Saturday, June 23, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Eagle vs Shark
Seencine.com took advantage of an advanced screening this week with a post-screening Q & A with director Taika Waititi. Here it goes:
Two oddballs are united by "Meaty Boy," a fast-food restaurant in New Zealand where Lily (Loren Horsley), a methodical cashier, ogles over Jarrod (Jermaine Clement), a too-cool-for-school yet goofy lunch-time regular. Things get taken out of the restaurant when Jarrod hands Lily an invitation - to give to Jenny, her co-worker. Lily keeps in line with her good-nature and shows Jenny the invitation in the backroom later. After Lily asks if she could come too, Jenny throws the invite in the trash. When Jenny leaves, Lily goes for the trash, grabs the crumpled invitation - among other things...
Lily goes to the dress-as-your-favorite-animal party, and dresses as, you got it, a shark. When she arrives, Jarrod who is dressed as an eagle, asks where Jenny is, and ultimately acts like an insecure jerk not only throughout the party but throughout the entire film.
According to the director, Taika Waititi, Jarrod is riddled with all of the traits males stereotypically have; thus, the character is utterly cartoonish, and hard to empathize with - yet not your average male. He's fashion oriented, and creative. Men like this do exist, and they're usually twenty and going to art school. So, the director did succeed in creating characters that acted like they were in high school but were in older peoples bodies - which is apparently exactly what he wanted to do. Lily's character is juvenile in her own way - she's dumb enough to follow a guy like this around. Not only follow him around, but convince her silly brother Damien (Joel Tobeck) to drive him hours, and hours away to his hometown so that he can seek revenge on a high-school rival whom he's been stalking for years, and is finally heading back home.
The director uses a trendy, hipster aesthetic for the film, and there is ultimately nothing new about it. Boy meets girl - turned around - in this film the girl does all the chasing. This is fine, and at times it's funny but the film generally lacks any sort of story thread. Is this about Eagle vs Shark? Is it about Eagle vs former high school bully? Is it about Shark chasing Eagle? It depends what part of the film you're watching I guess.
Ultimately, young people are into characters that dress in the slighly alternative fashions of urban twenty-somethings, and say a lot of catchy things that don't add much to the story. Because of the film's bubble gum qualities (I assume), Taika Waititi landed a writing gig for Flight of the Conchords as did Jermaine Clement as one of the co-stars. Coming to a boob tube near you. Eagle vs Shark opens in New York on June 15th.
Two oddballs are united by "Meaty Boy," a fast-food restaurant in New Zealand where Lily (Loren Horsley), a methodical cashier, ogles over Jarrod (Jermaine Clement), a too-cool-for-school yet goofy lunch-time regular. Things get taken out of the restaurant when Jarrod hands Lily an invitation - to give to Jenny, her co-worker. Lily keeps in line with her good-nature and shows Jenny the invitation in the backroom later. After Lily asks if she could come too, Jenny throws the invite in the trash. When Jenny leaves, Lily goes for the trash, grabs the crumpled invitation - among other things...
Lily goes to the dress-as-your-favorite-animal party, and dresses as, you got it, a shark. When she arrives, Jarrod who is dressed as an eagle, asks where Jenny is, and ultimately acts like an insecure jerk not only throughout the party but throughout the entire film.
According to the director, Taika Waititi, Jarrod is riddled with all of the traits males stereotypically have; thus, the character is utterly cartoonish, and hard to empathize with - yet not your average male. He's fashion oriented, and creative. Men like this do exist, and they're usually twenty and going to art school. So, the director did succeed in creating characters that acted like they were in high school but were in older peoples bodies - which is apparently exactly what he wanted to do. Lily's character is juvenile in her own way - she's dumb enough to follow a guy like this around. Not only follow him around, but convince her silly brother Damien (Joel Tobeck) to drive him hours, and hours away to his hometown so that he can seek revenge on a high-school rival whom he's been stalking for years, and is finally heading back home.
The director uses a trendy, hipster aesthetic for the film, and there is ultimately nothing new about it. Boy meets girl - turned around - in this film the girl does all the chasing. This is fine, and at times it's funny but the film generally lacks any sort of story thread. Is this about Eagle vs Shark? Is it about Eagle vs former high school bully? Is it about Shark chasing Eagle? It depends what part of the film you're watching I guess.
