Poetic even in its English translation, "The Golden Door," from its literal Italian meaning, "new world"; this film lacks narrative, but, for most, makes up for it with aesthetics. Director Emanuele Crialese takes cues from the widely-acclaimed Fellini as well as a not as well known Italian Neorealist, Luchino Visconti. The film mixes early, narratiive Fellini with late surreal Fellini. It also captures a similar cultural precision of early 20th century, poverty-stricken Sicilians that is reminiscent of Visconti's 1948 film, "La Terra Trema."
Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato), an illiterate Sicilian peasant, climbs over a rocky Sicilian countryside with his son, Angelo (Franceso Casisa.) Each of them carry a rock in their mouth as they continue on their laborious climb. With their clothes just as tattered and dirty as their feet, they finally arrive at a monumental Cross made of logs. They humbly drop the rocks onto a pile that indicates a common ritualistic sacrifice among locals. Salvatore begins to pray in the form of asking questions that he can't answer himself.
Outside of a windowless shelter made of rocks cemented together, two generations of women sit in awe over postcards of America that show people towing giant onions, and money growing on trees. With just a touch more of drive from Salvatore and lifelessness from Rosa (Isabella Ragonese), the family finally finds the courage to emigrant overseas.
Salvatore first sets his sights on Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an Italian speaking Englishwomen who somehow found her way to Sicily, on a chaotic port just before boarding the boat. She seems to need his assistance from the get-go as she pretends to be with him whenever anyone with authority looms near. They get separated; and so, they don't board the ship together. Though, eventually, to the dismay of his mother Fortunata (Aurora Quattrocchi), they reunite. Lucy wants to marry him when they arrive at Ellis Island for reasons unknown, though she states it isn't for love. Salvatore eagerly accepts, and defensively states that they hardly know each other, but these things take time...
The half-baked love story serves as a device for the greater focus of the film; the strife of the early 20th century Sicilian emigrants. When they arrive at Ellis Island, they're treated like animals. The purpose of these tests are not purely medical (contrary to the beliefs of the doctors during that time), but are meant to weed out those who are believed to be intellectually inferior, because studies showed that stupidity is contagious; and officials want to be sure that anyone entering the country isn't going to spread their "stupid gene." Many of these people live on the basis of survival for their entire lives, and lack even the most basic education. Sadly, most fail miserably at these tests.
Ultimately, "The Golden Door" changed genres whenever Crialese felt it was convenient to do so. Not as hard to decipher as Fellini's mid to late Surrealist works, but more artful than Visconti's Neorealist film, "La Terra Trema"; "The Golden Door" aims to please everyone. Though, it's one of the better films that have been released lately, it surely isn't flawless, and somewhat superficial. Lucy is a women with no past; thus, unknown motivations.
A nice touch is that the Sicilians speak dialect, and not proper Italian which adds credibility as well as a sort of charisma to the characters. It isn't a must-see, but it certainly is a should-see.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Severance
A satiric slasher that cuts itself in half with too much comedy, and too little concept. "Severance" is a film that reveals more plot holes than bullet (though it is certainly action-packed), and leaves us with a lame storyline. A "team-building" weekend funded by a multi-national weaponry corp by the name of Palisades Defence turns into an unoriginal slash fest in a mountainous Eastern European countryside.
The films start with clips taken out of its ending...though the directorial reasons behind this are murky; perhaps Christopher Smith thought it, well, looked cool. Meanwhile, a tour bus with seven weapons designers (or sales people? It's never made clear) roar past on a nearby road - unaware of the doom that awaits. Trivial is almost too sophisticated a word to describe most of the scenes in this film. It's like "Scary Movie" for twenty-somethings that cultivate their political convictions by watching Saturday Night Live.
First, Steve (Danny Dyer) openly takes hallucinogens despite the fact that he's on a corporate outing, but no worries, no one seems to find this bothersome or unprofessional anyway. Then, perhaps in an effort to emphasize the types of cityslickers we're dealing with, everyone whines about walking down an unknown road that the bus driver refuses to take instead of using their energy to move a fallen tree out of the main road so that they can pass. It makes little sense considering the whole point of the weekend is to unify the team, and the length of the walk is unknown. It's also odd that no one questions why a perfectly normal bus driver would suddenly turn ballistic when asked to go slightly off-route. The lack of subtitles is also the lamest of cop outs because it frees the filmmakers from having to write, I don't know, something that makes sense or maybe has meaning...
The characters are ocassionaly likeable but never intriguing enough to care about when slaying time abounds. When bear traps are complemented by flame throwers and mine dodgers the film really does become entertaining, but any expectation of a poignant political satire should be left at ticket booth. A missle crashing into an airplane flying overhead is about as funny as seeing a decapitated head smile eagerly at the camera...This film left many major questions unanswered like: who is behind this vengeful militia or why didn't this go straight to DVD?
