for the love of film

El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (Gereon Wetzel)

2011-03-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

This film will offer little for those who don't know what type of restaurant El Bulli is and why you should learn about the process that goes into creating each one of their annual dishes.
Gereon Wetzel gives us an insight into the amount of work and preparation that goes into preparing. Chef, Ferran Adrià, who runs El Bulli, closes the restaurant annually for six month and takes his team of head chefs to Barcelona to try new ways to extract different flavors from familiar food. This is culinary wonder meets medical research lab. You learn about taste, timing, texture, even presentation. Not enough to make it yourself, but enough to really want to taste every one of those dishes.
Each year they present a completely new menu - with new tastes, new textures and new flavors.

Warning - bookings for El Bulli are taken in one day - over 2 million people apply annually and only 8000 get served. For 35 course meal expect to pay round £250.

The King's Speech

2011-01-12T04:22:00.000-08:00

The best film this side of christmas.
sharp, witty, kept me on the edge and didn't notice the length. a marvel.
and Colin Firth should certainly get an award (or a couple) for the role.
a marvel. 'nough said.

Antichrist (dir. Lars Von Trier)

2009-07-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

I love Lars, I admire his vision and his determination and his refusal to explain anything he does in detail (this he shares with David Lynch). The movie is simply beautiful. Cinematography is outstanding and the effects used are superb (mainly because it all to be done in camera).
As far as the film goes - I couldn't sit still.
The guy is a torturer - I felt like a complete masochist!
However, I really enjoyed it. The film was good. Weird but good. Maybe not a date movie, but a movie where everyone would feel mildly uncomfortable. Something you'd watch with a bunch of good friends.

Highly recommend.

Sugar (dir. Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden)

2009-05-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Quick synopsis: Sugar follows the story of Miguel Santos, a.k.a. Sugar, a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro De Macorís, struggling to make it to the big leagues and pull himself and his family out of poverty....
(more here)

It's a compelling drama - drawing in on a raw emotion, realistic in it's character portrayal.
It's really involving and leaves you wondering about your own life.

The Reader (dir. Stephen Daldry)

2009-02-17T04:32:00.000-08:00

"I don't think we need another film about the Holocaust, do we? It's like how many have there been? We get it. It was grim. Move on. Now, I'm doing it because if you've noticed, if you're doing a film about the Holocaust - you're guaranteed an Oscar. <...> Schindler's bloody List, The Pianist - Oscars coming out of their arses."
Kate Winslet in 'Extras'

She knows how it goes. It's not amazing, just it's guilt-trippingly okay.

Milk (dir. Gus Van Sant)

2009-02-17T04:15:00.000-08:00

I liked Milk, I liked his passion and understood his empathy for the underdog. It's a well balanced film. Wonderfully written by a young and smart Dustin Lance Black, who grew up in mid-America with very religious parents. It seems like the guy has an innate talent to listen and portray a very realistic and compassionate image. Gus Van Sant did a wonderful job with this movie. He's a dream director for a film like this. Highly recommend and hope that it will pick up an Oscar. It's contemporary history at it's best. It's funny how some things get forgotten so quick and yet they are just as relevant today as they were then. They should teach this stuff at school.

Three Monkeys (dir.Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

2009-02-17T03:56:00.000-08:00

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s film shows a glimpse of a one family life and how it's affected by surrounding forces. It's a movie about guilt, grief and murder. I have my issues with the realism of the story, but then I don't know enough about Ceylan's films. Apparently, whether you find it gripping or disappointing largely depends on how familiar you're with his earlier work. It's slow and melodramatic both visually and tonally. I found it long, and there were quite a few scenes that the film could do without. The shots that didn't set the scene or gave anything to it - it seemed like the film was full of time fillers, beautifully shot yet meaningless. I didn't see the reason for it to be disaturated to the extent of almost being black and white. It's sepia tonality didn't add to the story, but distracted along with countless silent moments. I felt that the screenplay and the visual language both wanted to tell a story and you could almost feel the competition between them both.

Slumdog Millionaire (dir.Danny Boyle)

2009-02-17T03:33:00.000-08:00

Slumdog Millionaire tells a story of three poor kids, who were born into extreme poverty in poorest part of Mumbai. This is a film about their lives. Despite it being full of slaughter, enslavement, brutality and criminal activity - it's a happy movie. And a very involving at that.
I must admit that I didn't like the trailer or the posters for the film - both give you a warp view of what the movie is really about. My guess is that the marketers wanted to portray it as a Bollywood film, which it is not. It's too grotty and vivid with shanty town scenes to be seen as such. It talks about brutality and corruption, the everyday struggle for survival. It's Danny Boyle at his best. Well captured characters and wonderfully framed scenery. Working with a small crew he managed to capture the ever changing and expanding slums. Recruiting locals and recording in hindu, made it possible for him to capture the real hunger and passion the small kids have.
It's another great film from a very good director.

Che 1&2 (dir. Steven Soderbergh)

2009-01-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

What a way to start New Year - Soderbergh's 'Che' is a must movie to watch.
Soderbergh puts more emphasis on ideology rather than possible side effects of the war. It's a one sided view in many ways - it shows Ernesto Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) as people's hero who never left anyone behind or betrayed a comrade. It's an idealistic view of a warrior, it's easy to see why people would love him and idealise him.
Don't watch it if you're expecting an honest portrayal of the revolution. This is a movie about a hero and it should be seen as one. Benicio Del Toro gives a wonderful performance. The film is well art directed, it's not a Hollywood epic drama, but rather a film resembling a well shot documentary.

Nagi Noda (1973-2008)

2008-10-02T03:32:00.000-07:00

This is the saddest news. Nagi Noda, the talented Japanese artist and director has died on Sunday 7. September. It's believed she died of the complication from the injuries she received in the car crash a year ago. It is also believed that she knew she was going to die as she got dressed for the occasion in Mark Ryden dress, Chanel bools and Victor&Rolf black lace eyelashes.
She created many memorable ads, amongst them for Nike and Coca-Cola. Many inspiring music videos for Japanese and international artists. She had her own studio called Uchu Country, which she started in 2003. And Nagi Noda was represented by Partizan in US and UK.

She will be greatly missed.

Teat Beat of Sex (dir. Signe Baumane - 7:30min collection of shorts)

2008-10-02T01:26:00.000-07:00

These short animations talk about naive approach to sex, beautifully told by Signe, who's a very charismatic Latvian living in NY. It's an absolute pleasure to watch. Funny. Insightful (in her own special way). Charming.

Watch them here:
http://www.teatbeat.com/

Rachel (dir. Chris King - 13min short)

2008-10-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

A film about a very intriguing scam, wonderfully performed. There's some sort of controversy following the story, which makes it all the more sick. Very enjoyable.
Can be found on:
www.manhattanshort.com

Ripple (dir. Paul Gowers - 16min short)

2008-10-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful little film. Edgy, funny, unpredictable and at times quite uncomfortable. The director describes it thus: 'one ordinary man, one chicken, one egg, one extraordinary day'. Interesting story of how one bad event follows another and another and another... Really fun story that leaves you wanting to see more.

