Polaróides Urbanas (2008)iMDB Rating: 5.4
Comedic portrait of middle-aged women in Rio de Janeiro, including overworked housewife Magali and her over-the-top twin sister Magda, psychoanalyst Paula and her troublesome daughter Melanie, and stage star in crisis Lise.
The Bouncer (2006)iMDB Rating: 3.2Gritty independent dark comedy
I will admit to being biased first up. I am a lifelong John Waters fan and run his fansite. Disclaimers out of the way ! I first saw The Bouncer at the cast and crew screening last year. Saw it again when it got its cinema release. I really enjoyed it. I thought it realistically portrayed the Perth club scene and had a nice gritty feel to it. Johns narrative is the highlight for me, along with some of the plot twists and flashbacks. I loved the opening credits too. The casts performances are all great. There is violence and language - so obviously the film is not for kids. I hope it gets a DVD release and more independent films get support out there.
Kariseuma talchulgi (2006)iMDB Rating: 6.5Bad boy or good boy?
The movie begins with a school in terror for the imminent arrival of a new student, an urban legend, a bully called "the seven cutter", because he uses to carve a seven centimeters long wound on his victims. This boy is Han Su (An Jae Mo), but since the first moment he doesn't seem the right guy...
As you can understand from the plot, this movie plays on misunderstanding. In the end it was a nice view, it has some funny scenes and cheesy ones too. Yoon Eun Hye, as the 'tough' girl, portrays a cute character. The weak points are that in some parts it was just boring, in the "i got it, move on with the next scene please!" way, and in the second half the plot twist's introduction was somehow confused.
Gwai aan ying ging (2006)iMDB Rating: 4.0The Tao of ghostbusting; religion and policing. On January 2, 2006, three fateful things happen to Sergeant Yiu, a lackluster Hong Kong cop: he shoots a notorious criminal who vows to haunt him, his aunt dies and passes to him the ability to see ghosts, and he's given a desk job at the 7th precinct. There he's supervised by the hard-nosed Madame Tsui, he meets Bing, the force's expert on the supernatural, and he works with Fiona, a lovely colleague with her own secret. Can Yiu (called "Seven") manage his gift, face the ghost, and find the gang that's still at large? Help comes from Taoists, a young medium, and the venerable precinct itself, but the forces of evil are great.
A complete waste of time
Roderick Lam (from New Police Story) gets killed by Alex Fong (Midnight Angels). Alex Fong plays a cop and he learns from his Aunt that he as a special power called Ghost Eyes. This allows him to see ghosts. And it is a good thing he can see ghosts, because after he kills Roderick Lam, Lam turns into a ghost. Roderick Lam plays a pyschotic killer, so when he is killed, he comes back as a very evil ghost. Does it seem like I am having trouble explaining this movie? Well, I am. This is one of the worst movies I have seen in quite a while. So anyways, Alex Fong goes to see a "cops phantom" consultant played by Yuen Wah. Now Fong starts helping Wah sort files. Why is he sorting files? I wish I could tell you. So basically the story comes down to Wah helping Fong defeat the evil ghost.
Roderick Lam is a scary looking villain, but that is all this movie has going for it. I have always been a fan of Alex Fong, but he is completely miscast. It is nice to see Yuen Wah, but the horrible script makes all of the actors look bad. There are a lot of women in the movie, and they all look great, but a movie needs a decent script to make it worth watching. I recommend that nobody ever watches this movie.
This is a tough movie to review because it is so horrible, but I couldn't find any reviews on the internet and I felt an obligation to let people know how bad it is.
Cara de queso 'mi primer ghetto' (2006)iMDB Rating: 6.0The Jewish community and the Argentine viewer
I can tell when a film is a first work; from a first time director. I don't know how you can tell that, but I know that Argentine first time directors usually choose common things for their films. I'm saying common for an Argentinian like myself. Jewish directors write scripts about Jewish families in their typical environment.
Daniel Burman directed "El Abrazo Partido", the most recognized among the films he did about his Jewish origins but with other characters in the story lines. What highlighted in each of Burman's films was the presence of the great Uruguayan actor Daniel Hendler and the fact that his main characters were always called Ariel.
