Category: Movies

Once

I knew nothing about the movie before I went, and if you haven’t heard anything about it either, I won’t ruin it for you. Just: see this movie now.

Ebisu Garden Place has been running a month of free movie weekends in the big outdoor courtyard–the perfect way to spend the warm, breezy summer evening. The only downside is having to get in line to get a seat (there’s are less comfy alternatives: standing, or sitting on the pavement on a newspaper, or upstairs in the balcony) a couple hours early. first-come, first serve, one ticket per person, and seating for about 150 people.

outdoor movies, free, at Ebisu Garden Place
outdoor movies, free, at Ebisu Garden Place

Tonight Y & I went to see “Once”, which was one of the most pleasant movie experiences that I’ve had in a long time. I knew nothing about the movie before I went, and if you haven’t heard anything about it either, I won’t ruin it for you. Just: see this movie now. RUN, do not walk.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova make music in the movie "Once"
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova make music in the movie "Once"

Instead, I’ll tell you about dinner. After waiting in the hot hot summer afternoon to get the (free) tickets for the movie, we went to the sweet, sweet air conditioning of the Mitsukoshi department store. On the B2 level we cruised around the food department, looking at all the delicious food. First stop– soft serve ice cream cones, made from real Hokkaido milk. Super yummy. Then bentos — chicken kara-age, okonomiyaki, and a huge niku-man (cha-shiu bau). And a Korean Bibimbap roll. All delicious, except for the niku-man, which we haven’t eaten yet. As usual, my eyes were bigger than my stomache and we bought too much.

All in all, a great evening.

sffs: amazing grace

this evening i headed down to the metreon to screen a new film, "Amazing Grace" starring Mr. Fantastic. Yes, the unpronouncable Ioan Gruffudd was in attendance (I know I butcher Indian names, but Welsh na…

this evening i headed down to the metreon to screen a new film, "Amazing Grace" starring Mr. Fantastic. Yes, the unpronouncable Ioan Gruffudd was in attendance (I know I butcher Indian names, but Welsh names… I hav absolutely no clue how to begin to pronounce.) Executive Director Graham Leggatt of the SFFS did a reasonable job of approximating Ioan's name in the Q&A.

Amazing-grace

Amazing-grace

The movie: Well, I had no idea what to expect from the movie, and I didn't even really look at the name of the movie when I decided to go. Michael Apted was a director whom I knew, so I decided to go to the screening. Why not? A free movie, on a Monday night. I met a few nice folks, and had a pleasant chat with the kind woman who watched my bags as i ran to the bathroom before the show (thanks Nancy!) but to be honest, for me going to the movies is about sitting alone in a room with strangers and embracing the magic of film.

I was pleased that this movie was a  period movie—it's the kind of thing that  I would rarely choose as my first choice, but is the sort of movie that is pleasant surprise. And it features a fantastic cast with lots of parliamentary debates and intrigue. I do love the Parliament, it's my ideal of what a governing body should be: intelligent, raucous, humourous. Or at least it is in the movies.

the story is about William Wilberforce and his role in the passage of the slave trade act. it's well told, and it's hard not to miss the political message for our times: that opposition to the governing party in time of war does not equal betrayal of your country–indeed, it is often the most patriotic thing you can do.

the story is inspiring without being overly dramatic. and the role of Wilberforce's religious experience is not overbearing. There's a love interest too, that's satisfying but also serves the story.

The sets and period are most satisfying, but it's not slavishly done. There scripted dialog has the right mix of modern phrases and the requisite periodspeak that lends the right amount of authenticity.

And the supporting actors: Michael Gabon, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hin, Albert Finney. Absolutely fantastic. These small roles are worth the price of admission.

Apparently this movie opens in a couple weeks. If you enjoy watching crotchety old Englishmen and who doesn't?), this is the movie for you. Fans of great acting should also queue up. It's a meaty and satisfying movie-going experience, and I highly recommend it.

Thank You For Smoking

I saw thank you for smoking by myself, on G.’s recommendation. When was this? sometime in the summer, on the way home from work.

It’s a really funny movie, and it’s
smart. Lots of great, well drawn characters. I especially loved the lunches with the other lobbyists.

sfiaff Grain In Ear

As we left the movie Marvin remarked that the film made you feel good, “because your life is not that bad.”

That is true. It’s hard to imagine a life more bleak, and with so few choices.

It’s the story of an ethnic Korean widow, with a young son, struggling to make a living by running a food cart at the side of a road along which almost no traffic runs. She lives in a small town in a neglected corner of north China, and she lives in a tiny shack near the train station. Her neighbors are a group of prostitutes who cater to railroad workers. So she struggles to make a living and raise a son and not to be taken for a prostitute.

It’s a quiet movie, with a calm observant eye. It presents a life, and expects us to read the frames carefully and actively. But being quiet, it draws us close, so it can speak the harsh truth in a calm and gentle voice.

The colors are muted by the sun, and there is no clutter of commerce or advertisements. the frames are often angled to only show you part of what is going on.

the camera obscures what we don’t need to know, so it can fill the screen with the harsh truth.

at the end of the movie, we are nearly smothered by the lack of options in the life of the main character.

but even while we are glad to escape that world at the end of the film, we are full of awe at the choice made at the end of the film: by the character, by the editor, by the director.

full of awe.

