Demndiary

Under discussion:

Ink  (2009)

If you haven't heard about Ink, you soon will. When I first heard about it, I was hearing comparisons to The Matrix, Dark City, Sin City, and many more of the films that have revolutionized scifi. Ink is a fantasy film taking place in the real world, and the dreamworld. A fight is going on between the incubi, who cause nightmares, and the storytellers, who cause dreams. Their fight is over Emma, a little girl kidnapped by Ink. Emma's father, John is a vital player in this battle, but doesn't know it.

The film is beautiful and very fast moving. The action is done is a version of quick cuts that is sharp and fast. The story is a slow developing puzzle. I'm seeing Ink for my THIRD time tonight and may see it again. This is a mainstream indie film that you will remember.

Under discussion:

Home of the Brave  (2006)

Grace Is Gone  (2007)

James C Strouse's Grace is Gone is the story of Stanley Philipps (John Cusack) finding out that his wife died in Iraq, and having to deal with informing his two daughters: Heidi (Shelan O'Keefe) and Dawn (Gracie Bednarczyk).

          This is an acting film hidden in a road trip to Enchanted Gardens (which bares a resemblence to another large amusement park in Florida). John Cusack's Stanley is a wondrous range of emotions and contradictions. What was taboo before the news now is done on a whim. Stanley is unsure and hiding his own fear, and has few golden moments to break down. He is undenialably human.

           The daughters are spectacular. Shelan O'Keefe's Heidi is the older responsible one who wants to be a kid, but is already becoming that adult. She is the one prodding Stan about why everything is happening. It is role filled with range that O'Keefe never wavers in. She is an actress to watch. Gracie Bednarczyk's Dawn is simplier. She is a kid and wants to be just that. She wants to have fun: whether it is joking with Heidi or finding a way around dad. She is the innocence this film needs.

Strouse paints a road trip that not beholden to the road. A department store is a dream palace with flourescent lighting. Stan's mother's house is traditional, but a fleeting haven. There are few shots of driving without dialogue. The car is just another place, not a cramped environment from one destination to another.

Strouse has also made a war story that is not dominated by the war. It is the flip side of Home of the Brave. It is the family who has thoughts about what is happening but is not dominated by it. Even Stan's support of the war and why is not an issue. This is life, not politics.

Grace is Gone is a strong, personal film. It is about the strength of one family. It grabs the audience by the soul and never lets go. It is beautiful and heartfelt and should not be missed.

Under discussion:

Stand by Me  (1986)

It  (1990)

Saw  (2004)

The Girl Next Door  (2007)

It is the summer of 1958 and young David (Daniel Manoche) meets Meg Loughlin (Blythe Auffarth), the new girl next door in Gregory Wilson's Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door. Meg's parents were killed in a car crash, and now Meg, and her sister Sharon (Madeline Taylor) are forced to live with Auntie Ruth Chandler (Blanche Baker) and her sadistic children including Wille (Graham Patrick Martin) and Donny (Benjamin Ross Kaplan). It is a summer that haunts David in his adult life.

        The film starts out as a coming of age story like Stand by Me or Stephen King's It. It develops in a different direction that is more unsettling. Meg is punished for every wrong thing and that builds until Meg is strung up to be tortured. It then becomes Saw and tries to make the audience blink.

          The acting is varied. Daniel Manoche's is good early with scenes of budding love, but loses character as he is forced to watch Meg's degradation. Blythe Auffarth's Meg suffers the same problem. When she is friendly and normal she shines. Blanche Baker's Ruth is not given any range to move and stays her hard talking sadist running the circus. She also can't seem to hold her character to the end and speaks her lines listlessly.

            Jack Ketchum's Girl Next Door is a disappointing film. It is painful to watch as the audience loses the characters and is forced to watch torture for most of the film. By the end one is ready to see the characters die just to end the monotony.  

Under discussion:

The Tracey Fragments  (2007)

Ellen Page is Tracey Berkowitz, an outcast in her school, family and life who ends up on the streets of Ontario in this surreal drama. Bruce McDonald's The Tracey Fragments is based upon Maureen Medved's book. The film is linear and dreamlike as the screen is filled with multiple images reflecting Tracey's thinking.

