OK I still have two movies again, but I don't know when I'll next get net access so I'll post my round-up now. I'm only making it to 12 movies this year - yeah I know, piker. If you want a more complete round-up try Svend.
Retribution
Kiyoshi Kurusawa's low-key ghost story is a sharp character study with some great scares. A police officer investigating a murder finds evidence that seems to implicate himself in the crime. To say much more than that would be to spoil it, but this is an excellent movie that demands close attention. Critics who complained that it doesn't make sense are wrong; this movie makes perfect sense if you watch closely. I suspect that audience's abilities to watch mysteries is being atrophied by Hollywood's continual dumbing-down; people who still read books for grown-ups should do OK though.
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
If you love Leonard Cohen (as I do) this filmed tribute concert combined with interviews should delight you. If you don't, you might react like the teenagers in front of me who giggled and mocked and then walked out after less than 20 minutes.
Away From Her
Sarah Polley's writing/directing feature debut, about a couple in their '60s dealing with early onset Alzheimer's, is the most conventionally excellent movie I saw in the Festival so far. Julie Christie is superb as the woman slowly losing her mental facilities, and Gordon Pinsent matches her as the distraught husband. Sensitive and moving without ever lapsing into tear-jerker cliche, it bodes well for Polley's career behind the camera.
Paprika
The latest movie from Satoshi Kon, writer/director or Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and Paranoia Agent, is very much in the vein of his first two movies: a mind-fuck fantasy vs. reality story involving a young woman with dual identities. This time it's about a machine that allows therapists to enter their patents' dreams, and what happens when someone starts abusing this power. I enjoyed it a lot, but not quite as much as the first two; it's just a little too similar structurally.
The King of Marvin Gardens
This early '70s movie starring Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern & Ellen Burstyn was disappointing when I saw it but had a lingering power the more I thought about it. Not the neglected classic it was touted as, but worthwhile.
Taxidermia
One of the most disgusting movies I've ever seen - and I actively seek them out - this was amusing but slight despite its extreme subject matter. Blood, buckets of vomit, the real butchering of a real pig, child molesting, bestiality, lots of foul things I won't reveal, and a general gross tone are all played for laughs. It's the story of 3 generations of a Hungarian family, and I thought it might have been funnier if I'd grown up in an Eastern European country as it's clearly satirizing Communist Europe.
The Secret Life of Words
Stepping back in front of the camera, Sarah Polley is superb as a young deaf & withdrawn factory worker who, instead of taking a holiday, becomes a nurse for a burns victim on an oil rig (Tim Robbins). This movie - which has been unforgivably spoiled by some reviews - is largely about what is not said and what is not revealed until specific moments. All the actors are great (including Julie Christie again in a small role) but Tim Robbins in particular has never been better. Deeply felt, honest, and oh so real, this is the movie I would most highly recommend that I've seen in the Festival.
Inland Empire
David Lynch's endlessly fascinating 3-hour abstract epic may already be my favourite of his movies. People who complained about having trouble following Mulholland Dr. are going to really hate this movie, which is rich in depth and meaning as well as being technically superb, but which has absolutely no coherent story. Lynch's strangest by far - people are going to really hate this movie - but in a lot of ways it's the one I've been waiting for from him. As always with Lynch the whole cast is superb - he's a master at getting great performances - but Laura Dern deserves special attention as she's the main thing holding it together. She was robbed at Oscar time. Others might shout "The Emperor Has No Clothes!" but fuck 'em.
Death Note 1 + 2
This two-part Japanese story, based on a manga that has also been adapted into anime, is an outrageously entertaining crowd-pleaser that held a packed theatre in thrall for four and a half hours. The story concerns a notebook that causes the death of anyone whose name is written into it, and it plays out as master detective vs. master criminal. It's neither gory nor scary, but is just ridiculously fun.
The Long Goodbye
This movie's sound design suffered from the aged and un-remastered Mono print - the dialogue was often difficult to discern over the sound effects - but this movie, updated by the great under-rated scriptwriter Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep, The Empire Striked Back) from Raymond Chandler's novel to the 1970s and directed by Robert Altman (R.I.P) was enormous fun. In one scene, a ripple of whispers around the theatre said "It's David Carradine!" so you know it's good. Elliott Gould is superb as Philip Marlowe. Just rent it, it's around.
Tonight I see Five Easy Pieces and Them - maybe one day I'll get a chance to blog about those too.
Meanwhile, here's an article about how Harry Potter is symptomatic of children being lead away from Christ, instead of a cause. I have still never read any HP so I can't comment on the current debate about whether J.K. Rowling's inept prose is damaging children's ability to like good books.
Posted by pearce at August 5, 2007 11:37 AM