Author: phil

As the movie begins I was like, what’s going on? And then I catch on. The camera doesn’t always follow the audio. Instead, even though you’re listening, your eye wanders around, watching the people, looking for details.

And so you spend the movie observing, soaking in the colors, and the sounds, and the music. The characters are interesting enough, small time crooks trying to make a big score, and getting into trouble. They have dreams, loves, things that aren’t working out.

The whole movie has an ethereal quality. This was the first Hsiao-hsien Hou movie I really understood. I had seen Millenium Mambo before this one, and it lost me somewhere in the middle.

There are many movies made, but few really sweep you away. This one did, for me.

Woman of Water is to be savoured because it is visually stunning, with a bounty of unique and creative images.

Also, Tadanobu Asano is wonderfully understated, and hey, UA can act! Judy and Mary fans (Whoo!) will also be happy to see the YUKI cameo.

Music is very well done by Kanno Yuki.

But the cinemagraphy and the editing win the prize here, I think.

One scene to watch for and enjoy: the customers in the bathhouse, and some old guy singing about how great the bathhouse is.

Official Site | SFIFF

Bah. A friend of mine told me to go see this movie–he’s emailed with the director and heard interesting things about it. So I went.

It’s not a bad movie… but it didn’t pay off for me. Surrealistic, but the punch line was way too understated for me.

The movie was introduced by Roger Ma, a programmer at the festival who I quite like. He intro’d the movie by warning us that the credits occur in the middle of the movie (and not to walk out then) and that there was some quite explicitstuff later on, if we wanted to hang around.

Well…. it wasn’t just slow, because I actually like slow movies. (Yi-yi and The River come to mind~~the Taiwanese are kings of slow movies).

It was just unsatisfying. At least for me.

I’m hoping the movie is actually great, and I just failed to appreciate it on some level. But while I’m willing to subject myself to a movie or two that tries to do something interesting and fails, I won’t recommend it.

Read the blurb here for a more a better intro. And see this more comprehensive review as opposed to my lukewarm reaction.

Swing. oh, oh my.

It’s hard to go wrong when you make a movie such charming characters and foot stomping music.

In this film we join a young boy Max, who spends the summer in the company of Gypsies, taking guitar lessons and learning about their culture, their way of life, and their people.

It’s a gorgeous film, full of interesting faces & fascinated with the nature. The camera is patient and joyous–a reliable witness to a life and a people.

Music is the centerpiece of the film, as it is in Gypsy culture. The musical sequences are amazing, animated and warm.

But the movie is not a flimsy excuse for music, either–it holds and surrounds the music, weaving it into vignettes about Max’s summer, and of the gypsy girl he has befriended, Swing.

In the comments I’ve read on IMDB people always mention the lack of story. I’m not sure what they are complaining about. There are actually three stories here: the music, the Gypsies themselves, and the story of a young boy and girl.

Between the soul-stirring music and the joyful enthusiasm of youth, I was deeply affected. In turns I smiled, laughed, clapped, and tapped my feet to the music. A most enjoyable time at the movies.

IMDB,
Official Site, FNAC has the DVD (pal) and soundtrack for sale..

More photos below…
Continue reading “SFIFF: Swing”

Fear and Trembling (imdb | official site)

In Fear and Trembling, we follow Amelie, a young Belgian woman who, born in Japan, determines to return to the country which made such an impression upon her as a youth. She obtains a 1 year contract to translate for a Japanese multinational, and there takes her place in the elaborate, hierarchical world of Japanese business.

It is a playful movie, because Amelie is playful, and full of imagination. We see the office as Amelie sees it; her enemies are our enemies–or are they?

One funny moment: while being bawled out by her boss for making a mistake, Amelie muses, “I now understand much about Japanese history. I would invade Manchuria, bomb Pearl Harbor, lead suicide attacks in warplanes, if it would make the yelling stop.”