          The film is astoudingly compelling. The speed is quick and gives broad and repetitive views of the same events as Tracey explains her reality. In her mind Billy Zero (Slim Twig), the hot new guy at school, loves her. He didn't rape her. Tracey's family is a horror story of a father (Ari Cohen) who doesn't listen to her, and a mother (Erin McMurty) who is disconnected to reality. Sonny, Tracey's younger brother, is her only ray of hope even though she hypnotized him to believe that he is dog. Sonny has gone missing, and Tracey is looking for him.

          Tracey Berkowitz is one of Ellen Page's edgiest characters. She is liked by no one. She narrates her story as a child who is years older. The langauge has beautiful metaphor and similie expressed profoundly. Page is strecthed from the street scenes of Ontario to the bleak family scenes.

           It is impossible to explain The Tracey Fragments. It is a film that is disturbing and hard to forget. It is worth multiple viewings. It should appeal to any fan of Charles Kaufman and David Lynch.

Under discussion:

Among Adults  (2007)

          Stephane Brize’s Among Adults is a kaleidoscope of twelve characters in relationships. The film was done as a film exercise that becomes more. The various couples have ten minute scenes in which they had an hour or less to rehearse the script. All of the actors are amateurs. The film looks are everything from prostitution, to adultery, to sexual harassment, and breakup.            

            Among Adults should be fun, and light tempered with drama and emotion. Instead it is moody, uneven and limited. Since each actor has two scenes, and is improving their lines, some dialogue repeats itself. Genuine performances are in it, but are not given time to be explored. In addition Among Adults doesn’t take risks in the relationships themselves. Everyone is a heterosexual with burdens of secrets. It becomes boring much faster than anticipated. It is filmed in limited sets: an apartment, office, car, and so on. There are no grand structures in it both physically or emotionally.            

               Among Adults is good by itself, but longs for more. It had the potential to become a deeper Paris Je T’aime and stayed pedestrian. The drama, emotion, and love left early. 

Under discussion:

The Natural  (1984)

Rocky  (1976)

The Rocket  (2007)

          It would be easy to classify Charles Biname’s The Rocket like any underdog sports film. It would also be wrong. Biname is after a bigger goal with this film. It is to expose the racism and discrimination during the fledgling days of the NHL. The film traces twenty years from the late 1930’s to the mid-1950’s.

 The film is carried by the performances of three actors: Roy Dupuis as Maurice Richard, Julie LeBreton as his wife Lucille, and Stephen McHattie as Dick Irvin, coach of the Canadiens. Dupuis is stoic, and silent in the beginning, and later on gives Richard a strong voice. LeBreton makes Lucille unflinchingly caring even during the worst of moments. McHattie’s Irvin is the “never say anything nice” coach who will win at all costs.  

In a film like Rocky, the final scene is winning the big match. In The Rocket, the best highlights of Richard’s career happen in the first hour. He is breaking records, and taking on other players. It is the second act that is more insightful to Ken Scott’s screenplay. The story is about overcoming classim and racism in regards to French-Canadiens. Richard battles the issue late in his career with an opinion column in the paper. He attempts to change the status quo in hockey by naming names. His real life actions went so far as to start a riot. The film makes Richard more like a Jackie Robinson, than a Magic Johnson. The film does grab a few pages from The Natural.  

Biname’s direction adds different tones to the film. The 30’s & 40’s are portrayed with some stock footage run into a blue filter. The hockey games are brutal and exciting. The performances are caught in Dick Irvin’s or Richard’s unblinking gazes. Biname also takes Ken Scott’s screenplay for the entire ride, not just the sports. It is this that makes it a bigger film with deeper meaning.

Under discussion:

From Subway With Love  (2005)

Filip Renc’s From Subway With Love is a surpringly funny comedy. It is based upon Michal Viewegh’s novel of the same name. The story is about Laura (Zuzana Kanóczová), a middle class Czech woman who lives with her mother Jana (Simona Stasová). Jana is bitter and cynical about love since her last boyfriend left her. Jana also fails to see the growing love of Zelma, her neighbor. Zelma is taking care of his terminally ill wife. When Laura meets Oliver (Marek Vasut) things get complicated. Oliver is an older man, who also had a relationship with Jana. The plot is very Woody Allen, but comes across beautifully.