Ultimately, young people are into characters that dress in the slighly alternative fashions of urban twenty-somethings, and say a lot of catchy things that don't add much to the story. Because of the film's bubble gum qualities (I assume), Taika Waititi landed a writing gig for Flight of the Conchords as did Jermaine Clement as one of the co-stars. Coming to a boob tube near you. Eagle vs Shark opens in New York on June 15th.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
La Vie En Rose
From her street-perfomer father to her brothel-running grandmother whom raised her, Edith Piaf (played by Marion Cotillard) was destined for an audacious life filled wiith both triump and tragedy. Director Olivier Dahan (The Cranberries' Best Videos: 1992-2002) illuminates all segments of her life in the tone of Piaf's jovial nature.
Ocassionally, and somewhat expectedly, parts of her life are glossed over in the name of damage control. The syringes, the tools of an addict, are featured prominently in the film, but the word "morphine" isn't once mouthed by anyone. Her aloof, incapable parents are practically co-stars from the beginning; but her own failure as a parent isn't revealed until the end of the film. Watching a child unexpectedly battle blindness is an opportune moment for a filmmaker, whereas being deaf after overcoming blindness spoils the pacing of the film. Though, ultimately, the film serves as an intriguing depiction of the life of Edith Piaf.
Born in the poverty-stricken Belleville district in Paris, doom was merely young Piaf's (Manon Chevallier) birthright. Piaf is a frail child who battles an onslaught of ailments from a hacking cough to conjunctivitis. Her mother, Anetta (Clotilide Courau) is a drunk street singer herself, and abandones Edith at a disturbingly young age. Her father, Louis Gassion (Jean-Paul Rouve), is a talented contortionist who made his living at the circus; but, after seeing Edith inching towards her deathbed, decides to join the army in hopes of stability. He takes Edith away from her "foster home" of sorts, and takes her to visit her not very grandmotherly grandmother. It is during this visit that it is decided that Edith will live in the brothel where she develops a particularly strong bond with one of the protistutes, Titine (Emmanuelle Seigner).
Eventually, her father comes back for adolescent Piaf (Pauline Burlet), and to the streets they go. Him, performing his contortionist feats, and her, holding out a hat for change. Then, an audience member asks if she is also part of the perfomance, and alas, her street singing career begins.
Shortly, thereafter, she branches out to become her own street performer with best friend Momone (Sylvie Testud), and the tables have turned. Piaf is now the performer, and Momone the hat holder. It doesn't take too long for her overwhelming talent to become noticed by people who can do something about it, like night-club owner Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu) who gave her the last name Piaf because of her undersized stature.
Fame brings her riches, and problems alike. Pressure, love, death, and haunting memories seem to work against her at all times in her life but is mitigated when she is with her true love, boxer, Marcel Cerdan (Jean-Pierre Martins).
Though, by age 44 she looks as if she were a sickly 70 year old, and her performing career has practically ended; her legacy will clearly live on forever. With a character like Piaf it is nearly impossible for this film to be unmemorable. All in all, this should certainly be at the top of everyone's must-see queue.
Ocassionally, and somewhat expectedly, parts of her life are glossed over in the name of damage control. The syringes, the tools of an addict, are featured prominently in the film, but the word "morphine" isn't once mouthed by anyone. Her aloof, incapable parents are practically co-stars from the beginning; but her own failure as a parent isn't revealed until the end of the film. Watching a child unexpectedly battle blindness is an opportune moment for a filmmaker, whereas being deaf after overcoming blindness spoils the pacing of the film. Though, ultimately, the film serves as an intriguing depiction of the life of Edith Piaf.
Born in the poverty-stricken Belleville district in Paris, doom was merely young Piaf's (Manon Chevallier) birthright. Piaf is a frail child who battles an onslaught of ailments from a hacking cough to conjunctivitis. Her mother, Anetta (Clotilide Courau) is a drunk street singer herself, and abandones Edith at a disturbingly young age. Her father, Louis Gassion (Jean-Paul Rouve), is a talented contortionist who made his living at the circus; but, after seeing Edith inching towards her deathbed, decides to join the army in hopes of stability. He takes Edith away from her "foster home" of sorts, and takes her to visit her not very grandmotherly grandmother. It is during this visit that it is decided that Edith will live in the brothel where she develops a particularly strong bond with one of the protistutes, Titine (Emmanuelle Seigner).
Eventually, her father comes back for adolescent Piaf (Pauline Burlet), and to the streets they go. Him, performing his contortionist feats, and her, holding out a hat for change. Then, an audience member asks if she is also part of the perfomance, and alas, her street singing career begins.
Shortly, thereafter, she branches out to become her own street performer with best friend Momone (Sylvie Testud), and the tables have turned. Piaf is now the performer, and Momone the hat holder. It doesn't take too long for her overwhelming talent to become noticed by people who can do something about it, like night-club owner Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu) who gave her the last name Piaf because of her undersized stature.
