BRAN NUE DAE (2009)

September 12, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Gosh! Enough already! How many Aboriginal musicals featuring a VW hippie van being pursued by a priest must we endure? OK, so maybe the premise isn’t all that common. Based on an extremely popular Australian play from the 1990’s, director Rachel Perkins screen adaptations features the deserts of NW Australia and a loony priest played by Geoffrey Rush.

Though the idea is pretty creative, the film execution comes up lacking a bit. None of the songs are very catchy and the overall talent in the film is mediocre at best. Newcomer Rocky McKenzie in the lead role of Willie is pretty nondescript. Willie is forced by his mother to attend a school led by Geoffrey Rush in order to train for a life in the priesthood. Of course, Willie is a teenager and all he really wants is time to hang out with Rosie … they make flutter-eyes at each other. Sadly, Rosie falls under the spell of a honky tonk musician as Willie heads out to study God.

Jessica Mauboy plays Rosie and has the musical highlight of the film as she belts out “Stand By Your Man”. The downside is that the lip-syncing is so poor that I found it quite distracting. As expected, when Willie rebels and runs away from the cloth and towards Rosie, the fun begins. He hooks up with Uncle Tadpole (an energetic and slightly twisted Ernie Dingo) and a couple of traveling hippies. One of the hippies is played by recording artist Missy Higgins. They are unknowingly being chased by the priest as they try to get Willie back to Broome (and Rosie!).

Along the way they stumble upon a roadside shop run by the great Magda Szubanski, who was so memorable as Mrs. Hoggett in Babe. That’s just one of the challenges they face along the dirt highway. For the sake of comedy, there should have been even more.

The film has bits of Bollywood, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Grease, but the parts just don’t add up to a full musical comedy. The colors and setting are spectacular and the words to the songs often reinforce the plight of the Aborigine people, but everything just falls a bit short of the target. Even the climactic scene where all the pieces of the puzzle come raining down doesn’t compare to the similar type scene in City Island. It’s a sweet, simple enough film with just not enough to offer.

SEE THIS MOVIE:  if you want to tell all your friends you have seen an Aboriginal Musical.  Be forewarned: There are no guarantees they will be impressed.

SKIP THIS MOVIE: if you prefer musicals with catchy tunes or Australian movies featuring big knives and crocodile hunters.

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Posted by David Ferguson

MESRINE: PUBLIC ENEMY #1 (pt 2, 2008)

September 6, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. This is part two of director Jean-Francois Richet‘s tale of famed criminal Jacques Mesrine. As in part one, Vincent Cassel delivers a frightening portrayal of this psychopath who is addicted to the spotlight, danger, women and little else.

This second film drives home the point that Mesrine was little more than an ultra-aggressive hoodlum. What I mean by that is that he was no criminal mastermind. No real strategist. He just steals when he needs money and then quickly helps the press fill in the blanks on his escapades. Watching him swell with pride as he is pronounced France’s Public Enemy Number One is just plain creepy.

Ludivine Sagnier (so great in Swimming Pool) plays Sophie, his last girlfriend. Watching her reaction to her dog being shot in the final shootout tells you all you need know about her and her relationship with Mesrine.

Much of this part is based on the police chases and the efforts put into “catching” Mesrine and his accomplice. His new partner in crime is played by the terrific Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Amalric has the steely eyed stare and the acting chops to hang with Cassell.

While I truly admire Cassell’s performance in these two films and I find both extremely well made, I still feel a bit empty about the subject matter. Mesrine was a brutally violent criminal who managed 3 daring prison escapes, numerous bank robberies, kidnappings and killings. However, there is just not much depth to the man. Maybe it’s true … some people just want to see the world burn. No matter what, these two films should be seen as close together as possible. This is ONE STORY cut into two pieces. Set aside 4 hours and see the entire thing.

For my comments on part 1, please click on this link:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/mesrine-killer-instinct-pt-1/

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Posted by David Ferguson

MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT (pt. 1, 2008)

August 29, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Haven’t looked at next week’s new releases yet, but I am almost hoping for a rom-com after watching this film and Animal Kingdom back to back. That’s a couple of very rough, though well made films.

Jacques Mesrine was an infamous French outlaw/bank robber/kidnapper who actually began to feed on his media coverage. This film, as well as part 2, are based on his own writings while he was incarcerated. Somehow Vincent Cassel captures the pure evil of Mesrine and presents him as the charismatic and powerful figure he evidently was.

