tumultuous time during Bangladesh's fight for independence. We get to see this world through Anu's innocent eyes: the incredibly strict school he gets sent to (but he also makes a friend and finds some escapism with him there), his father becoming more influenced by religion (driven mad by the end), his sister's death, the war. Ultimately, the film seems to claim that situations should be handled independently and that no one dogma can answer all the Universe's questions, fears or conflicts.
Compelling film that shows the contradictions of a completely singular vision (religious or otherwise). It displays Islam and religion in general in a compelling way. While not completely dismissing it, it definitely portrays religion as having an important yet sometimes dangerous role on people's lives. The film follows Anu's (Nurul Islam Bablu) family in a tumultuous time during Bangladesh's fight for independence. We get to see this world through Anu's innocent eyes: the incredibly strict school he gets sent to (but he also makes a friend and finds some escapism with him there), his father becoming more influenced by religion (driven mad by the end), his sister's death, the war. Ultimately, the film seems to claim that situations should be handled independently and that no one dogma can answer all the Universe's questions, fears or conflicts.
Masud also employs a certain visual flair that heightens the richness of both culture's as well as Bangladesh's natural beauty. There's also a certain brilliance to the acting. As I watched the film it seemed to be one of the aspects that stood out the most. A classical type acting.
Some excerpts from a Le monde interview:
Le Monde: Through all its contrasting impressions, an image emerges of a country which is culturally very rich.
TM: Bangladesh is a complex country. This reality has nothing to do with its image abroad, of a poor country of famine, flood and fundamentalism. I wanted to convey my own image of my country, that of a moderate Muslim Bangladesh, and to bring out its social, cultural, and political diversity… I wanted to show the diversity of my country in all its contradictions-for me this is the best approach, not only because it is more credible, but also because it is more beautiful.
Le Monde: A beauty which also takes much inspiration from Islam.
TM: For us, Islam is rooted in our own soil, it has evolved and adapted to our own traditions, including Hinduism. It has thus become our own form of Islam, a popular Islam. This is expressed through the ‘bahas’ songs that we hear in the film. These mystical songs are still very popular, and serve to transmit much of our knowledge and heritage. They are a means of meditation and prayer.
Le Monde: However, as we see with Anu’s father, many Muslims condemn these practices…
TM: In the strict sense of the Shariah, songs are considered profane. But this is only from an oversimplified reading of the Koran and Hadith. It doesn’t take account of the different interpretations and debates that have always been an essential part of our religion. Unfortunately, this aspect is often overlooked. For the rest of the world, the image of Islam tends to be dominated by its extremist and intolerant currents. However, our religion is founded on principles of dialogue. This is what I wanted to show in my film. I have a deep respect for the Islamic faith, and I hope this film will help my fellow Muslims. It evokes the core of our religion, a religion of reflection and personal interpretation. This is what is known in Sufism as “individual reasoning”.
Some excerpts from a Le monde interview:
Le Monde: Through all its contrasting impressions, an image emerges of a country which is culturally very rich.
TM: Bangladesh is a complex country. This reality has nothing to do with its image abroad, of a poor country of famine, flood and fundamentalism. I wanted to convey my own image of my country, that of a moderate Muslim Bangladesh, and to bring out its social, cultural, and political diversity… I wanted to show the diversity of my country in all its contradictions-for me this is the best approach, not only because it is more credible, but also because it is more beautiful.
Le Monde: A beauty which also takes much inspiration from Islam.
TM: For us, Islam is rooted in our own soil, it has evolved and adapted to our own traditions, including Hinduism. It has thus become our own form of Islam, a popular Islam. This is expressed through the ‘bahas’ songs that we hear in the film. These mystical songs are still very popular, and serve to transmit much of our knowledge and heritage. They are a means of meditation and prayer.
Le Monde: However, as we see with Anu’s father, many Muslims condemn these practices…
TM: In the strict sense of the Shariah, songs are considered profane. But this is only from an oversimplified reading of the Koran and Hadith. It doesn’t take account of the different interpretations and debates that have always been an essential part of our religion. Unfortunately, this aspect is often overlooked. For the rest of the world, the image of Islam tends to be dominated by its extremist and intolerant currents. However, our religion is founded on principles of dialogue. This is what I wanted to show in my film. I have a deep respect for the Islamic faith, and I hope this film will help my fellow Muslims. It evokes the core of our religion, a religion of reflection and personal interpretation. This is what is known in Sufism as “individual reasoning”.
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