My (two) weeks in film: The Hunt, Alps, The House I Live In and some festive fare

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Pre-Christmas deadlines have kept me from my regular writing routine so this week’s reviews are somewhat abridged. The Hunt - main imageThomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt (2012)was tense, invigorating filmmaking that employed a rewarding, and steady pace and showcased a sympathetic, subtle performance by Mads Mikkelsen. Less about fighting a false accusation, than recovering from it, The Hunt tackled issues of child abuse and close-knit communities with humour and a lack of sensationalism that proved engaging viewing.

Alps (2012)by Dogtooth director Giorgos Lanthimos proves that it is possible to make a film more opaque than the latter – and happily demands an involved, inquisitive audience. 13ALPS_SPAN-articleLargeClearly accomplished filmmaking and an important political and social critique of contemporary Greece, nonetheless it would be a stretch to suggest that Lanthimos’ film is enjoyable per se, rather that its playful way with language and blurring of fiction/reality represents an intelligent and vigorous talent.

tokyo-gaorigTokyo-Ga (1985)was a suitable film to watch in the week that saw the anniversary of the birth of legendary director Yasujirô Ozu. Wim Wenders’ ode to the director of over fifty features including much loved Tokyo Story attempts to discover if anything recognisable from the humanity of Ozu’s oeuvre is present in modern Tokyo. Training his camera on fascinating practices such as the creation of wax replicas of restaurant menu options or Americana loving teens, Wenders also tenderly interviews Ozu’s leading man; Chishû Ryû and cinematographer; Yûharu Atsuta – who dedicated his whole career to assisting the great director, and since his death in 1963 laments being unable to find work as satisfying as that with his former colleague.

TheHouseILiveInDocumentary The House I Live In by director Eugene Jarecki combines personal experience with testimonies from professionals related to illegal drugs and their effects; including those from policing, law, imprisonment, psychology, history, media and politics – all of whom tend to support the argument that the War on Drugs has been a failure. Jarecki’s thoughtful voiceover connects persuasively the accounts of said contributors with the first-hand experiences of convicted men and women – predominantly African American – most of whom have been subjected to harsh minimum sentence rulings. This is a first class combination of investigative fervour and thorough, sensitive filmmaking.

The-Return-of-the-King-Sam-saves-dayPrior to seeing The Hobbit – which I’m sure I’ll get round to at some point – I decided to re-watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy and was delighted to find that the films are just as enjoyable ten years later. Fellowship grips on to you gloriously and demands you hold on through each passionately detailed set piece that follows in the two subsequent epics.

 

Other viewing took on a festive theme (of sorts): if it wasn’t Christmas itself, the presence of snow was enough to satisfy.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Andrew Adamson (2005).

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, David Yates(2009)

Miracle on 34th Street, Les Mayfield (1994)

Wonder Boys, Curtis Hanson (2000)

Coming up – my best (and worst) lists for 2012 with the promise not to repeat the dozens already widely celebrated and berated.

My week in film: Sightseers, Magic Mike, For a Good Time, Call… and more

Posted on by harrietwarman

The week began playing catch-up with seemingly everyone in the UK (or at least the hundreds of enthusiastic tweeters) who had seen Sightseers (2012) on opening weekend. Ben Wheatley’s third feature following Down Terrace and Kill List emerged at Cannes this year to great acclaim and having just last night won the Best Screenplay Award at the Moet British Independent Film Awards; it looks set to take the US by storm when it premieres at Sundance in January. sightseers-2012-001-chris-and-tina-up-mountain-posing-to-camera_0

The film follows a road trip undertaken by Chris and Tina (writers Steve Oram and Alice Lowe) to Yorkshire from Birmingham, caravan in tow, in the hope that Chris will finding his writers ‘oeuvre’ and Tina will temporarily escape her world of dogs, knitting and her mother. These romantic aspirations reach darker territory when Chris allows his bitterness and resentment to take violent form and Tina is soon enthralled by the opportunity to unleash her id upon the world. As uncompromisingly bloody as Wheatley’s previous work, Sightseers is also comically broader and delights in musical juxtapositions that render the whole exercise innately fun. Caricatures they may be, but Chris and Tina are also distinctly British creations that ring true as representations of national reserve abandoned in favour of unchallenged, manic, fervour. Chris is aghast at Tina’s newfound rage, a far cry from the ostensible rules of choosing a victim that he initially employs. Unlike other examples of couples on the run however (see Bonnie & Clyde review, below), Wheatley offers another dark comic twist by skewing the idea of lovers united forever in death – but I won’t spoil the ending for you.

I also caught up with a couple of this year’s earlier releases in what turned out to be an excellent double bill. magic-mike-0

Magic Mike (Steven Soderberg) and For a Good Time, Call… (Jamie Travis) both reconsider assumptions about sex-related work (stripping and sex lines, respectively) with a focus on male/male and female/female friendships where business is a component of their intimacy. Despite what you might assume about a film about male stripping, Magic Mike is poignantly as much to do with ageing and the impressionability of youth as it is a fantastic demonstration of Channing Tatum’s dancing and Matthew McConaughey’s depth as an actor. for-a-good-time-call-movie-review

 

For a Good Time, Call… plays out like a rom-com only this time its female solidarity that’s at stake and the chemistry between Ari Graynor (the new Goldie Hawn that Kate Hudson wishes she was) and Lauren Miller is infectious. They’re also both very funny and entertaining films.