Having apparently lost his soul during the war in Algeria, Mesrine joins forces with a local crime lord played by French acting legend Gerard Depardieu. Their wake of criminal activity is only eclipsed by the pile of bodies. No surprise that Mesrine’s wife runs from him and he then hooks up with Jeanne, played by Cecile DeFrance. They seem to be the perfect match and quickly become known as the French Bonnie and Clyde. Only they are much more violent and brutal. In fact, Mesrine seems to thrive on risk and danger.

Mesrine manages a daring prison escape and even attempts to break back into the same prison to keep a promise of helping other prisoners escape. Director Jean-Francois Richet does an excellent job of displaying the menace of Mesrine and the absolute lack of morals he flashes.

The film never drags even while he is on the lam through Canada and the U.S. Since the film is broken into two parts (Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 will be released in a few weeks), I found it very interesting that the first film opens with what appears to be the end of part two. Maybe I am wrong, but that’s how it looks.

The score is terrific and Mr. Cassel delivers his best performance yet. He is riveting as Jacques Mesrine. Not sure I recommend it as a double feature with Animal Kingdom. They are both excellent films, but that’s an overload of crime and violence for one weekend!  Mesrine: Killer Instinct is French with English subtitles.

For my comments on part two, please click this link:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/mesrine-public-enemy-1-part-2/

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Posted by David Ferguson

ANIMAL KINGDOM (2010)

August 29, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. An Australian movie that packs a wallop! Writer/Director David Michod delivers an unsettling look into one family’s life of crime and the corresponding order of things – the circle of life in the Animal Kingdom. Supposedly based on a true story, this is a tough family that you would not want as relatives.  These are not smooth operators like Scorcese provided in Casino or Goodfellas.  No, in fact, these guys are much worse.

The matriarch is played chillingly by Jacki Weaver. She is mother or grandmother to the guys (except for one outsider) in the band of crooks. While she messes with your mind through the story, it’s not until the final 15 minutes when she really kicks it up a notch and becomes flat out frightening in her power.

There are only a couple of actors that most people would recognize. Joel Edgerton is the outsider in the group, and the one trying to go straight by playing the stock market with his “earnings”. The other is Guy Pearce, who plays the detective trying to both solve the cases and rescue young Josh, played by newcomer James Frecheville.

Not only is this the type of story that sucks you in, it is a reminder of just how distracting movie stars can be to a film. The lack of stars allows us to really be absorbed into this family, or better, this world of crime, deceit, corruption and paranoia. There is not a single movie star – no one who can capitalize on his film history of characters and immediately generate recognition. Here, the viewer must get to know an entire family for who and what they are. This is powerful stuff for a film lover.

The winner for best psychopath is Ben Mendelsohn as Pope. His dead eyes will scare you. His demeanor will scare you. His actions will disgust you. There are two lines in the film that help us make sense of what occurs. Early on, the narrator tells us that “all crooks come undone” at some point. Later, the detective (Pearce) tells us that in the Animal Kingdom, you are either weak or strong. The lines seem pretty clear.

The focus of the film is on Josh (Frecheville) who gets plopped into this family of criminals after his mom dies of an overdose and he calls his long-lost grandmother (Weaver). Josh spends the rest of the film trying to blend in while staying clean. Of course, even his stoic mask doesn’t save him from the path of destruction created by Pope.  The only question is, can he find a way to survive or escape?

In the end, the film is about survival, adaptation and exploring what really defines strong and weak, good and bad. Are you weak or strong?  It’s not always easy to tell … and beware of the quiet ones.  If you enjoy powerful crime thrillers, this one is worth checking out … and be appreciative for the lack of Hollywood star power. That’s part of why it works!

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE CONCERT (Fr., 2009)

August 8, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Typically when a film is billed is a “French comedy”, we can expect a farcical good time with self-centered characters who flitter their days away. Director Radhu Mihaileanu delivers something completely different and unexpected.

Two really fine performances drive this film. Aleksei Guskov plays Andrei Filipov, the one time conductor of the Russian Bolshoi orchestra, who lost his beloved job because he employed Jewish musicians during the harshest of Communist days. Nearly three decades later he finds himself as the janitor in the same hall where he once conducted. Because of this, an opportunity presents itself that allows him to seek redemption in his own life, and that of another.