Under discussion:

Who's Camus Anyway?  (2005)

Mitsuo Yanagimachi’s Who’s Camus Anyway? begins in chaos. It is 5 days to filming and the male lead has dropped out. Naoki Matsukawa (Shuji Kashiwabara), the director is being stalked by Yukari (Hinano Yoshikawa) a student who transferred schools just to be with him. The assistant director Hisada (Ai Maeda) is seeing her boyfriend off to a mountaineering trip. Oyama (Tomorowo Taguchi) is still getting permits and working on the budget. It doesn’t look good. All the while, Professor Nakajo (Hirotaro Honda) is getting ready to mark the second anniversary of his wife’s death and has a crush on a coed (Meisa Kuroki).  Both Director Yanagimachi and Cinematographer Junichi

Fujisawa must be applauded for a film with so many terrific camera views. The first scene of the film is a one shot take involving many actors and even involves a conversation about some of cinema’s best one shot takes. The film is filled with great wide angle shots and building shots inside.  

Yanagimachi also has made realistic and believable characters. Ikeda (Hideo Nakaizumi) has conflicting thoughts on relationships. Hisada is being chased by many suitors and is still trying to resolve why the main character in The Bored Murderer is killing. Yukari is both a scary stalker and a sympathetic woman who is willing to sacrifice anything for the guy she loves.  The film is overstuffed with film references. Everyone in the film relates different parts to memorable and not so memorable films. It is done in a cleaner way than Dario Argento’s Do You Like Hitchcock? It is also not used as filler material like Tarantino’s Death Proof. Since all the characters are in film school it is believable. The film chapters are also named after the different parts of film. This is not obvious. It is discovered when the SCENE ACCESS is used.  

The one area where the film slows is the actual filming of The Bored Murderer. After all the drama leading to the film it is anti-climatic to see the filming. It adds little to the story, and takes away from the story until then. 

In conclusion, Who’s Camus Anyway? is a great, realistic film about film and life. Anyone who studies film will find it a fun experience. It does lag in the finale, but it does not bring down all that came before it.

Under discussion:

Stalag 17  (1953)

Saving Private Ryan  (1998)

Blood Diamond  (2006)

The Last King of Scotland  (2006)

Letters from Iwo Jima  (2006)

The Hunting Party  (2007)

Richard Shepard's The Hunting Party is that wonderfully strange creature known as a political comedy, or more appropriately, a war comedy. It is incredibly funny, but also delves into the horrors of war. It does this without being preachy. It is a rare gift these days.

Richard Gere's Simon is wild, spontaneous, and just a little not there. It is not Gere's best part, ,but one of his best. Terrance Howard's Ducky owns the movie. It is his narrative that puts everything in perspective while showing just how absurd it really is. It should be an Oscar part for Howard. Jessie Eisenburg's Benjamin, the green cameraman, is over the top stereotypical until one scene that makes the ending of the film.

War films are tough. It is a fine line between Letters from Iwo Jima, and MASH. They can be too preachy like Saving Private Ryan and Blood Diamond. The Hunting Party finds it line in a space that The Last King of Scotland, and Stalag 17 drew out. It is the right mix of comedy, absurdy and characters that keep the audience balanced against bloodshed and horror. It is a fun film and worthy of seeing again and again.

Under discussion:

Fahrenheit 9/11  (2004)

No End in Sight  (2007)

Charles Ferguson's No End In Sight is the living history of an unfinished war. It is done in an old fashioned journalistic style which means questions are asked to illicit answers, not to provoke or prod. It is      non-partisan and objective. It is a chronicle from 2003 to now. It includes live footage shot in Iraq and statements from Iraqis. It is moving beyond words. It should be the instruction manual for the next administration of what never to do again.

Ferguson's interviews are focused and diversified among many authorities. Ferguson interviewed the common soldier, the Deputy Secretary of State, the military heads at the beginning, the journalists, the civilians, the UN, and on and on. What was missing was those who would not be interviewed: Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Bremer. In other words, those who bear the responsibility.