To find out more go to:
http://www.ripplefilm.com/

Import/Export (dir. Ulrich Seidl)

2008-10-02T00:41:00.000-07:00

This film isn't easy to describe, hence the delay. The movie consists of two unrelated stories that run alongside each other as parallels but don't intervene. Two countries, two seemingly different people with different problems, each trying to make a living and escape the pressure of the life they lead. One story starts in former Soviet state, Ukraine, the other in Austria. The protagonists of both stories change travel from Ukraine to Austria and vice versa. Olga (Ekateryna Rak) is a single mother, who works as a nurse in children's hospital, doesn't receive her full wages. She travels to Austria where she cleans houses and eventually ends up cleaning old people's home. Pauli (Paul Hofmann) is confused young man, who cannot maintain a permanent job and move out of his mother's house. The story is about cultural clashes and expectations, unfortunately, it's not the strongest example of either.

For those who want to see it - it's out now in ica.

Unrelated (dir. Joanna Hogg)

2008-09-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

A directorial debut, getting a lot of attention form many media people and good reviews by every newspaper in town. But why?
I went to see it a week or so ago, and was NOT impressed. It's a lazy film. There's no other way to describe it - it doesn't involve you, it doesn't touch you, the cinematography is basic to say the least and it doesn't work in so many levels. I felt pissed off, to be honest. And didn't even stay to meet the director or ask any questions, as there really was no point. The characters aren't developed enough for you to want to know more about them, the acting is okay, but the story lacks emotion, it's just not believable, it's not developed enough to be believable.
i think Walter Salles was right to have spend a while teaching his actors the back story to their characters - you don't see it in the film but you believe them. Unrelated has non of that - the characters are average at best and the emotions are weak and almost bizarre in places.
I think this is a turkey of the year. And a very overrated one for that.

Linha de passe (dir. Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas)

2008-09-18T06:08:00.001-07:00

This movie is a real gem, coming from a director of 'Motorcycle Diaries', it explores the lives of four brothers living in Sao Paolo and struggling to move beyond their troubled destiny. This film has a real heart to it, relentless hope that things will get better and all the characters will succeed in their various quests.
These are real stories acted out by real people who have never acted in films before (there's only one exception). The cast has been rehearsing for 4 month before hand to get the stories and the emotions of the on-screen characters right - even living in the on-screen house for the last 4 weeks prior to the filming. Also, according to Walter Salles, a great part of the movie is based on pure improvisation, as dialogues don't sound half as convincing when read by non-professional actors. No wonder that the relationship we see in the film is this convincing, with real emotions, fights and tears. The film is a personal journey of everyone who's in it; it's not so much a self-discovery as trying to break free from the expected.

The Return (dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev)

2008-08-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

A story about two brothers who after not seeing their father for ten years go on a 'bonding' trip with him. I won't tell more of the story, because everyone should see this movie. It won a bunch of awards - all of which were more than deserved - the performances are outstanding, the direction immaculate, the cinematography could be compared to Bergman's films and the sound is subtle and not intrusive. It's a simple story, but full of little emotions and personal battles that draw you in within seconds. It's a quiet and somewhat disturbing masterpiece which gets under your skin and lingers there long after the movie is over.

It's a shame that one of the main boys died the untimely death shortly after filming; he died playing dares with his friends, jumping of the very tower used in the films opening shot.

p.s. Thanks to Wal for lending the movie.

The Dark Knight (dir. Christopher Nolan)

2008-08-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

I agree with Victor Olliver "Batman started out as a comic that grew gothic that has turned psychotic. The Dark Knight is one long movie about madness." Everyone in the movie seems to struggle with the urge to go insane - even Batman. There's a lot of sadism, blood and many explosions - that would surely keep you on the edge of the seat - each one more powerful than the previous. Heath Ledger steals the performance with Joker - leaving everyone else 'biting the dust' in his wake. He is an insanely good-looking drag queen. I must admit I'm not a fan of Christian Bale, who looks pretty miserable throughout the movie - despite whether his character calls for it or not. This is one film definitely worth seeing on the big (preferably IMAX sized) screen. Most of the film was filmed with IMAX in mind - hence the resolution and the quality of the film is outstanding. The panning over the city shot gives nice sense of vertigo and the overturning cars and explosions keep you awake throughout the film.

WALL-E (dir. Andrew Stanton)

2008-07-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of animations. I must admit I was not blown away by ‘The Incredibles', or ‘Ratatouille’, or 'Monsters Inc.' - I liked the stories of the last two rather a lot and the sense of humour - but when it comes to animation I'm just not that big of a fan. It's not the main characters (The Incredibles apart) that I have an issue with but rather the humans in all these films - why do they have to look so comical and old-school in a way? I wish they were more realistic - as I believe this would bring up the main characters even more. And I'm not talking 'Chipmunks' reality.
WALL-E is intelligent, satirical and warm. The first third of the film is beautiful and involving despite having no dialogue. It's wonderfully told and well laid out. It's certainly worth a cinema visit.

Juno (dir. Jason Reitman)

2008-07-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Written by Diablo Cody, first screenplay if I'm not mistaken too. I had my reservations hence didn't write about it earlier, however after reading the screenplay - I think it's genius. Never mind that 16 year-olds don't talk like that, or that it sounds more like it would come out of a 30 something mouth than a teenage. The idea translates nicely. Ellen Page and Michael Cera deliver superb performances. It's a movie, it might be based on life, but at the end of the day it's entertainment. And how I wish I could write like Diablo Cody...

Man on Wire (dir. James Marsh)

2008-07-04T03:03:00.000-07:00

On August 7th 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between New York's twin towers, then the world’s tallest buildings. This is the story of his dream and his journey. James Marsh’s documentary brings Petit’s extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as “the artistic crime of the century.” Philippe is extraordinary and rightly arrogant artist - he knows his worth and he knows no limits - this is a breathtaking experience and it's not for light-hearted either, certainly not for those who's scared of heights - it gives an immense sense of vertigo even if you're seated. A gem of a movie with a lot of original footage of Philippe by his dedicated friends without whom his walk might have never happened.

should be out soon if not already in BFI and some selected cinemas nationwide.