Coincidentally, Ariel Winograd's picture main character is also named Ariel (as himself) and I believe his script contains an obvious reference to Burman when his name is mentioned during one scene. Ariel is played by a child actor named Sebastián Montagna, who appears as the main character in the plot, while not being the main actor of the film. Ariel has many friends of his age and they all live in a private neighborhood; a place where the popular kids mess with guys like Ariel and his friends.
Meanwhile, Ariel walks the streets with his friends and encounters his grandfather (the legendary Juan Manuel Tenuta): "How many times do you masturbate in one day?", he asks them. The grandfather character will have his moments, as will all of the characters in a brilliant screenplay where everyone gets a chance to shine.
Yesterday I read an interview made to two young actors of an enormous talent and a promising future ahead of them. Martin Piroyanski and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart; both of them star in "Cara de Queso": the first one as Ariel's brother David, a sports genius with a difficult girlfriend, the latter one as Felman, a nerd rejected by Ariel and his friends and crazy in love for Ariel's sister. In the interview, both actors appear so intelligent and their characters here demonstrate that intelligence as they cover their different faces.
Unlike many first time directors (Pablo Trapero with "El bonaerense", Carlos Sorín with "El Perro", Adrián Caetano with "Piza, Birra y Faso"), Winograd's casting includes actors we all know. Not only familiar but also terrific actors, like Mercedes Morán, Carlos Santamaría, the young Julieta Zylberberg and even Daniel Hendler as a sports man; plus the special appearances by Federico Luppi and Susú Pecoraro. All the child actors are the right choices for the peculiar beings Wingodard put on his screenplay.
In first works I look for innovation, and the cameras looking from the sky to the ceilings are really interesting. However, the screenplay is the element that makes us jump off our seats, because the behavior of the Jewish community never bores the Argentine viewer; and the unexpected endings like the one in this film never bore me.
So you must wonder…After a first screenplay and a first film like this one, probably about his own life; what will be the next thing on Wigodard's mind? I certainly hope something original and luckily different from this gem.
La vraie vie est ailleurs (2006)iMDB Rating: 6.2Geneva train station. A woman leaves for Marseilles to give a conference. A man is on his way to Berlin to discover his new born child. A young woman is off to live in Naples. When one person invites itself to take a seat next to someone else, a new reality can start off. Three people meeting, three life stories which switch on the platform of a railway station.
It all adds up to a journey well worth taking.
Strangers on a train are not always as sick and twisted as Hitchcock believed. Sometimes they are the right person in the right place at the right time as Swiss director Frederic Choffat suggests in his romantic feature "La Vraie Vie Est Ailleurs" (Real Life Is Elsewhere).
Given its world premiere in competition in the Filmmakers of the Present sidebar at the Locarno International Film Festival, the film tracks three separate, unnamed travelers from Geneva as they each meet strangers who will have an effect on their lives.
Shot guerrilla style with a minimal crew at different locations with improvised input from the cast, the film has a coherent feel and offers impressive performances and memorable images. It should fare well commercially on the art house circuit.
Choffat captures the pull of railway stations and the rush of departing for faraway places in the early scenes as people hurry for their trains in Geneva.
One of them is a scholarly woman (Sandra Amodio) boarding the train for Marseilles, where she is to deliver an important presentation on her scientific research in the health field.
When the man (Vincent Bonillo) in the seat opposite tells the ticket inspector that he not only has no ticket but he also has no identification and no money, the woman impulsively pays for his fare. In Marseilles, the man has no place to stay, and when there are no rooms available at the woman's hotel, she offers him the couch in her room.
Meanwhile, a young Swiss-born woman (Antonella Vitali) is moving to Naples in order to reaffirm her Italian heritage. Seen off by her friends, she finds herself in a sleeper carriage overseen by a zealous but gloomy Italian conductor (Roberto Molo). He admires Switzerland and despises southern Italy, warning the girl about the terrors of Naples and the dangers of traveling alone.
When no other single women board the train and she declines a move to the family carriage, the conductor insists on being her protector through the night.