Fame brings her riches, and problems alike. Pressure, love, death, and haunting memories seem to work against her at all times in her life but is mitigated when she is with her true love, boxer, Marcel Cerdan (Jean-Pierre Martins).
Though, by age 44 she looks as if she were a sickly 70 year old, and her performing career has practically ended; her legacy will clearly live on forever. With a character like Piaf it is nearly impossible for this film to be unmemorable. All in all, this should certainly be at the top of everyone's must-see queue.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Mala Noche (Bad Night)
Shot on location in Portland, Oregon's Skid-Row in 1985, and first released in Germany in 1987; Gus Van Sant's first film, "Mala Noche," has been re-released nationwide on June 1st, 2007, twenty years after its first release; twenty years to witness the evolution of Gus Van Sant's career from gritty to somewhat glamorous. This film was made with a shoe string budget of $25,000.00, and shot mostly on black-and-white 16mm. The film is based on an autobiographical novel by Oregon poet Walt Curtis.
Walt (Tim Streeter), a young homosexual store clerk, mainly deals with patrons that buy hits of nitrous, and ask for store credit. Despite the obvious poverty, lack of jobs, and communal drug addiction, Walt clearly feels at home here. Johnny (Doug Cooeyate), a teenage Mexican who's new in town, saunters into the store, and Walt is immediately taken by him. After work, Walt hangs out with Johnny nearby, but things are cut short when Johnny realizes Walt wants to be more than friends.
In a bar, Walt tenderly speaks of Johnny to his friend Betty (Nyla McCarthy). After reminding him that he's always in love, she decides that he should invite him to dinner over at her place. Seconds later, Walt and Betty idle down Skid-Row in search of Johnny. Walt spots him.
Johnny accepts under the condition that Roberto "Pepper" (Ray Monge), his friend, also comes. They have dinner. They get drunk. They dance. It is the beginning of rocky friendships that provide endless torment mainly for Walt; but also for Roberto, and Johnny who aren't mature, or open enough to deal with their situation in a way that's very constructive. They get a kick out of pushing Walt around, and sometimes playing with guns.
Overall, the film is sincere in its tone, and ocassionally shot well. The beginning of the film suffers from a couple of scenes that are cut too short, but that goes away after the first few minutes. In terms of its narrative, "Mala Noche" chronically jumps from events without concluding the previous sequence very well. Also, the ending doesn't tie very much together; though you do get the feeling that Walt just isn't going to let go anytime soon, and this cyclical situation has him on the ropes. Despite some of its faults, "Mala Noche" will stick with you. Maybe it's the ocassionally insightful dialogue, or maybe it's the street feel; but I would say watch it while you can because this isn't a rentable re-release, and who knows what'll happen over the next twenty years.
Walt (Tim Streeter), a young homosexual store clerk, mainly deals with patrons that buy hits of nitrous, and ask for store credit. Despite the obvious poverty, lack of jobs, and communal drug addiction, Walt clearly feels at home here. Johnny (Doug Cooeyate), a teenage Mexican who's new in town, saunters into the store, and Walt is immediately taken by him. After work, Walt hangs out with Johnny nearby, but things are cut short when Johnny realizes Walt wants to be more than friends.
In a bar, Walt tenderly speaks of Johnny to his friend Betty (Nyla McCarthy). After reminding him that he's always in love, she decides that he should invite him to dinner over at her place. Seconds later, Walt and Betty idle down Skid-Row in search of Johnny. Walt spots him.
Johnny accepts under the condition that Roberto "Pepper" (Ray Monge), his friend, also comes. They have dinner. They get drunk. They dance. It is the beginning of rocky friendships that provide endless torment mainly for Walt; but also for Roberto, and Johnny who aren't mature, or open enough to deal with their situation in a way that's very constructive. They get a kick out of pushing Walt around, and sometimes playing with guns.
Overall, the film is sincere in its tone, and ocassionally shot well. The beginning of the film suffers from a couple of scenes that are cut too short, but that goes away after the first few minutes. In terms of its narrative, "Mala Noche" chronically jumps from events without concluding the previous sequence very well. Also, the ending doesn't tie very much together; though you do get the feeling that Walt just isn't going to let go anytime soon, and this cyclical situation has him on the ropes. Despite some of its faults, "Mala Noche" will stick with you. Maybe it's the ocassionally insightful dialogue, or maybe it's the street feel; but I would say watch it while you can because this isn't a rentable re-release, and who knows what'll happen over the next twenty years.
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