My Winnipeg (dir. Guy Maddin)

2008-07-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

A very understated director in my opinion. To me he's in the same league as David Lynch and Hitchcock. Guy Maddin's cinematic style is impeccable and very personal. He's one of those rare species you can tell within seconds of watching the feature. I love his subtle sense of humour and somewhat strange shyness. Watching Guy Maddin talk is uniq, enjoyable and very inspiring. He gives an impression of someone who never gives up and always tries to find the humour in everyday situations.
My Winnipeg is half documentary half biography - a very personal view of this somewhat industrial Canadian town.
I don't want to give out more - go see it - it's in cinemas as of Saturday. (Well, at least in BFI, this director is very difficult to come by in mainstream cinemas)

Somers Town (dir. Shane Meadows)

2008-07-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Shane Meadows' latest feature explores the adolescence. (Even though it was initially supposed to be a short film for to promote Eurostar. Kudos to Eurostar for letting it develop into a movie and for not pushing a packshot into every frame) Shot for the most in black and white. This was not a film noir reminiscence but rather a clever trick - you concentrate much more on characters and the dialogue when your eyes don't wonder off at the array of often clashing colours. The boys perform wonderfully - very convincing. Thomas Turgoose does a great job yet again. It's interesting to see the character grow up and change on screen. A kid who was going nowhere is now a serious actor, and mesmerising at that. The overall tone of the film is optimistic with little sad notes every once in a while, almost documentary-like. The dream ending only adds to the whole youthfulness and dreaminess of the characters. A definite must see.

in cinemas from 22 August

Sydney Pollack

2008-05-27T01:22:00.001-07:00

Film-maker Sydney Pollack has died.
Pollack was born on July 1, 1934, he enrolled at drama school in New York and studied for two years under Sanford Meisner.
He made his acting debut with Redford in the 1962 film War Hunt, before they collaborated on seven films, including Three Days of the Condor and The Electric Horseman with Jane Fonda. In the 1980s and 90s, Pollack served as producer on a number of film projects including Presumed Innocent, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Sense and Sensibility and The Talented Mr Ripley. He won two Oscars for the movie Out of Africa. After a lengthy hiatus, Pollack returned in 2005 to direct the thriller The Interpreter starring Nicole Kidman. The same year, he directed his first and only documentary, Sketches of Frank Gehry, about the famed architect.

Cassandra's Dream (dir. Woody Allen)

2008-05-22T01:25:00.000-07:00

Woody Allen wrote and directed this feature. This is one director I thought I will never blog about. Unless it was something to do with his early films. However maybe Cassandra's Dream will be his comeback. Wonderful cast: Wean McGregor, Colin Farrell, Hayley Atwell, Sally Hawkins, Tom Wilkinson amongst others. It will be interesting to see how Woody Allen dealt with this movie, has he made it yet again overly symbolistic? I don't think it's a light movie, but it would be a shame if he gave up too much of the plot too early in the film, and didn't sustain the tension.

Brief plot summary:
Two London brothers are hard-up for cash, and both have girls to look out for, too. When rich Uncle Howard comes to town and agrees to help them out, he admits his finances are under investigation, and he asks them to do him a favour and "take care of" an old business relation to keep his trouble under wraps - he says that they're family, and since he always takes care of them, the least they could do is help him out this once, as they're the only ones he can trust. The film follows their struggle with the immorality of this request and how each brother chooses to deal with it.
(the summary was written by anon)

Cadbury's Gorilla (dir. Juan Cabral)

2008-05-16T05:21:00.001-07:00

Great creative - wonderful director.
And generally a nice person.
Wish there were more like him.

p.s. it's a black pencil at d&ad.

Shane Meadows

2008-05-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

A personal hero of mine.
I'm actually a little overexcited as I have just spend an hour talking to him.
A brilliant, bright man.

Here's a little bio (stolen from Wikipedia):
Shane Meadows dropped out of school before he reached his GCSEs because he was more interested in stealing with his friends than getting an education. He started off in Uttoxeter making short films with his friends and family but couldn't show these films to anyone because there were no film festivals in his area. His friends started one in the local cinema which became really popular with the town. His fame started when a film scout found him and took him on as an amateur film director. His entire catalogue of films have been set in the Midlands area.

Two of his films have really stood out for me:
This is England

Don't think this film needs an introduction. Just go see it.

Dead man's shoes

As with his later films this is about a troubled man and his ways of dealing with everything.

Sven Vilhem Nykvist

2008-05-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

Sven Vilhem Nykvist (3 December 1922 – 20 September 2006) was a Swedish cinematographer. He worked on over 120 films, but is known especially for his work with director Ingmar Bergman. He won Academy Awards for his work on two Bergman films, Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop) in 1973 and Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) in 1983.

His work is generally noted for its naturalism and simplicity. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest cinematographers of all time.
Selected filmography
Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)

The Virgin Spring (1960) (Jungfrukällan)

Through a Glass Darkly (1961) (Såsom i en spegel)

The Silence (1963) (Tystnaden)

Winter Light (1963) (Nattvardsgästerna)

Persona (1966)

Shame (1968) (Skammen)

Hour of the Wolf (1968) (Vargtimmen)

The Passion of Anna (1969) (En Passion)

The Touch (1971) (Beröringen)

Siddhartha (1972) of the Hermann Hesse novel and directed by Conrad Rooks

Cries and Whispers (1973) (Viskningar och rop) (won Academy Award for Best Cinematography)

Scenes from a Marriage (1973) (Scener ur ett äktenskap)

The Magic Flute (1975) (Trollflöjten)

The Serpent's Egg (1977) (Das Schlangenei)

Autumn Sonata (1978) (Höstsonaten)

Pretty Baby (1978)

From the Life of the Marionettes (1980) (Aus dem Leben der Marionetten)

Fanny and Alexander (1982) (Fanny och Alexander) (won Academy Award for Best Cinematography)

Agnes of God (1985)

The Sacrifice (1986)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) (nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography)

New York Stories (1989) (segment "Oedipus Wrecks")

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Chaplin (1992)

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Celebrity (1998)

Unbearable lightness of being (dir. Philip Kaufman)

2008-05-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

Now, the best thing about the film is cinematography by Sven Nykvist (more about him later - he deserves his own blog, not just an entree). It's impossible to take your eyes of the film - stunning on every aspect - even if the story was shit (which this one's not) you could still watch and enjoy it. Philip Kaufman did a wonderful job from start to end - from cast to set.
The brief summary:
Tomas, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, is a doctor in 1960s Czechoslovakia. He is also a player and has somewhat of a bohemian attitude to life: he doesn't see the need for commitment and wants to live a free and careless life. It works quite well for him until he meets an idealistic country girl Tereza, played by Juliette Binoche. She battles with his sexual addictions and tries to live with the knowledge that she will be sharing him with other women. It's a struggle. Especially since one of the lovers if a sophisticated artist Sabina (wonderful Lena Olin). The three get caught up in the events of the Prague Spring (1968). The film talks about shattered illusions and the changes brought by Soviet occupation and restricted life.

Inspired

2008-04-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.creativedirectordollfilm.com/
This is a lovely short film, not unlike 'Lars and the real girl'. It's about struggling in the world of advertising. And about the new portfolio night 2008, where you get to meet few creative directors and show them your book. Maybe even get a placement or a job out of it. This is the best little film they done to promote an event like this in a while.