Third, a young man (Dorian Rossel) headed for Berlin, where his girlfriend has just given birth, misses his connection in Dortmund, Germany, and has to spend the night in the vast, empty station. Empty, that is, apart from a beautiful and intriguingly reckless young Czech woman (Jasna Kohoutova) who is on her way to Bucharest.
The film cuts back and forth among the three couples in the steady hands of Choffat and editor Cecile Dubois. Severine Barde's cinematography makes the most of the atmosphere provided by trains and stations, especially in the nighttime sequences at Dortmund. The sound, by Jurg Lempen and Patrick de Rahm, plays an important role, as does the score by Pierre Audetat and Stade.
The story lines are inventive, and the acting is naturalistic despite the contrived circumstances. It all adds up to a journey well worth taking.
Ray Bennett, the Hollywood Reporter
Duo (2006)iMDB Rating: 5.2Very funny movie
Two agents, not at all friends, are trying to get a singer to make a comeback. They reach him in a small town in the beautiful Charlevoix region in Quebec, Canada. I went to see this movie mainly because of the beautiful and talented Annick Lemay. What a surprise! I laughed out loud in the cinema, that rarely happens to me. The story is very funny, the acting is superb. Julie McClemens is usually seen in dramatic roles, in this film she shows incredible talent for comedy. The scenery is so beautiful that you think to visit the Charlevoix region on your next vacation. I also liked the music. Stefie Shock's song " Ange gardien" should be a hit, the rhythm and the lyrics just stay in your head long after the screening. Go see this movie and have a great laugh.
You Kill Me (2007)iMDB Rating: 6.6Frank Falenczyk loves his job. He just happens to be the hit-man for his Polish mob family in Buffalo, New York. But Frank's got a drinking problem and when he messes up a critical assignment that puts the family business in peril, his uncle sends him to San Francisco to clean up his act. Frank is not a touchy-feely kind of guy, but he starts going to AA meetings, gets a sponsor and a job at a mortuary where he falls for the tart-tongued Laurel, a woman who is dangerously devoid of boundaries. Meanwhile, things aren't going well in Buffalo where an upstart Irish gang is threatening the family business. When violence erupts, Frank is forced to return home and with an unlikely assist from Laurel, faces old rivals on new terms.
I may have to brake his toes…You Kill Me
From the screenwriters of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes the R-rated black comedy You Kill Me. It's an odd pairing, but at least you can say these guys have range. To helm this film, about a hit-man whose drinking problem has caused sloppiness and perhaps the demise of his Polish gang in Buffalo, we have John Dahl. I am a huge fan of Rounders, so I was hoping for some of the same here, with a dramatic arc that worked and made sense intelligently, but also bringing the laughs that the trailer promised. Thankfully this film doesn't disappoint. Yes, there are some moments of disbelief, but the dry, straight-laced delivery of everything else makes up for the leaps in logic that would otherwise eat at me for the duration. While not laugh-out-loud funny, Dahl has put together a nice slow burning comedy that allows its characters to live and breathe realistically and evolve in a somewhat believable manner.
Our aforementioned hit-man is played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley. I remember when I used to look at him as just Ghandi, but after the diverse catalog of films he has done recently, I've realized that he isn't afraid to branch out into darker fare. His role here has a lot going for it in comedic terms—he is an alcoholic, a loner that kills for money, and a resident of the arctic pole of Buffalo. Put all that together and you can think of a few funny situations for him to get into. To the filmmakers' credit, though, we never really get any of that except for the opening "job." When Kingsley's Frank sleeps through the one big job he is relied on to do, everything falls apart. What happens next is his journey to sobriety and friendship/love to pull him through to an understanding about what he really is living for. What worked for a film like The Matador couldn't be as effective here. Frank isn't having a nervous breakdown or losing his cool, he is off the job seeking help so that he can go back on the payroll. We don't need him to drunkenly wave a loaded gun at people, the comedy instead comes from his fish-out-of-water situation, being a cold-hearted killer trying to warm up to recovering alcoholics and a community he is not used to being sober around.