No End In Sight points to many factors on where the chaos originated. It could have been not planning for after the war until 2 months before the war began. It could have been disbanding the Iraqi military. It could have been never arresting Al-Sadr. The list multiplies and one realizes that the mistakes will be felt for generations to come worldwide. World War Two and September 11 pale in comparison. Our grandchildren's grandchildren will read about thjs as topical news.

If Fahrenheit 9-11 is an indictment of the Bush administration, No End in Sight is the verdict. Clear and concise it is impossible to ignore. Ferguson has made a history book. It is not light reading.

Under discussion:

Clean  (2004)

Olivier Assayas' Clean is not a simple addict story. It is not the dark descent and miracle salvation. It is not the drug trips and hallucinations. It is the human drama with characters who are real and not overblown.

To begin with Clean is one of the most accurate films about the music industry. The film features such artists as Metric and Tricky and places them in the correct strata of their career. It places Lee and Emily's band as independent but not superstars. It also does not linger on the drama of the business, but the desire. Clean also has an amazing soundtrack.

Next, the strongest relationship in the film is Emily (Maggie Cheung) and Albrecht (Nick Nolte). They have a cordial and respectful relationship in every part of the film. Albrecht is honest about his dreams for both Emily and her son Jay, and hopes Emily can achieve them. Emily's other relationships in the film, whether they be with Elena, Irene (a TV boss), Gloria (her prison friend) are all friendly with a touch of caution. They also describe Emily's wild ways better than living them.

Assayas' direction and camera work is simple but elegant. Nine times out of ten he chooses natural light. He shoots in all the locations in the script, instead of "faking" them on a soundstage. He paces the film almost too slowly so that the viewer can understand Emily as a person, but also see a larger world. In other words, he lets the world judge Emily's actions not just her words. The film does involve death at points, but is not bloody or gratutious.

Maggie Cheung's Emily is beyond a cardboard character. She lies, cheats and steals but also feels lonely and is willing to fight. She does grow in subtle, simple ways. She is not redeemed but is capable of redemption.

Finally, Clean does not take the easy ending. It does not make a black and white statement at the finish. Instead it has a sense of positive ambiguity. Clean tells a complex story with simple methods. Grab a stool. Grab a beer. Wait for the music to start and the vocals to bleed in and enjoy the show.

Under discussion:

Field of Dreams  (1989)

Wondrous Oblivion  (2004)

Paul Morrison's Wondrous Oblivion wants to be many things. It wants to be a period piece about Post WWII England. It wants to be an underdog sports story like a children's Field of Dreams. It wants to be a story about classism and racism. It wants to be a growing up piece like Stand by Me. It wants to be an adult drama about an interracial affair. It wants to be many things, but it is very few.

The story is told from the point of view of David Wiseman, an optimistic, naive boy who loves cricket and little else. David is played by Sam Smith who is too bright-eyed and bushytailed throughout the movie. He also has too clean an English accent to reflect his German roots.

David is an underdog who really doesn't come alive until the Samuels move in next door. David's relationship with Judy Samuels (Leonie Elliot) is kind, but is shoved down the viewer's throat. David's relationship with Dennis Samuels (Delroy Lindo) is much easier to believe.

Ruth Wiseman (Emily Woof) also delivers a great performance, but it is never given the chance to develop into a full story. Ruth gets into an intimate relationship with Dennis. Although it is given many scenes, it never is given a resolution. It disappears to make an idealistic ending to the film.

Wondrous Oblivion is also riddled with many technical flaws. The first is everyone either whispers or speaks with a thick accent. The accents are pushed too strong that it makes it difficult to understand what is being said, even by the English characters. Second, it takes too long to explain Cricket to the audience. The film assumes the viewer is a fan, knows the rules, and knows the players. For an American audience those are too many assumptions. The audience understands David's love of the game, but is not given a chance to understand the basics of the game itself. It's like watching Field of Dreams when you grew up knowing archery as the only sport. A ball, bat and field are foreign. Last, it fills the story with too much classism, racism and religious intolerance. One second the viewer is being hit with older schoolboys bullying a black ticket taker, the next David is reading the Torah. A narrower field would have lightened the load for the viewer and saved more of the story and the acting.