My last favourite nugget came from ddb Mexico couple of years back. About a stereotype creative. Wonderful idea. Charming and funny. We see a guy talk (in Spanish) about how he gets inspired and his precious collection f trainers and what they meant to him and what is his worst nightmare. B-E-U-T-I-F-U-L.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Z4OhaGRGk

Well, and as I already started to talk about creativity and stereotypes... here's a fun website with great movies. Superbly executed.
Everything on this site is well thought through and nicely presented. Almost like in real life... yeah, almost...
http://designerslashmodel.com/

Birth (dir. Jonathan Glazer)

2008-04-07T10:15:00.001-07:00

Yes, Jonathan Glazer is one of my favourite directors. I love the controversy of his films and music videos. I love the cinematography. I love the fact he always seems to challenge something - the perception, the main character, the subject matter... There's a lot more to be said about a director like him.
Birth is interesting for few reasons. The story is okay, the acting is alright as I'm not a huge fan of any of the leads. However some scenes are gripping - there's a wonderful bathtub scene (never mind all the booers at Cannes); there's the greatest pan over the central park I have ever seen. It's worth watching if only for those two reasons alone.
As for the plot:
Based on real story. Anna, played by Nicole Kidman, is a young widow who has finally moved on after the death of her husband, Sean. Ten years on she is engaged to be married. However a ten-year-old boy, Cameron Bright, comes up to tell her he is Sean reincarnated. His story is ridiculous and absurd but it leaves her quite unsettled. Anna can't shake him out of her mind. Her fiancée, played by Danny Huston, gets increasingly worried about her and her contact with the boy.

Sexy Beast (dir. Jonathan Glazer)

2008-04-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is funny. Smart funny. Not over the top gangster flick either. Loved the beginning - the pool scene is a germ all by itself. Oooh, and the dream, another treasure not to be missed. Wonderfully edited. Well cast.
Ben Kingsley, plays sociopath Don Logan. Very intense character. Ian McShane plays Teddy, the creepy gang master. The two of them make the lead characters look normal in comparison. Gal is retired ex gangster now living an easy life in Spain. Easy, that is, until Logan arrives and demands he does another quick job...

Lars and the Real Girl (dir. Craig Gillespie)

2008-03-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Written by Six Feet Under scribe Nancy Oliver.
Lars, played by Ryan Gosling, is a lovable introvert, who cannot fully embrace life because of his emotional baggage. Bianca, a mail-order sex doll, is a ‘friend’ he meets on the internet. He invites her home to meet his brother Gus and his wife Karen. Needless to say, they are not impressed and don’t really know how to react to the news. As Lars seems to think Bianca’s a real person and he treats her as though she’s alive. His doctor advices everyone to go along with his delusion and see what happens.
A wonderful screenplay, well casted and nicely acted. A germ really.

The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson)

2008-02-28T03:39:00.000-08:00

I think the best part of this is a short film at the beginning of the movie. Playing one of my favourite songs "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" by Peter Sarstedt. Great script, beautifully shot, funny cast. (Could possible have been much better had it had non-famous names. But I guess people love to relate to the known actors. Hence the name gives you an opening.) Wes is amusing and strange and irrelevantly relevant as always. You must know what I mean If you watched his other movies - 'The Royal Tenenbaums' and 'Rushmore'. It captures the wistful woe and longing to solve the unsolvable, it talks about the distance and difference within the family, in an original and captivating way. A germ.

No Country for Old Men (dir. Coen brothers)

2008-02-28T03:19:00.000-08:00

Better late than never.
A wonderful film. Was sleepy when I entered the cinema and struggled to stay awake even through the ads. (never a good sign, especially since I love ads) However the film has kept me on he edge of the seat. Brilliant. Outstanding performances form Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones. Well deserved Oscars. I think Javier Bardem should only play psychopath from now on. He's a very convincing maniac, and a good sufferer ('Before Night Falls').

Zeitgeist

2008-02-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Do yourself a favour and watch this.
It's roughly 2hours long and it's not for faint-hearted or religious people.

http://zeitgeistmovie.com/

Paranoid Park (dir. Gus Van Sant)

2007-12-30T06:13:00.001-08:00

This is what I loved about the movie- Christopher Doyle! According to Empire review he's bad boy cinematographer whose prowess behind the lens is only exceeded by his performance in the bar. Wonderful choice of DOP. Van Sant was becoming quite predictable and this was a due refreshment. Great choice of music too, very unlike himself- film's score is a mash-up of alt-rock and jarring classical. And even though the movie is still a little slow on the opening (tough it might be just my expectation) - it's more than worth sitting through. The film deals with a surviving/coping mechanism that kicks in when something terrible happens, it's a daring and compassionate movie. Possibly made even better by non-professional cast- sourced mainly from MySpace.

dry season

2007-12-30T06:01:00.001-08:00

There's something about autumn and Christmas that makes people want to put only the worst stuff out or the stuff that might attract some people's attention for having a famous name- or in movie terms 'an opening'. This is the worst season for films. Having said that- I have seen few nuggets and I wrote about them. I've seen a lot of really disappointing movies too, and admittedly at the time I found them funny, but not worth talking about or wasting time over. Next year is promising to be very good, though. Can't wait for the family and singleton season to be over. Very excited.

2 Days in Paris (dir. Julie Delpy)

2007-12-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

Independent turkey of the year. One film that actually succeeded in making me angry. True it had it's funny moments, but even Hollywood chick-flick blockbusters have their moments, they are just not worth talking about. Nor would this be if it wasn't for Julie Delpy, from whom I honestly expected much more. A good dialogue for a starter, better cinematography and much better set design. This movie left me with a throbbing headache. I wished she shut up 15min into the film, 30min into the film I still hoped it would turn on it's head and surprise me, an hour into the film my ass started to hurt from sitting, I was exhausted from watching and really wished I'd rather have gone to see a therapist. It's a self centered, feel-sorry-for-me-I'm-french-and-people-have-preconceptions-about-me bullocks. It tries way too hard, the criticism is poor and the cop-outs are way too obvious. I didn't want to write anything about it, when I saw it, it would've sounded much worse and I still don't want this blog to become an angry rant. But it's Christmas and something has to be said.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (dir. Andrew Dominik)

2007-12-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

Robert Ford, who's idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader. It's a brief summary of a long and movie. It's not like most film, it never picks up the speed or raises it's voice. It's almost a quiet film. Wonderful camera work- I was told, they used the original period cameras. The blurry effect is not intentional but such because of the lens. Interesting. Worth watching. But be prepared to sit for quite a while, the movie doesn't end with the death of Jesse James.