(saw this in feb 2006)

Jet Li – Fearless

Saw this at AMC 1000 with Y. Man, it’s so great to see Jet Li back on screen in a straight up martial arts story. I thought the story was well told, with the same asthetic as the old Once Upon A Time but with fewer narrative dead ends. I wish there had been a little more fighting–fighting for the sake of fighting, since it’s Jet Li and I can watch him over and over, but I was pretty satisfied.

SFIFF 2006

Okay, no time for full reviews of the movies I saw, but here is a snapshot. A pretty good year, all in all, although I didn’t have as many heart-stopping overpowering movie moments as I have had in the past–maybe because I saw fewer films by myself.

View movie summaries on official festival website.

Lower City – raw emotions seethe in brilliant, equilateral love triangle in Brazil’s poorest city. powerful ending.

All About Love – Andrew Lau x2 in competent Hong Kong melodrama

You Are My Sunshine – S. Korea. Bumbling farmer falls for hooker. A cinematic response to the movie “One Fine Spring Day”

Le Petit Lieutenant – French cop drama that you can sink your teeth into. Deeply satisfying.

The Wayward Cloud – Oh. My. God. Taiwanese master best movie yet is a pornographic musical.

Princess Racoon – Seijun Suzuki and Zhang Ziyi was a guaranteed good time.

Heaven and Earth Magic – early experiment film collages no match for live band accompaniment: Deerhoof rules!

Runner’s High – a well done documentary about high school running program in poor Oakland. Fun for runners.

State of Cinema: Tilda Swinton – Best thing I saw at the festival – Tilda’s amazing speech about why we watch movies. ( Transcript )

Three Times -Triptych tells 3 love stories and Taiwan’s history. I want to see this again.

Look Both Ways – First feature from Aussie animator. A love story in a world of disasters.

Taking Father Home – Fascinating look at a boy and his father, and life in modern China outside of the capitals. The director’s Q&A was even more interesting–a movie made independently in China, completely non-commercial and non-censored.

Sa-kwa – Korean movie follows a woman through a breakup, marriage and childbirth as she struggles to understand love. Actress from ‘Oasis’ and ‘Good Lawyer’s Wife’ with another powerful performance. First time director. (another incredibly inane Q&A session.)

Clouds of Yesterday – Japanese film harks back to the silent film era.

Manslaughter – I’ll see this tonight. Third in a Danish trilogy about social classes. I saw the second film in the serious at SFIFF a few years ago, and it was powerful, as well as devastating. Looking forward to this one.

Phil’s SFIAAFF 2006 Schedule

Check back later for my recommendations.

Okay, this is late, but here’s my planned schedule at the moment:

THURSDAY MARCH 16TH

No Movies. Opening night. Pretty sure Americanese will get distribution.

FRI MARCH 17th

Phil: 7pm Citizen Dog @ Castro. [also tix for Eugene+1]
Marvin: 715 Acheivers @ Kabuki. [also tix for Yasuko]

Eugene: 930pm Rules of Dating [also tix +1]
Phil: 915pm No Sleep Till Shanghai @ Kabuki. [with Marvin, Ariel, Yasuko]

SAT MARCH 18th

Phil and Marvin: 12pm American Fusion @ Kabuki 3. [+yasuko]
Phil and Marvin: 230pm Eve & Fire Horse @ Kabuki 3. [+yasuko]
Phil and Marvin: 5pm Grain in Ear @ Kabuki 3. [+yasuko]
Phil and Marvin: 715pm Red Doors @ Kabuki 3. [+yasuko]
Phil: 945pm Be With Me @ Kabuki 3.

SUN MARCH 19th

Phil: 12noon Bridge To The Sun @ Castro.(maybe)
Marvin: 3pm Letter from Unknown Woman @ Castro.[phil is a MAYBE on this one]

Phil: 5pm Kieu @ Kabuki. *SOLD OUT!* I didn’t get tickets for this, but am lobbying for a change to a bigger theater.
Phil: 8pm Rigadon @ Kabuki. (maybe)
Phil: 945pm The Achievers. (the late slot on Sunday is tough, but I really want to see this one.)

[Cafe Lumiere is sure to come out in art house distribution]

MON MARCH 20

Phil: 630pm China Blue @ Kabuki. [+yasuko]
Phil/Marvin: 930pm Kekexili @ Kabuki.

TUES MARCH 21

Phil: 630pm Only the Brave @ Kabuki.
Phil: 9pm Colma the musical @ Kabuki.

WED MARCH 22

Phil: 630pm Burnt Theater @ Kabuki [sadly skipping Dear Pyongyang].
Phil: 930pm Linda Linda Linda @ Kabuki.[+yasuko]

THURS MARCH 23

Phil: 730pm Chinese Restaurant. [+yasuko]

The Wire

ok, for a long time I insisted that I didn’t watch TV but that’s not true anymore. Now that I am able to download entire seasons of TV shows and watch them commercial-free, I’m more inclined to watch them.

The Wire is an incredible serialized drama. Set in Baltimore, it portrays a slick, well-run drug operation and the police’s efforts to shut it down. It’s not standard cop drama fare, however. The show delivers great dialogue, well defined characters, and a detailed and realistic depiction of the war on drugs. What is most curious is that there are heroes and villains on both sides.

I devoured season 1 over a long weekend, and I’m looking forward to season 2 as soon as it finishes downloading.

UPDATE: Season two was also great, with an unexpected narrative direction.

Walk the Line

I enjoyed this movie. It was a lot of fun to hear Johnny Cash’s music in the context of what was happening in his life. Joaquim Phoenix was pretty convincing as Cash, and Reese Witherspoon was a great June Carter.

Still, it is a biopic, and it