Wondrous Oblivion is colorful, cute and wants to be dark and dreadful. It is a children's film that desires to be a morbid, somber adult film. It fails at being both.

Under discussion:

Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity  (2002)

Mina Shum's Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity is a snapshot of a modern community looking for luck in the old ways. Although Valerie Tian's Mindy is the one trying the most spells, she is not the only one. The secuity guard, the baker, and many other add color to this small community.

The main story is Kin Ho (Sandra Oh)'s struggle for happiness. Early on the viewer finds out that Mindy is so different because Kin Ho's husband left and she has been alone for a long time. Mindy is the innocent who believes in faith as much as spells to make everything right. As might be expected, not everything works.

Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity bears resemblence to another film: The Milangro Beanfield War. Both show a community through the eyes of its people. Both have old ways mixing with new. Both have a simple charm that is nice to enjoy. It is escapism, but is fun. Light a candle and enjoy it.

Under discussion:

Broken English  (2007)

I found Zoe Cassavetes' Broken English a refreshingly honest film. Nora is simply portrayed by Parker Posey as a fearful woman, who drinks to excess, and is scared of being alone. Her friendship with Audrey acts as much to her loneliness as her mother. The married friend is the mixed curse.

Nora wanders from date to date, but is truly unfufilled. She seems more of a victim in dating instead of a participant. This changes with Julian.

Melvil Poupard's Julian is the muse who makes Nora's life unbalanced. He is also the one who makes her happy. She is transformed in his presence. It is magic onscreen. It is subtle enough to be real.

The trip to Paris is a journey of discovery both outward and inward for both Audrey and Nora. It gives them both new eyes on their worlds.

Personally, the one scene that opitimized Nora's life was Julian cleaning some dishes in Nora's sink. It was a cramped space with few glasses. The sign of a single person. It was a wise scene to keep in.

Broken English is not the most romantic film ever made. It is honest and fun, and sincere. I recommend it.

Under discussion:

Le Grand Voyage  (2004)

Ismael Ferroukhi's Le Grand Voyage is a hard film to fault with. The acting, photography, writing and directing are superb. It is a road movie where the journey is the destination. The journey is vastly different from what Westerners are used to. It is a journey of faith to one of Islam's holiest sites. It is also the journey of a father and son trying to relate to each other. It becomes more.

Le Grand Voyage thrives on the relationship of Reda (Nicolas Cazale) and his father (Mohammed Majd). Reda is relunctantly recruited to drive his father from France to Mecca after his older brother screws up. Reda is not religious and pines for his girlfriend. His father is stubborn and devoutly religious. Reda could care less about religion and sees the drive as getting him further from his goals. Cazale is deserving of praise and awards for his spectacular performance.

Le Grand Voyage has many of the pitfalls of the typical road movie. There is hitchhiker who keeps appearing. There is the over friendly man offering directions and wanting to join the pilgrimage. There are the continious stops for customs in Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. There is also the goat.

This film avoids many things that could drag it down. The biggest obstacle it avoids is being preachy. The director's intent is not to covert Reda or the audience. Ferroukhi lets his characters speak without making grand statements. Everything is understated and kept honest. Ferroukhi also does not make the film skit comedy. It is a trip to Mecca not European Vacation. Prevelant throughout is amazing views of the entire journey.

Le Grand Voyage reaches its peak when Mecca is in sight. Encompassing the last third of the film, Mecca is the most emotional part of the film. It is hard for any viewer not to be awestruck at the views of all the pilgrims alone. The story reaches a point here that changes Reda in profound ways.

Le Grand Voyage is one of those few perfect films. It takes on major themes and tells a story without shorting the audience nor his characters.

In addition to Le Grand Voyage, the disc includes Eva Sack's short film Date. Date is a 5 minute short about a couple on a date in New York City. The guy arrives late and is trying to make up. The film ends when they find a board with missing posts of September 11 victims. It is a virtually silent film that is beautiful and moving. Sack is a director who needs a full length feature to dig into. If Date is any sign, she is destined for greatness.

Under discussion:

Ten Canoes  (2007)

 Rolf de Heer's Ten Canoes is one of the most beautiful films ever photographed. From the first shot the landscape invites the viewer in with wonder and excitement. Then the narration begins and effect of beauty is lost in a sea of characters and times and parables that gets painful to watch.