Melanie Laurent, who was so outstanding as the theatre manager with a nasty plan in Inglourious Basterds, plays Anne-Marie Jacquet – a violin virtuoso who Filipov longs to have in his orchestra for a show in Paris. Ms. Laurent displays tremendous screen presence with minimal dialogue. She is quite a talent and I hope she spends more time in the U.S. making movies! The comedy portion of the film occurs as Filipov frantically assembles his orchestra from all over town. They have each gone their separate ways and some no longer even have their own instruments. Of course, none of the musical portion is believable, but as I said, this is a story of redemption.

The film climaxes with a wonderful onstage performance combined with a startling montage that deftly provides the details into the story that’s been skirted for the first 90 minutes. It is a wonderful ending to a decent film that really had the potential to be amazing.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (Sweden, 2009)

July 11, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. This is the second of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, though we have a new director for parts two and three. Daniel Alfredson takes a more mainstream approach to filming and story telling and, of course, he loses the element of surprise we enjoyed in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, one of my favorite films of the year so far.

With Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist back as Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist respectively, it certainly helps to have seen the first film to fill in the character development that this one assumes. We are treated to a more intricate, complex story line in this one, but the fun research part we enjoyed in part one, comes up a bit short.

Swedish acting veteran/legend Per Oscarsson appears as Lisbeth’s first (and trusted) state assigned officer. He plays a small, but vital role and is quite interesting on screen – even at age 83! The story fills in some of the gaps on Lisbeth’s childhood and background but really leaves her a bit short on screen time despite being suspected of 3 murders.

Lisbeth’s look is somewhat softer in this one and we get full on views of her eyes, which rarely happened in part one. I believe the movie suffers a bit by making it easier to relate to her as a wronged woman. Still, the story is much better than the average thriller and the two lead characters are more interesting than most. I look forward to the final film of the trilogy … The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

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Posted by David Ferguson

I AM LOVE (2009)

June 28, 2010

Greetings again from the darkness. A really good Italian film from writer/director Luca Guadagnino and a terrific performance from Tilda Swinton. The film centers on power and family and trust and self-discovery … and the complexities of each.

As a young, working class Russian, Emma (Tilda Swinton) is whisked away to marriage and life in the aristocracy of Milan. She dutifully raises her kids and organizes huge dinners and parties at their mansion as the Rechhi’s entertain business clients and their own family. It is during these parties that we realize Emma is technically part of the family, but really still an outsider. She escapes to her own space once the events are running smoothly.

Being an avid cook herself, she easily clicks with a brilliant young chef introduced to the family by her own son. Very little doubt where it’s headed at this point as Emma unleashes the pent up energy she has been forced to hide. While we are very aware that the upper crust has learned to look the other way with infidelity, that’s not the case with the Rechhi’s and their Russian wife/mother.

The brilliance in the film is that it shows how the younger generation doesn’t really fit any better than Emma. The difference is that they are part of the fabric and will be allowed more rope than an outsider. Still it is painful to watch Emma with her son, who can’t quite adapt to the family business. Better yet, to watch her with her daughter, who confesses her preference for other women. Emma sees herself in these two, but doesn’t have the same freedom. Her best ally is the caretaker who seems to understand the multiple levels on which this family functions.

Fascinating interactions and complex writing make this a film for film lovers. There is so little dialogue, but much is said with a glance or head nod. Many U.S. writers could learn a thing or two. Must also mention the startling score by John Adams. It is quite operatic, which plays along with the themes of the film.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (El secreto de sus ojos, Arg., 2009)

May 30, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. I was a bit miffed when this film beat out both A Prophet and The White Ribbon for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2010 Academy Awards. Since then, I have been anxious to see this “upset” winner. It is with great pleasure that I state my faith in the Academy voters is restored. This is a staggeringly wonderful film!

Based on the novel by Eduardo Sachesi, it is written and directed by Juan Jose Campanella, who also directed Argentina’s 2001 Oscar entry Son of the Bride. Mr. Campanella also has quite a resume of U.S. television in addition to his film work. What really stands out in “Secret” is the multitude of story lines and character development, none of which are cheated … yet each which could have carried their own as a film. This is terrific film-making with rare balance between comedic dialogue, a full-fledged crime drama, unrequited love and nasty politics.