Kingsley definitely plays the role to perfection, never faltering from his matter-of-fact tone or takes no crap attitude. Everything out of his mouth is carefully orchestrated and he is not one to waste his own or others' time. This fact makes some scenes hilarious because of the reactions from those he is speaking to. When he speaks from the heart and seriously, while sprinkling in his own experiences murdering people, during AA meetings, the utter silence and occasional Amen from the audience is gold. Besides his unfaltering demeanor and his sardonic sarcasm, it is when he plays off of love interest Téa Leoni when some of the best laughs occur. These two have a wonderful rapport and when they go at each other rapid fire, with one quip/comeback after another, you'd think it was all ad-libbed—the timing is that good. Leoni has been surprising me lately with her career. I don't know why I used to think she was annoying, but recently having seen films like House of D and her early work in Flirting With Disaster, I realize that she is good at both the dramatic and the comedic.
The who's who of supporting players also does a nice job anchoring the story. Luke Wilson seems to really just be playing himself, but the laidback friend is what is needed for the role. Philip Baker Hall and Dennis Farina show how it's done as two rival mob bosses in Buffalo, (yes, I said mob bosses in Buffalo, I'm constantly scared for my life when walking around downtown at night). Their storyline is handled well and counteracts the subtle humor going on at rehab in San Francisco with some tense moments trying to keep the Polish afloat at the hands of the ever increasing Irish crew. Mention is also needed for Bill Pullman who has been making some good choices of late in small supporting roles. His self-absorbed real estate agent is entertaining because his ego won't let him be intimidated by the killer he is conversing with.
The laughs may not come over and over again, but when they do it's smartly and appropriately. The fact that everyone in San Fran who hears Kingsley is a hit-man just accept it like someone saying they washed their clothes that morning is a bit rough to get by, but really it doesn't matter in terms of plot progression. The writers also try to distill the problem with Frank saying how it's Alcoholics "Anonymous," which brings a smile to your face for nothing more than the corniness of the line. I also don't know how perfect placing the movie in Buffalo was. It seems the writers needed a cold, drinking town up north and our wonderful home of Buffalo was the first to come to their heads. When was the last time you heard about the Irish and Polish mob going to war while the Greeks stood back to see who came out on top? Yeah, that's right, never. I did like the touch of hometown words by naming an Irish bar Scajaqueda. Just proves again these guys had no clue what they were doing with location. Overall, though, the film works despite any of its shortcomings.
Rainbow Raani (2006)iMDB Rating: 5.8Rainbow Raani is a sexy comedy with a message that shatters geographic and gender barriers for true love. The story revolves around a musical band called "The Rainbows": a quartet, like the Beatles, but composed of an African, an Indian, a Caucasian and a Chinese player.
this film will catch you off guard
I was not sure what to expect from Rainbow Raani when I first saw it. The humor is offbeat, and the first 5 minutes can leave you perplexed as to what this film is actually about.
However, there is a subtle beauty to the film that isn't apparent until after you've seen the whole thing. The plot moves slowly at first, giving you time to get a feel for the tropical culture. There are several subplots that connect a range of characters from Guyana and New York City. It culminates in some interesting twists by the end.
If not for the film itself, the music alone makes it worth a watch.
I recommend this to anyone with slightly eccentric tastes. You might not know what to make of it at first, but you'll be quoting it after you've seen it!
Molière (2007)iMDB Rating: 7.3In 1657, playwright/actor Molière, having been given a theater in the capital by the King, is back in Paris after touring the kingdom of France with his company of players. One day, a young lady asks him to follow her to the deathbed of her mother... Thirteen years earlier, Molière already runs a troupe but goes broke and is thrown to prison. Fortunately (?) his debt is covered by Monsieur Jourdain, a rich man who wants him to help him rehearse a one-act play he has written with a view to seducing a beautiful bright young widow, Célimène. As Jourdain is married to Elmire, and is the "respectable" father of two daughters his design must remain secret so Molière is introduced into the house as Tartuffe, an austere priest...