Be Kind Rewind (dir. Michel Gondry)

2007-12-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a candy in every sense of the word. Fame is what you make of it. One film I'm sure will be a treasure without having even seen it yet. You cannot be wrong when Michel Gondry writes and directs. Full of wonderful 'special effects' that have become a signature look of his. He is the writer-charmer, a magician of sorts. He leaves audience laughing and thinking they could have done it. He is an observer of everyday good and everyday fun. He's a communicator of all things we dream about but don't have it in us to voice it. And here is his new masterpiece.

Ma femme est une actrice (dir. Yvan Attal)

2007-12-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

Written and directed by Charlotte Gainsbourg's husband, Yvan Attal. Ever wondered what a life with a film start would be like? Would you get jealous? Would you mind the constant attention and comments? How would you feel if someone thought they know your spouse better than you? It's a great comedy. Well written, well directed and nicely acted. So, stop wondering and have a good hearted laugh.

salaryman (dir. Jake Knight)

2007-12-24T07:02:00.000-08:00

This is one of my old time favorites. Written and directed by a very talented and somewhat awkward director. Jake Knight pays an almost freakish attention to detail, the setting, the composition and the sound are all very thought out and almost succumb you into the frame with their intensity. I wish I could say more about him since we met couple of times, but it's almost impossible to get a word out of him. He seems to have taken a position of a quiet observer who wants to withdraw from this world so he could write more about it, in his own somewhat perverted way. Not a bad way, by any means. A wonderful way, but very withdrawn, and very intimate (in a high-tech kind of way).

For anyone who wishes to see it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VRJ5OAtR5E

Once (dir. John Carney)

2007-10-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

It’s so refreshing to see unpretentious movie. No high tech camera, no exaggerated emotion, no pretence. It’s filmed documentary style, watching it feels like you’re a part of a set yourself. It’s as if you observe two people you know go through this moment in their life. Simple and yet wonderful. The film itself has quite a minimal plot. As Glen Hansard (the street musician in the film and a real musician from the Frames in real life) said- it’s a movie about two people who fall in love but do nothing about it. Its purity is infectious, and understanding of emotion is touching. John Carney took a deliberate decision not to name his characters. Thus leaving the viewer bizarrely even more involved.
There’s a very nice story behind the shoot. The film was written and directed by John Carney, with big contribution from Glen Hansard who shared a lot of personal stories with him and wrote original score for the movie. The film is a musical- whether it was planed or not, is not essential as it works incredibly well. It might not have the deepest songs but they are catchy and pleasant, and somehow even emotional. ‘Once’ won the 2007 audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a surprise to the whole crew. The original actor who was supposed to play the guy in the film had pulled out in the early stages and with him went all the money for the movie. So this might be the cheapest film made this year. However Carney didn’t give up on his baby and convinced his close friend Hansard to play the lead. All they were missing was a 35-year-old Eastern European woman who had to be a musician. Not an easy person to find in Ireland. However after meeting Marketa Irglova (17 year old), he changed his mind. And she proved to be a perfect choice. But even though they all were happy with how the film turned out- it didn’t get approved by any of the film festivals. As Carey still had to pay back the Arts Council loan, he worked out a plot- he’d make a 35mm print of a film and show it in all local movie houses and get Glen and Marketa to come to showings and do a little promotion. Lucky for him, on the first showing night, a representative of Sundance happened to be in Dublin and see the film. The rest, as they say, is history.
It’s a germ of film. Highly recommend.

Breaking and Entering (dir. Anthony Minghella)

2007-09-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

synopsis:
Landscape architecture partners Will (Jude Law) and Sandy (Martin Freeman) have recently relocated their successful business into a state-of-the-art studio office in the centre of London's King's Cross. It attracts the attention of a local gang of thieves, who repeatedly break in and steal. Meanwhile, Will is having relationship problems with his live-in girlfriend Liv (Robin Wright Penn) in part due to the stress caused by her autistic 13 year old daughter Bea (Poppy Roger). When Will sees one of the gang members Miro (Rifi Gavron) attempting to break into his office again, he chases the lad back to the apartment he shares with his Bosnian refugee mother Amira (Juliette Binoche). In a bid to investigate the burglary, Will gets to know Amira and soon they have an affair, further complicating his life.

Writer and director Anthony Minghella ('The English Patient', 'Clod Mountain') seems to have picked yet again the same doomed love story subject, with characters that have suffered a lot in the past and carry quite a bit of a past baggage with them. It's Minghella's first original screenplay since his debut 1991 feature 'Truly Madly Deeply'. 'Breaking and Entering' is a small intimate story that could almost be overlooked on the grand scheme of things. It artfully explores the complex relationships and small things that distance and keep people apart. It talks about how something negative could be turned into something quite the opposite. There are lots of parallels and metaphors joining two quite different families.
It is a wonderful film with strong intelligent story and great supporting cast, who might be just a little bit too well known to make it work (Verma Farmiga, Ray Winstone, Martin Freeman). However if nothing else, the cinematography (Benoit Delhomme) is so beautiful and it expresses all the pains and moods and complexity of characters so well - you could almost watch it soundless.

NIck Gill

2007-09-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

This week one ad on TV caught my imagination it's a Vodafone "Time Theft" spot by Nick Gill who is a Creative Director at BBH London (dir. Frederic Planchon).

He also wrote last years spot for Vodafone "Mayfly" (dir. Peter Thwaites)

and the famous Lynx "Getting Dressed" (dir. Ringan Ledwidge).
I'm sure he's done much more I simply don't know about and according to Scamp (copywriter at BBH) Nick Gill 'has more good ideas in a month than most of us do in a career'.
Here's a person to keep an eye on.

extra sense

2007-08-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

Why do we seek to understand everything? Fine art, movies, poetry are not necessarily real life. They might be inspired, it's difficult not to be (especially if you believe that everything was already done is some way, shape or form). You don't have to understand everything to enjoy and to experience the art. We all have different ideas of what beauty is, we all perceive things differently and we all react differently to same experience (say you get burned and you scream, when I get burned I bite my lip, someone else might swear and curse- it's natural to have different reactions), so why do we all want to share the same reaction and the same understanding of everything 'arty'? Just like the magic that gets lost when it's explained so does the poem or the film or the painting. Certain things are best kept secret because then each one of us has a different view and it's magical in that sense. It's personal and original. Abstraction brings out a different feeling in us every time we look at it. It keeps it's enigma. It fascinates. And it stays fresh. You wouldn't normally read the same novel twice (especially if it has clear start, middle- with some action, rejection, forgiving and end which can be happy or not so happy), but you would enjoy hearing the same poem again or looking at the same painting. The same applies to movies. Multiple plots (or lack of them all together) brings something new to the viewer each time he sits to watch. But it's an art to get it done right.