The excellent script is helped along with fine acting by the key players: Ricardo Darin as Esposito, Soledad Villamil as Irene, Guillermo Francella as Sandoval, Pablo Rago as Morales, and Javier Godino as Gomez. Each actor has physical features that play well with the film’s title.

I certainly don’t wish to give away much of the substance of the film, but it mostly revolves around the investigation by Esposito and Sandoval into the brutal rape and murder of Morales’ young, beautiful wife. Esposito works for Irene and they have “eyes” for each other, and Gomez is the key suspect despite all the political maneuvering designed to throw the investigators off track.

There are a few outstanding scenes and two of my favorites were an incredibly intense elevator ride, and a fascinating crowd scene at a soccer/futbol game (including the year’s best single, long take). As you might guess, there are innumerable close-ups for a clear eye-level shot and the film bounces back and forth between 1974 and 2000, so we must adjust to the weak make-up.

For anyone who enjoys fine film-making and isn’t afraid of 2 plus hours of subtitles, you will surely be satisfied and impressed at the quality of this film.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Sweden, 2009)

April 18, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. What usually sets apart a great mystery thriller from an average one is the story. In part one of the Millennium trilogy based on Stieg Larsson’s books, the story is really good, but the point of difference comes in the titular performance of Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. American audiences are rarely treated to this type of raw, gritty performance from an actress. She alone makes the film worth seeing.

Please don’t get me wrong … I really like the film. A murder mystery who-dunnit that on the surface appears like an Agathy Christie story, it quickly proves to us how looks can be deceiving – both in story line and in characters. Though the story wraps up a bit too neatly, the long winding road (over a fortuitous bridge) gives us a wild ride of hints, suspects and research that is a blast for those who enjoy such things.

Michael Nyqvist stars as Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative writer who gets set up on charges of libel against a powerful businessman. While awaiting his jail time, Blomkvist is hired by an 80 year old uncle of a girl gone missing some 40 years ago. Oh yes, she is part of the Vanger family who live on a private island and who have multiple members with a history of Nazi loyalties. As Blomkvist investigates the ancient mystery, it turns out he is being followed via super-hacker Lisbeth. After a few twists, these two turn into a highly unlikely, but very interesting and effective mystery-solving couple.

Besides the performance of Rapace, what really sets this one apart is that the villains really aren’t the most interesting characters – Blomkvist and Lisbeth are. We are treated to a great deal of character development for both, and trust me when I say, Lisbeth’s story is not pleasant.

I hear this will be Americanized in the remake and that makes me sad. The source material title for this story is “Men Who Hate Women”.  While director Niels Arden Oplev pulls no punches in his version, in a remake the edgy undercurrent of sex, abuse, politics and religious racism will undoubtedly be softened and surely the lead actress will bring little of the fascination that a fearless Noomi Rapace delivers.

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Posted by David Ferguson

A PROPHET (Fr.,Un Prophete, 2009)

March 13, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. This was France’s entry, and one of the odds-on favorites to win Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Academy Awards (it did not win). Director Jacques Audiard brings us the gritty realism of power within the walls of a prison. We even get a glimpse into how power inside the walls translates into power in the outside world.

Tahan Rahim stars as Malik, a young, shy, weak boy (apparantly) wrongly sentenced for striking a police officer. Malik is quickly abused and taken advantage of by the stronger, seasoned convicts. Ahh, but young Malik is a quick study and is dragged under the control of the powerful Corsican group led by Cesar Luciana (played with fire by Niels Arestrup). He studies Cesar’s process and moves and quickly learns to run his own side businesses by walking a fine line between the various groups in prison.

See, Malik is a French born Arab who becomes a trusted adviser to the Corsican crime boss. Although, the Corsicans call him a dirty Arab and the Arabs don’t trust him because of his affiliation with the Corsicans. What a mess for Malik. But he is quite the opportunist and makes the best of his situation.

Some of the story lines are brutal, while others are quite clever. This adds to the realism and makes this an intense story to follow. Jacques Audiard also directed the fine The Beat that My Heart Skipped and that film also featured Niels Arestoun, who flashes some evil eyes and plays his low key power to the hilt. He is great fun to watch here.

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Posted by David Ferguson

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