 

 

A new addition – though whether it will prevail is questionable – Phantoms (Joe Chappelle, 1998) is my bad film of the week and could safely be considered to include some of the worst acting and dialogue in a film that also features Peter O’Toole. One spectacular example, Sheriff Hammond (Ben Affleck) to Deputy Stu (Live Schreiber) “Are you OK? ‘Cos I need you to be OK, OK?” befophantoms027dh3re they take on the ‘ancient enemy’ in a small, Colorado town. The film does manage to provide some effectively unsettling images in the third act, notably when O’Toole’s Dr Timothy Flyte challenges the ‘phantom’ to reveal itself, only to be faced with the whole town’s possessed inhabitants staring out from the darkness. Live Schreiber is also brilliantly creepy and puts in a sterling effort to bring charisma to a highly derivative, Invasion of the Body Snatchers/The Thing creature horror.

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Finally I ended this week’s viewing in much the same way it started, with a couple-on-the-run classic, nay, the classic, Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Arthur Penn’s highly successful and critically acclaimed cinematic account of real-life criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who robbed many and killed thirteen people in depression era America proved to be even better than I expected. What stood out for me was the complexity of Clyde’s feelings for Bonnie (Faye Dunaway) – that he is portrayed by Warren Beatty as deeply conflicted about corrupting his accomplice and holds off from consummating their attraction to each other until quite near the film’s end. Also a surprise treat was Gene Wilder as car-thief victim turned temporary tag-along, expressing a fearful glee at his captors wild abandon and shock on learning that is female companion is older than he thought – a nice comedic touch.

 

Also watched: X-Men First Class (Matthew Vaughn, 2011) a very entertaining super-hero movie that reminded me – through the ethical dilemmas and character’s identity anxiety – why the X-Men are my favourite heroes.

My week in film: Amour, Bachelorette and The Myth of the American Sleepover

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The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010) was a revelation; like Dazed and Confused (1993) and American Graffiti (1973)before it, the plot concerns the longings and wanderings of suburban teens over the course of one night, employing a hazy, nostalgic aesthetic.

Deliberately avoiding references to a particular decade, the characters are nevertheless unencumbered by the constant communication provided by mobile phones, suggesting that we are in 1990’s territory. This lack of instant messaging also bolsters the films key theme: that adolescence is a confusing and sometimes lonely time, represented by characters that are cast adrift from new friends or in search of an old connection. To seek out his forgotten crush, college student Scott (Brett Jacobsen) surprises twins Ady and Anna (Nikita and Jade Ramsey) by driving out to visit them at their freshers sleepover; sophomore Maggie (Claire Sloma) leaves a note, rather then a text message for ‘pool boy’ Steven (Douglas Diedrich). Communication, or lack thereof is at the heart of the film with dialogue as naturalistic as the performances, which are striking for the way they present a combination of youthful invincibility and crippling insecurity. A debut as good as this has left me excited to see what Mitchell does next.

Bachelorette (Leslye Headland, 2012) was a film I admittedly wasn’t overly keen to see based on the trailer, which presents a Bridesmaids (2011)type comedy shot with crass humour and warring females. The film is a whole lot better than the trailer would have you think. Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher and Lizzy Caplan play old friends Regan, Katie and Gena, enlisted to be bridesmaids at the wedding of Becky (Rebel Wilson) whom they used to ridicule back in high school. All three initially behave deplorably, being in turns, selfish, bitter and inconsiderate and seemingly only enthusiastic about getting trashed at the ‘Bachelorette’ party. Through their various travails and screwball antics however, more rounded characters emerge, ones whose insecurities and regrets come to induce a more sympathetic view of their dynamic. Fisher is hilarious and sad as Katie whilst Kirsten Dunst’s memorable and convincing portrayal had this viewer almost in tears with the words “Fuck EVERYONE!” The only dud note is perhaps Caplan’s story arc, which sees her reconciliation with old flame Clyde (Adam Scott) and perhaps allows too many of the wedding film clichés to creep in. Whether the film will get a UK theatrical release remains to be seen but if you ever get a chance, Bachelorette is recommended viewing.

On current release, the much praised and Palme d’Or winning Amour by Michael Haneke proved (with great relief) to live up to the hype. Concerning the deteriorating health of one half of octogenarian couple Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) and George (Jean –Louis Trintignant) when the former suffers a series of strokes, the film is as uncompromising as could be expected from the director of Funny Games (1997, 2007). Mostly set in their Parisian apartment, Haneke tightly controls the framing and sound, creating a calm and quiet space for his incredible lead actors to inhabit, utterly convincing as a couple with a lifetimes’ history. Despite the seeming banality of the subject – almost everyone experiences the ailments and restrictions of ageing – Haneke brings freshness to the subject, noting the horror of incapacity and lack of control. It could even be argued that the characteristic mean streak in his past films is present here in the simple observation of this intensely private couple; George is pushed away by Anne at times and he likewise tries to keep their daughter (Issabelle Huppert) at a distance from her mother’s suffering – nevertheless the films audience remains spectator to inevitable decline. In the final scenes the true weight of George’s devastation takes hold but the total lack of sentimentality is remarkable.

An unusually quiet week for film, this one – perhaps due to the cinematic saturation of the last. Coming up – The Master, Silver Linings Playbook and more at home viewing.