Inland Empire (dir. David Lynch)

2007-08-26T04:28:00.000-07:00

Slipping between fiction and reality in a land 'where stars make dreams, and dreams make stars'. The last of David Lynch's films 'Inland Empire' this week has come out on DVD. As usual, no directors commentaries, but a little frosting is given by adding few of his interviews including The Guardian interview at NFT. This is his first film on DV camera, as he now swears off using film ('I would die to ever have to go that slow again'). Briefly, the plot of the plot of the film follows actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern, of course) who has landed a movie role in Hollywood. However the film turns out to be cursed remake of a Polish movie. As with his last two films ('Mulholland Drive' and 'Lost Highway') this one doesn't disappoint on many and varied plots, there's even a scene in Polish, and a Rabbit sit-com from Lynch's website. It's also about 160min long. Keep attention and you will see few scenes recurring and the plot playing on itself. Wonderful as ever.

Trailer Magic

2007-08-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about the importance of a good trailer. It can either make or break a movie. you show too much and no one needs to see the film- they know what will happen already and no matter how great the cinematography is or how cute the actors- you feel like there's nothing else for you to see there really. And vice versa, show too little and you don't capture the imagination, you don't interest the viewer. It's a very thin line. And it's the most important one. This is your chance to increase the sales. This is your chance to get people talking. And it's such a shame to see a bad trailer.

Sherrybaby (dir. Laurie Collyer)

2007-08-20T04:01:00.000-07:00

Director Laurie Collyer, who previously done a documentary 'Nuyorican Dream' about one Puerto Rican family trying to adapt to living in NYC, now wrote and shot a film on a ex drug addict trying to rehabilitate into society after spending three years in prison. Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) returns home to New Jersey where she tries to find a job as a nursery assistant and reestablish a relationship with her daughter. It's a wonderful psychological portrait of a young woman and her struggles.

Truman Capote

2007-08-14T03:35:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to try and guess who was better at playing Capote. I don't know enough about the writer to elaborate the subject. Film wise, however, I prefer 'Infamous' it seemed to show more of an internal struggle and I believe it to be better cast (with the exception of Gwyneth Paltrow- who had a pointless role in the movie, and seemed to play the same old self- drama queen. But then, the film has to have an opening at the cinemas, and her name sells.)
Here are few quotes I really liked:
'Punishment is hoping there is someone for you. And after years of hoping you find him and can't have him.'
'America is not the country where the small gesture goes noticed. We're not a country like France, where charm, something light or efflorescent can survive. You own everything you have and you own it as fast as you can turn it out.'
'Writers die a little when the book comes out. What's next? The next thing could be so hard because now you know what it demands.'

If... (dir. Lindsay Anderson)

2007-08-11T02:17:00.001-07:00

Continuing on the theme of school kids and aspiring adults.
'If...' recently got re-released on DVD. It's a very imaginative movie from the 1960s. It's based in British Boy School. The whole film is circulating around one very intriguing pupil Mick and his imagination (played by Malcolm McDowell). With the help of his younger friends he goes on to destroy any kind of worm feeling towards these type of schools. It's very rebellious and violent film that goes under the catch phrase, "which side would you be on?". Wonderfully written.

The History Boys (dir. Nicholas Hytner)

2007-08-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

'History. It's just one thing after another.'

Originally The History Boys was written for the theater and it was a huge success there. It played in West End and Broadway, where it received numerous awards. I must admit, I never made it to the theater to see it. And I do regret it. A lot. Because I enjoyed the movie.
This comic drama is centered on a group of students trying to get into Oxbridge University. Alan Bennett wrote about history in a remarkably witty way. Had I been taught this way in high school I might have picked some stuff up too. However, not everyone's so lucky. There's a wast pool of knowledge in this film. With wonderful quotations from Shakespeare, Larkin and Hardy. There's even an entire scene in French. The teachers in the film deal with topics like, how to apply the knowledge to life? how to interpret history? how to use the knowledge you have to your best advantage? It's all very relevant and very well put together. It's a charming movie. Wonderfully English, and witty in the best sense of the word.

Stephen Campbell Moore

2007-08-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

The one to watch. A primary stage actor who used to perform with The Royal Shakespeare Company. He played Irwin in the original West End stage production of History Boys and in the film version of the play. He made his on-sceen acting debut in Stephen Fry's 'Bright Young Things', where he played Adam, a struggling writer. He is a great character actor and a very wonderful young thing indeed.

Bright Young Things (dir. Stephen Fry)

2007-08-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

A directorial debut from actor/writer Stephen Fry. And what a wonderful director he makes. This movie is an absolute pleasure to watch. Well casted, acted (Emily Mortimer, Steven Campbell Moore, Dan Aykroyd, James McAvoy, David Tennant, Peter O'Toole to mention just few) and shot. And a very involving story too. Very witty and very British. Based on a novel by Evelyn Waugh 'Vile Bodies'. It's a story about young, wild, fun, party loving people. They embrace all that is new and try to establish themselves in the world of somewhat classic and standard generation, who get shaken by their avant-garde ways and call them Bright Young Things.
 

4 (chetyre) dir. Ilya Khrzhanovsky

2007-08-08T01:32:00.000-07:00

Probably the most bizarre movie I have ever seen. At least, it's the one film that is still playing on the back of my mind. It's a weird tale from Russian playwright Vladimir Sorokin. According to the movie descriptions it all starts in a Moscow bar where two men and a woman meet. But to me it all starts minutes before, with the title sequence and four dogs perched in the middl e of a street. from there on every sequence in the movie has 4 characters, at least for the first part of the film. The movie seems to be divided into two parts, that are incredibly different from each other. In fact they are so different, that taken apart and shown separately, they would make just as much sense, or maybe more (as i spend quite a while trying to figure out what has happened). i can't think of anything similar to compare the movie to. it certainly is a one off experience. Not bad. Not good. But plain bizarre. And kind of entertaining. Someone said that it's the kind of movie that won't translate well to the audience this side of Volga, well, I come from the north of Europe, and understand Russian language quite well, but even I was struggling to make sense of majority of the scenes. The most funny thing that I remember from the film is the strange tales that two male and a female customers tell each other at the bar (the fourth character is a bartender). The woman is a prostitute, who tells she works in advertising. And follows it up by inventing a strange product to eliminate smells from the house that she's supposedly advertising. Each story everyone tells has something to do with number four, even though in itself the number doesn't seem to have any real significance. However once you get used to hearing this crazy tales, the movie changes it's course completely, as if all of a sudden it's a different film. There're no more tales involving number four, no more scenes with four characters, it's a new tale. The only thing that keeps it kind of together is the same woman traveling out of Moscow and into a countryside. Where she seems to illegally sneak through some fence and run past some stray dogs into a small village (?), populated entirely by old women who chew bread then spit it out and glue breaded-dolls together. Those dolls are supposedly later sold in markets to children. Well, those children must really think that 'Chucky' doll is a Barbie in comparison!

Big Fish

2007-08-01T03:13:00.001-07:00

This post is about creativity. And finding the big ideas. It's quite abstract and not related to any one film in particular. But, this is the way I like things to be. Routines can be quite tiring at times.