To begin with, the narrator (David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu) is too friendly to the viewers and speaks in English, while the rest of the film is subtitled. It makes it confusing to switch back between languages while the narrator is winking and nodding. It was inconsistent at best.

Second, the film is told in two different time periods using the same actors. At the beginning, modern day is shown in black and white, and then moments later, ancient times are and then are switched again. The time periods switch back and fourth throughout the film trying to give the viewer a sense of Dayindi's (Jamie Dayindi Gulpilil Dalaithngu) thinking. It adds to the confusion since the main character in ancient times is Ridjimiraril (Crusoe Kurddal).

Ridjimiraril's story is about his younger brother coveting his third wife. The narrator tries to explain the culture in a humorous way, but it sounds more like a dated National Geographic special trying to show how modern day beliefs reflect the past. The best example of this is when the characters are introduced with headshots with narration. The actors appear to be more fascinated with the camera than with performance. It is taking the man off the street and saying, act out the tortoise and the hare over a week.

The only performance that does stand out is Crusoe Kurddal. His rough looks and dead eyes make a compelling warrior. Unfortunately his performance can not save the film.

Ten Canoes is a beautiful landscape filled with too many problems, characters and times to be easily to follow or recommend.

Under discussion:

Angel-A  (2007)

The best way to describe Angel-A is describe what it is. It is moving, thoughtful, beautiful, funny, simple and unique. It is driven by the perfomances of Jamel Debbouze's Andre, and Rie Rasmussen's Angela. From the second they meet until the end of the film you can't take your eyes off them. Andre is the kicked puppy who wants to be the "big guy" but doesn't have it in himself. Angela is the mystery woman who eats, buys, fights, and experiences life anew every second. Their chemisty is fun to watch.

Besson's photography is magical and surreal. It is like watching a Film Noir done as a romance in black and white. He makes you see "neon" colors in the b/w and presents a Paris that is beautiful and wonderous at its most mundane.

Angela and Andre present a simple couple. They bicker in a way that can be reminiscent of I LOVE LUCY or Hepburn/Tracy. They take potshots and do wound each other, but at the end it is all said with love.

Angela is a Besson woman. In many ways she reminds me of Leeloo from the Fifth Element. She is a statuesque blonde who doesn't know her past, and is wounded. At the same time she is self confident, caring and throws a mean punch.

Overall Angel-A is a simple plot swirling around two characters. It is beautiful in its simplicity. It is a perfect date movie romance from a director known for action films with excessive violence. See it.

Under discussion:

Puccini for Beginners  (2006)

Puccini for Beginners, thankfully,  is not just for Opera lovers. It is a light romantic comedy that Woody Allen-eske but stands on its own. Elizabeth Reaser shines as Allegra, a romantic who is stuck too much in her mind instead of her heart. She is fun to watch, especially when dealing with her own visual metaphor as expressed by strangers giving her advice and snyde comments when needed. Gretchen Mol is a wonderful Grace, the other "other" woman in the triangle that Allegra creates. The character seems light and airy, and naive and could have been cast by a Kate Hudson. Mol gives the character sincerity in a more believable performance than The Notorious Bettie Page. Justin Kirk plays Philip as also being too over-educated for the mess he finds himself in. Julianne Nicholson is Samantha, Allegra's current and ex, and, although she has a small amount of screentime, brings a blunt honesty to the role. Tina Benko's Nell is one of the funniest characters in the movie. She is Allegra's past ex, and good friend. She is blunt and too the point about men, relationships and the entire mess.

        Puccini for Beginners had the potential to be a Sex in the City onscreen. Instead it is a fully fleshed out movie with fun characters in realistic situations that doesn't force the comedy. The biggest downside is that both Allegra and Philip are too over-educated in their conversation. At times it feels like their conversation is a dissertation. When the dialogue is just about the heart of relationships it shines, and Reaser is the reason why. She is vunerable, naive, and has many ideals that don't fit the real world.

A sidenote. Both Julianne Nicholson (Samantha) and Justin Kirk (Philip) star in the movie Flannel Pajamas as the leads. I highly recommend it as the serious side of relationships.