It’s a work that’s at once deeply comical, and thought provoking. In the Q&A, the director points out that Japan is a mirror in which we can see ourselves. That is certainly Amelie’s experience, and it echoes Donald Richie, who calls Japan “The Great Mirror”. (btw, Donald just turned 79 and is recovering from a heart attack he had while visiting relatives in Florida. Get well soon!)

The movie is based on a book, famous in France. The author chose not to be involved in the movie, though the director (as is his custom) gave her every opportunity. She did see the first cut and liked it.

The film was shot in Paris, in a studio. The Japanese actress, Tsuji Kaori, is actually a fashion model in Paris. The ensemble cast was either living in Paris or came out for the shoot.

The director was questioned about the extremity of some of the scenes. He assured the audience that this was realistic–it was in the book, and the Japanese cast felt it was authentic. Indeed, the cast pushed him to make it even more extreme~~proposing, in one scene, that Amelie serve tea by kneeling on the ground. The director was pleased to see that the Japanese actors were willing to make it as realistic as possibe, but on that point, since it was not in the book, did not put it in.

I felt that most of the audience didn’t know when to laugh. I thought it was hilarious, but maybe the cultural disconnect made people uncomfortable. My friend (who works in Int’l Marketing in Asia) made the comment after the film: “Funny, but all too true.” I agreed. To me, the movie was a light hearted look at the follies of a foreigner in a Japanese “Office Space”, but certainly no indictment of Japanese culture as a whole.

I’d give this 3/4 stars.

What an amazing movie. An amazing spectacle. I came out of this movie elated and in love with life.

Great visual story-telling here. It’s a rich, gorgeous feast for the eyes. THe music is perfect, as well. The visuals set your spirit soaring, and the music keeps you there.

And it’s all real, which is the best part.

Definitely the best movie I’ve seen in a long time. You must try to see this on the big screen. I’ll be buying the DVD as well, though, to savor, and also to see the “Making Of” documentary…

Read on for a few more photos.
Continue reading “SFIFF: Winged Migration”

Clement.

The story: A 30 year old woman falls in love with a 13 year old boy.

Shot in an almost documentary style, on grainy Super8 or probably 16mm, and blow to 35mm.

lots of hand held camera.

Good things: the young boy actor was amazing. The film portrays a taboo onscreen, and doesn’t sensationalize or judge.

Bad things: the denouement took too long. The focus in the last portion of the movie was on the older woman, and I didn’t have much sympathy with her character after a certain point. While the idea of such an uneven relationship was intriguing, the inevitablity of the end made for a slow and laborious ending.

Perhaps in presenting the story in such a realistic way, with any slant or commentary, it made the relationship ordinary–trivial–and banal. Does not rise, in story arc or depth–to Lolita’s greatness.

The Man on the Train.

Full of atmosphere. Clickety-clack of railroad tracks introduce us to the world of this movie, quiet, somewhat gritty, blue-toned.

Twangy solo acoustic guitars evoke a Western. There will be western motifs throughout.

The professor wishes for a life of adventure. His conservatism is tempered by his imagination, and his acknowledgement of the life he lives.

The stranger is tired, world weary, and longs for a place to call home. He puts on the slippers and imagines life in one place.

They bond over drinks and poetry. Both are veterans of life, and both understand each other. The professors wants to teach his charges to beware sweetness, the stranger thinks that life is not so sweet.

Quote: “Were you a good teacher?”
“Not one molested student in 30 years!”

And Saturday arrives, the day the stranger goes to his task, and the professor to his. And what happens?

Then a man leaves town on the train. But who is he?

The actors are well cast. The stranger is played by Johnny Hallyday, who was a rock star in his time, and he plays the role with such world weariness and understand of his limitations. Jean Rochefort as the professor is perfect in tone and manner, completely believeable.

I think the most remarkable thing about this movie is the way it immediately transports you into a certain world with distinct rules. There seems to be a certain spell that takes affect. You enter the world without question, indeed without really knowing it. At the end, you accept the enchantment, and transition once again back into the real world, or something like it.

Clickety-clack. Clickety-clack.