Why DVD's are helpful
There are many venues for viewing films, and one of the most helpful is on DVD. Yes, the "big screen" in a movie house is special: and, yes, film festivals are more fun. There is not much one can do about duplicating a festival in one's living room, but today's large home screens fill in pretty well for the larger commercial houses. The DVD adds another dimension, beside quality, that the theaters normally do not provide: special features! The commentary by director Laurent Tirard on the making of MOLIERE raises the understanding of the art of the film from good to excellent. In explaining the relation of scenes and characters from Moliere's plays to scenes and characters in the film, Tirard transcends the art of biography. This is especially helpful with a playwright like Moliere who is long-removed from contemporary culture, both in substance and form. Of course, not all special effects are as useful as Tirard's commentary. Most range from a director's "what I did last summer" to a "I can't explain why I wrote that." Tirard is the exception. As one who has a Ph.D in Literature, even I read precious little of Moliere, and then usually only under the gun. After viewing Tirard's commentary, I think I might just go to the library and pick up a book of Moliere's plays, and take home another of Tirard's films---on DVD!
A Dog's Breakfast (2007)iMDB Rating: 7.0If you've never been good at anything in your life, why would murder be any different? A Dog's Breakfast is a head smacking, bone breaking, fiancé bashing romp, about a family that just loves themselves to pieces. Patrick has always had a somewhat combative relationship with his little sister Marilyn. But when she brings home her new TV star fiancé Ryan, it's all out war. When Patrick fails to drive a wedge between the happy couple, he reaches for sharper instruments. Every family has a few skeletons in the closet; A Dog's Breakfast is the nightmarishly funny mess Patrick makes when he tries to add another to his.
Great dark comedy
Just saw this movie in Vancouver last weekend. Twice. I had high hopes for it and was not disappointed. There's comedy of all kinds (dry, slapstick, morbid, light, etc.) and some really engaging characters. Sure, one or two of the "twists" were kind of obvious to me, but as I didn't go expecting it to be "The Usual Suspects", it didn't bother me that I figured it out before the reveals. Actually, I'm not too sure they didn't mean for the audience to figure it out before the reveal. The main thing seemed to be that the character(s) didn't know everything. So, yeah, I had a really good time, and a lot of good laughs, and will definitely be buying this one on DVD when it comes out.
Zoop in India (2006)iMDB Rating: 4.7
Undead or Alive: A Zombedy (2007)iMDB Rating: 5.3Army deserter Elmer Winslow and local cowboy Luke Budd are on the run after robbing the evil Sheriff Claypool, stealing his money and fleeing the town, they find themselves with an angry posse on their trail. Joining Elmer and Luke is an Apache warrior, who's out to wreak vengeance on behalf of her decimated people; her plan is to attack the U.S. Army wherever she can find it, and she takes Elmer up on his offer to go with her to the nearest Army outpost he knows. Their plans become complicated when they discover that, as a result of the great Apache Geronimo's curse on the white man, all the people of the surrounding areas have turned into zombies.
Silly & mindless, but watchable
Synopsis: Army deserter Elmer Winslow (James Denton) and loser cowboy Luke Budd (Chris Kattan) flee town after robbing the evil Sheriff Claypool (Matt Besser). With the Sheriff's posse hot on their trail, Elmer and Luke (oddly) join up with Sue (Navi Rawat), the hot niece of Geronimo with the promise that they'll show her the way to the nearest Army Outpost. Sue wants to take vengeance upon those (the entire Army, apparently) who wronged her people and killed her uncle. Unfortunately for our small band of misfits. . . everyone in the area has turned into ravenous zombies.
Review: Since I went in thinking this was a real zombie western, I was surprised (and annoyed) to find a cheesy comedy. Or, 'Western Zombedy' as the director called it. Breaking down the 'horror-comedy' of the film. . . there's very little horror. Sure, there's a bit of gore and zombie violence, but most of it is done out of humour and, even still, not funny. The attempted comedy does get a couple laughs, mostly from Chris Kattan and his usual idiot behaviour and Brian Posehn as the first zombie. On the positive side, the soundtrack is pretty good. Not good, just pretty good. There were a couple tunes in there I'll actually seek out. . . but, the music doesn't make up for a badly acted, written, and directed film with a strange habit of forgetting exactly what time period they're in (which is one of the worst things a film can do for me). Overall, if you're willing to waste an hour and a half on some mindless crap and you have nothing at all else to watch, give it a look. . . but it's not worth much.
Final Rating: 4/10
-AP3-
