Week 27 in film

Some great surprises last week.

Trance (Danny Boyle, 2013)
What do we know about Danny Boyle? That he excels in his use of lighting and soundtrack choice. Those are probably the only things that are good about this film. Trance could therefore be seen as a visual treat (Rosario Dawson!) but lacks in originality. The writers 'borrowed' from Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and plot twists are so 1995!   5/10

The Terrorizers (Edward Yang, 1986)
If you want to watch a film again after you finished it it must be great. Yang shows to be a very intelligent filmmaker by presenting a very calm and compelling network narrative which, as it should, provides its viewer with more pieces of the puzzle as the film carries on. Not so much do we receive clues or facts but are we getting more and more involved emotionally and do we learn to understand the choices of the individuals. Add some stunning cinematography and several graphic similarities which I always dig. Contains a lot of elements (even a photographer) that would be in the later masterpiece Yi Yi. Only thing I didn't like so much was the ending, but a second viewing shouldn't take too long.  8.5/10


The Element of Crime (Lars von Trier, 1984)
Von Trier's debut is clearly influenced by his idol Tarkovsky. The plot has hints from Hitchcock, perhaps if von Trier would have quoted Hitchcock a bit more this would have been a better film, now it is too much style for a crime plot. His style is nevertheless impressive. 6.5/10

Two Lovers (James Gray, 2008)
The best film for this week. Joaquin Phoenix is a romantically naive photographer with suicidal tendencies who lives with his parents after his fiancee dumped him. His father introduces him to the likeable and decent daughter of a business colleague. A romance is born, but Phoenix seems to develop a weak spot for his more unstable neighbour, the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow. A film that stands out not only in its performances, but in portraying a harsh and emotional reality. As so often in a great film, the ending makes all the difference.  9/10 

Xich Lo (Anh Hung Tran, 1995)
Vietnam's Cidade de Deus. Good film, but a bit too dark and depressive for me. Some misery is shot beautifully though, but I couldn't enjoy it as much as I could in different themes and settings.  7.5/10

Le Bonheur (Agnes Varda, 1965)
Varda's happiness has almost the same opening as my favorite The Tree of Life, at least visually. Funny how a different tone can change a film experience. Left me colder than it should, I guess.  7/10

Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach, 2012)
Looks like a Manhattan-inspired exercise by Allen-adept Baumbach. Thanks to an honest and smart script co-written by its 'mumblecore' lead Greta Gerwig proves to be more than just a copy. Credit for portraying a complex and somewhat annoying lead character you slowly learn to love.  8/10

Week 20 in film

Norwegian Wood (Anh Hung Tran, 2010)
What I remember best is the music by Jonny Greenwood and the Beatles. The rest of the film is, although on occassions beautifully shot, forgettable. The second hour is too dull in its narrative, where the first managed too grab me at times. Too bad.   6.5/10



All God's Children Can Dance (Robert Logevall, 2007)
Boy is told to be the son of God. When he is an adult he sees a guy with a weird ear, who he believes could be his father. Feels a bit like a Wim Wenders film, it certainly isn't. Ends up being an empty shell.   3/10

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (Frank Capra, 1933)
Un-Capra like story of a woman (the great Barbara Stanwyck) who is kidnapped by a Chinese dictator. Pretty racist to have a Chinaman played by an American actor.    7.5/10

Headhunters (Morten Tyldum, 2011)
This film about an art-thief is about a lot except the theft of art. Lots of improbabilities. Not everything from Scandinavia can be a success   5.5/10

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
With a new film from Malick upcoming I had to re-watch his masterpiece again. It overwhelmed me even more than before this time. Goosebumps on multiple occassions, especially during the first hour. The editing is superb, pure poetry. Very hard, almost impossible for To The Wonder to live up to my expectations.   10/10



True Grit (Coen Brothers, 2010)
Good old 'the dude' Jeff Bridges delivers a good performance again. Entertaining, witty and probably better than the original, which I haven't seen. Not the best and not the worst Coen-film.   7.5/10

Izgnanie [The Banishment] (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2007)
Russian cinema almost never disappoints me. This dense picture has a slow pace, as we know from this director and it is beautifully crafted. Clearly quotes Tarkovsky, almost even literally. Is this a bad thing? Not at all.   8.5/10

The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, 1945)
Disappointing 'classic' from one of my favorite directors. The acting is great, but somehow the plot isn't moving forward and keeps repeating itself. Perhaps this is the point, but how to explain the un-Wilder-like ending? No, I expected better.   6.5/10



The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
Great action from Hong Kong. Woo would never deliver this kind of quality in Hollywood. Not even with Face/Off. Chow Yun Fat is supersolid. A film with 'the usual' friendship, snipers and one-bullet-left situations.  7.5/10