'Ideas are like fish.
If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper.
Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract. And they are very beautiful.
I look for a certain kind of fish that is important to me, one that can translate to cinema. But there are all kinds of fish swimming down there. There are fish for business, fish for sports. There are fish for everything.
Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics call that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness- your awareness- is expanded, the deeper you go towards this source, and the bigger the fish you can catch.'
('Catching the Big Fish: meditation, consciousness, and creativity' by David Lynch)

For David Lynch the way to dive deeper in search of 'the big fish' is his Transcendental Meditation practice. For me it's the thirst for knowledge, it's reading, and watching, and talking, and observing. I believe that unless you have a pond full of fish, there's nothing there to be caught. You've got to fill it up full of all kinds of fishes, small and big. And you've got to feed them. Constantly. Only then you can dive in search of the right idea.

This post is for my friend who has gone to pursue new adventures, conquer new hearts and leave fresh footsteps on yet unwalked snow.

The end of the era

2007-07-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

The last of the giants, Ingmar Bergman, Swedish film director, has died at the age of 89. The genius behind 'The Seventh Seal', 'Persona' and his latest TV movie 'Saraband' amongst many others. He was one of the first to challenge our views on religion, sexuality and most importantly death. For death might be the only still intriguing and mesmerizing 'thing' left in the movies. It seems to be a sort of taboo. Carefully approached, quietly walked around and, at best, only whispered about. To me, Bergman's death marks the end of the great cinematic era. He was the last director in the category. His films were full of stalk contrasts with each image making a perfect picture and each story told like no other. If I was to recommend just one film of his- it would be 'Persona'. A poetic film about two women telling their stories; wonderfully told, stunningly shot. No one makes films the way he did them now, he's probably going to be a landmark in 'film' movies, with everyone moving into digital video and realism of 'big brother' like cinema. I must agree with Peter Bradshaw (the guardian), that no other European filmmaker really believes in urgency of moral questions the way Bergman did. And, as such, it does mark the end of the era. However, I also believe that we need to understand what is happening around us in a simplified and more realistic fashion. Something we can identify with easier. Art house movies will always play a special part in most European's hearts, but when it comes to actual influence and mind 'manipulation', I think, it's Lukas Moodysson and Lars Von Trier territory.

Ulrich Mühe

2007-07-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ulrich Mühe, the man who fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a brilliant actor despite the german oppression, has died of stomach cancer this week.
'Das Leben der Anderen' ('The Lives of Others') is probably the best film to have reached our screens this year.

MAD MEN

2007-07-25T02:43:00.001-07:00

'Is selling stuff the only thing that matters?
No, getting paid for selling stuff is the only thing that matters.'

The Golden Age of advertising. The TV series. Finally.
Advertising at this period was probably the most glamorous job you could possibly have.

Sexist, racist and anti-semitic. A show about smoking and drinking. From the moment the main character enters his office. The producers and the writers tried hard to keep true to the period as much as possible. Though, of course, some people found faults. They always do. The reviews made me laugh. Rather a lot.

The set design and the costumes transfer you into altogether a completely different era. From nail polish to blusher to lipstick everything is quite authentic. People walk differently, they talk differently. And they act differently. However, does it mean that office policies have changed? Or do we repress a lot of opinions and don't voice quite as much?

I like the show. Can't wait for it to be finally broadcasted in England.

The Saddest Music in the World (dir. Guy Maddin)

2007-07-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

A canadian director with a completely different vision and perspective on filmmaking, great storytelling, new technic in filming- where black and white are so interconnected with colour that at the end it seems like a mad dream that sucks you right in and you feel like you never want it to stop. 'The saddest music in the world' was the last film of his that i saw. (In fact I was under the illusion that he didn't make any more movies, until quite recently when I searched for more more info on Maddin that i discovered he's done loads. There are quite few recent movies too. It saddens me that I have not heard of even one of them being mentioned in the past few years. It makes me wonder as to where could i possibly find them.) That film I saw in 2003 at Prince Charles Cinema in London. Guy Maddin was there to give a quick introduction to the film. The best comment he made that day (the comment that stuck with me ever since) was to do with his saddest childhood experience, 'Happy Birthday' song because at the age of 3, once you start understanding and remembering things, you start to realize just how fake it all is. Having to smile and be thankful to people you don't like and play with toys you never asked for and all the time appear happy.
The plot of the film is quite simple really: 1933 Winnipeg, "the world capital of sorrow", where Lady Port-Huntly (Isabella Rossellini) has set up a contest (to get more customers to her tavern mainly) for the saddest music. And there's a cash prize of $25,000, which she hopes to generate from all the customers.
However, the film is not that simple (every character has a story and a feature of their own. Like, Lady Port-Huntly is a wig wearing legless woman, who gets given legs made out of glass and filled with her finest beer.) and the music isn't camp either. It's a bit surreal and it has quite few comic elements to it. The film was shot on 8mm film (which got sort of ruined at the developing stage, but it created an interesting result. hence the rest of the footage went through the same process (i might be wrong here, but I think it had something to do with the flood at the developing studio)) and video. It gives a sense of being drawn into the film, being a part of that strange world. It is difficult to describe Guy Maddin's films, because the only films you can really compare it with are his own movies. The closest i have ever seen anyone describe it was comparing it to the description of colour blue, which is virtually impossible to describe. This is one of the film one has to see and experience to really understand. It's for the lovers of the film as a medium, for this film has it's own style and language and it lures you into it, into believing the unbelievable.

The reason why blockbusters just don't do it for me

2007-07-05T00:33:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?
Well done to the guys at JWT Dubai.

Fur: An Imaginary Portait of Diane Arbus (dir. Steven Shainberg)

2007-07-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

"…there are only two sins; the first is to interfere with the growth of another human being, and the second is to interfere with one's own growth."

An imaginary portrayed of Diane Arbus. The famous photographer who didn't live to experience her influence. Another tragic personality. Another wonderful tale.
Directed by Steven Shainberg, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Nicole Kidman, who gives another great performance (interesting how she suddenly grew and spread her wings after Stanley Kubric's last film 'Eyes Wide Shut'. Could it be that he opened some sort of 'portal' in her? Was his directing so outstanding that it brought the best out of people?). Admitedly there are few close-ups too many for my liking, but on the whole, it's stunningly edited, thumbs up for set design and cinematography. It's an eye candy of a film.
Director Steven Shainberg ('Secretary') has managed to create a very personal signature in film, with interesting insights into difficult characters and their strange and unfamiliar worlds.

If it's not the documentraresq side that interests us then it's the fascination with the unknown and the scary that keeps us on the edge of the seat. It's the love of gore and death, all things that would normaly scare us, but in films, having the invisible wall of safety around us, we look with fascination. With a certain desire to be this free to do the kind of stuff that those characters in movies do, to liberate the most surreal dreams and to experience a 'different life'. Personally, it's the idea of unfulfilled potential and regrets about the past, that are of the real interest here. We all have a few things we'd most likely change if we had a chance. When we watch a film about someone doing so, it inspires us (or rather reminds us of our own desires and dreams). Hence creating an illusion that there's still a chance for us to actually do something. The illusion? Well, how many of us have actually changed anything after watching a film? Have gone off to explore the darker sides of oneself? It's nice to dream and to know that other people have desires too..., but as with most fascinating stories this one's a tragic one. And the safety of a quiet life surrounded by ordinary people becomes somewhat attractive again.

Last summer saw her retrospective at the V&A museum in London. And the publication of yet another great book "Diane Arbus Revelations" by Doon Arbus and Diane Arbus.

Coke for the masses

2007-07-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Continuing on my documentaresq thread here. I must say at this point that documentaries are of the most interest to me at this moment as now more than ever a lot of good ones are coming out and even making it to the big screen. Last year there was a list of 10 best documentaries to watch in the cinemas, which in itself is suggestive of the fact that there were few more than 10 in circulation. This should be great news for all the documentary lovers. And a fantastic news for all documentary filmmakers. The budgets for this genre have grown accordingly, and even though they still don't reach those of films in general, there's hope!
Last summer at the Rest Fest (which reminds me: does anyone know what is happening to the RES magazine, I hear they are changing, but changing into what?) they had a few meetings for the documentary filmmakers about budgeting and sponsorships and other general information. which only confirms the fact that documentary business is growing. which in turn confirms that people are interested in real life stories, they want to know more. I think that in a way fiction had its time, obviously it's not going to fade out (nooo, I'm certainly not suggesting that! I love fiction!), but now we are in the era of a different type of film, it's more documentary based, it's biographical ('La Vie en Rose', 'Marie Antoinette', 'Fur'), it shows that we are interested in real life or life as we'd like to have imagined certain individuals have led it (take the famous 'let them eat cake' line that Marie Antoinette had apparently used, fact or fiction? Does it make any difference?). Our obsession with gossip, celebrity and current affairs has made us crave for more documentary based film. We want to see the demise of the rich and famous, the fall of influential, the rise of poor and power of the few. We want to see life, but not necessarily as it is, more as we imagine it to be, or crave it to be like. This is were fiction kicks in again. This is were fiction works at it's best. The more real it seems the better. Yet reality is not a necessity, we'd loose interest if everything was shown as it is, it needs to be romanticized and dramatized. Then we are hooked.

La Vie en Rose (dir. Olivier Dahan)

2007-06-29T00:14:00.001-07:00

This is a beautiful impressionistic portrait of Edith Piaf. Written and directed by Olivier Dahan.(I must admit I do not know his other films, but I will definitely watch some of them, who knows maybe even all of them!) It has a wonderful cast. Marion Cotillard gives a truly emotional and memorable performance as the legendary French icon Edith Piaf (but so do the younger actresses who play Edith). Gerard Depardieu plays a nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who discovered Edith and gave her a nickname that stayed with her for the rest of her life, La Mome Piaf ("The Little Sparrow").

"From the main streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. born into abject poverty, surrounded by street performers, hookers, and pimps, Piaf's magical voice made her a star on both sides of the Atlantic."
(taken from http://www.edithpiafmovie.com/)

It's a wonderful movie, with beautiful photography. It's absolutely delightful to watch and painful to see it end. Edith Piaf's life was short and tragic in many ways. But she claimed to have no regrets and enjoyed all she could, with all of her heart.

Sketches of Frank Gehry (dir. Sydney Pollack)

2007-06-18T05:03:00.000-07:00

This is the first proper documentary on Frank Gehry, who was approached few times before by different filmmakers, yet he chose Sydney Pollack because he knew nothing of architecture. Pollack had a personal interest in making a documentary. The movie he was promoting at the time was turning out to be bad and he went on a tour around europe. When he first saw some pictures of Franks building he wanted to call in the construction workers. "It's a crazy dream of a building. It's like it was designed by Don Quichote on drugs." It's only when he saw Bilbao that it really hit him. He knew Frank for a while and he just couldn't believe that someone he knew could do something like this. This is not a balanced documentary but a take on how the mind of an artist works. He didn't make it for a lot of people but rather for himself so that he could learn more about it. In fact, Sydney Pollack didn't think of the whole thing as a documentary- he took it as a creative process, because it's hard to explain the genesis of an idea. According to Frank Gehry architectural photographers destroy the building, because they leave out people. and they are the context of the building.

"Is starting hard? you know it is... when i start i clear my desk, make stupid delays (denial), I'm always scared that i won't know what to do." (F. Gehry)

Every idea has been done before. you've got to realize that. The difference is the technology and the availability. Everyone learns from everyone else. We all do similar stuff, influenced by same things but it's our signature that makes it stand out (with technology etc.). Similarities are comforting- it's like, you get to jump of a cliff (challenge yourself) knowing that you have a parachute with you.

Frank never gives up, failure only motivates him even more. When he went to the architecture school in the second year he was taken aside and his tutor suggested he changed the subject. Needless to say, he didn't.

Instead of reacting negatively to criticism- Frank does what every egoist should do, he takes the building apart and starts all over again. You have to take good criticism with the bad. and you can get really put down in the process, but when you're true to yourself over time you start recognizing your footprint. Everyone has a different signature and you've got to trust yourself that when you work hard, it's going to come through in some way. There has to be a variety in the nature of the experience. A lot of people only take 20 seconds to look at something.

Architecture is very much about the materials as well as the shape. architects make beauty with junk. All projects start with a simple sketch, then comes a model. And this model is like a clay-work you shape and reshape it constantly, until you feel it's right. Frank designs from the inside out. Disney Hall is an acoustical game. A lot of classical music research has gone into it (understanding how musicians feel about the room). A conductor understands the room and conducts the orchestra according to the space. Early models are done understanding that sort of ideas. You always start from inside out. You cannot start with a shape and then jam stuff in. Frank Gehry is convinced that if he designed a shape without considering the purpose of the building he wouldn't have any clients. And it's all about clients and listening to them. It's not that different to advertising.
By the time he gets to the finished building he doesn't like it anymore. You always think you could do this or that. You get scared and you wonder- how are people going to feel about it? You are only ever satisfied when you hear how other people react to it. Architecture is a slow burn, it takes a while for people to like it.
The process is like a living thing, it's constantly evolving. The trick is to make that building relate to everything around it.
"When you're young you seek impossible perfection. You realize as you mature that there's no there- you ain't gonna get there." Anger is frustration that needs to come out in a creative way. Because you know something has to change and you need to find a way to change it. The difference between artists and people in general is that artist try to find a way to change the world whereas everyone else just wants to know how to handle it.

first timer

2007-06-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, I'm new to the blogging world, however the lack of real film adoration is getting at me. This is a blog about movies, film directors, music videos and commercials.