The films start with clips taken out of its ending...though the directorial reasons behind this are murky; perhaps Christopher Smith thought it, well, looked cool. Meanwhile, a tour bus with seven weapons designers (or sales people? It's never made clear) roar past on a nearby road - unaware of the doom that awaits. Trivial is almost too sophisticated a word to describe most of the scenes in this film. It's like "Scary Movie" for twenty-somethings that cultivate their political convictions by watching Saturday Night Live.
First, Steve (Danny Dyer) openly takes hallucinogens despite the fact that he's on a corporate outing, but no worries, no one seems to find this bothersome or unprofessional anyway. Then, perhaps in an effort to emphasize the types of cityslickers we're dealing with, everyone whines about walking down an unknown road that the bus driver refuses to take instead of using their energy to move a fallen tree out of the main road so that they can pass. It makes little sense considering the whole point of the weekend is to unify the team, and the length of the walk is unknown. It's also odd that no one questions why a perfectly normal bus driver would suddenly turn ballistic when asked to go slightly off-route. The lack of subtitles is also the lamest of cop outs because it frees the filmmakers from having to write, I don't know, something that makes sense or maybe has meaning...
The characters are ocassionaly likeable but never intriguing enough to care about when slaying time abounds. When bear traps are complemented by flame throwers and mine dodgers the film really does become entertaining, but any expectation of a poignant political satire should be left at ticket booth. A missle crashing into an airplane flying overhead is about as funny as seeing a decapitated head smile eagerly at the camera...This film left many major questions unanswered like: who is behind this vengeful militia or why didn't this go straight to DVD?
Friday, May 11, 2007
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Armin
"Armin" is potentially a slogger film, but relies on omission as its saving grace. If you think about the pace of this film in a logical way - it really shouldn't work. Not too much happens; not too much changes. The shots are average in length, but offer a seductive silence that teases curiousity, and cultivates patience. What's odder about the pacing is "Armin" isn't even a mystery, far from a horror flick, but a comedy of sorts.
Ibro (Emir Hadzihafisbegovic) waits with his son, Armin (Armin Omerovic), by a bus stop in Bosnia. All we know is that they're headed for Zagreb, the largest city in Croatia. For the first ten minutes of the film, we are unaware of their names, the nature of their relationship, and lastly, whether they even know each other. On the bus, naturally, they sit next to each other, and still not a word has come out of Armin's mouth. Though Ibro is a bit of a chatterbox; he drinks from a flask, talks to the businessman in a seat nearby, and then, tosses insults at the bus driver for his lack of skill. All the while, Armin sits in silence.
When they arrive, we finally learn that Armin is auditioning for a German film about the Balkan conflict. Armin reads the script in a way that someone who doesn't know how to act does: without emotion, or rhythm. Throughout the lobbies, bars, and hallways of the hotel, Ibro manages to brag about his son's accordian playing skills - something, he believes, none of the kids have, or are even capable of.
Their trip to Croatia symbolizes a global trend in the "widening gap." Ibro is baffled by modern technology such as the hand dryer in the men's bathroom, and car alarms. Armin refuses whenever his father wants to buy him something - a characteristic of a child who feels guilty of spending money they know their parents don't have. But Ibro is supercilious, and always insists until his son finally gives in, and so his ego is satisfied.
Armin's first indulgence is eating an enormous amount of McDonald's - something every small-town Euroteen can never seem to resist. Then he's interested in a world atlas he sees in a newspaper stand. Ibro immediately buys it for him even though Armin protests this as well. Back at the room, they look it over, and Ibro comments on how large China is; a sort of subconcious realization of how small they actually are.
This is reiterated through awkward social situations in the hotel lounge with film people. Ibro is loud, a little dorky - even his speech lacks assimilation. He's is ultimately laughed at, but luckily, too drunk to notice. This is relatively subtle like everything else in the film, and this subtlety is precisely what makes it so interesting.
What's more interesting is Ognjen Svilicic wrote "The Melon Route," Armin Omerovic's acting debut. This leaves us wondering what the fact-to-fiction ratio of "Armin," the film, really is. Ultimately, this film serves as an interesting critique of what it is to be a foreigner; futhermore, what lacking privilege can really mean - especially when combined with facing true hardships. In this context, success by many would be considered just plain survival, and this epiphany is exactly what Ibro and Armin get to take home, back to Bosnia, with them.
Written and Directed by Ognjen Svilicic.
I was unable to locate a trailer with subtitles...sorry!
Ibro (Emir Hadzihafisbegovic) waits with his son, Armin (Armin Omerovic), by a bus stop in Bosnia. All we know is that they're headed for Zagreb, the largest city in Croatia. For the first ten minutes of the film, we are unaware of their names, the nature of their relationship, and lastly, whether they even know each other. On the bus, naturally, they sit next to each other, and still not a word has come out of Armin's mouth. Though Ibro is a bit of a chatterbox; he drinks from a flask, talks to the businessman in a seat nearby, and then, tosses insults at the bus driver for his lack of skill. All the while, Armin sits in silence.
When they arrive, we finally learn that Armin is auditioning for a German film about the Balkan conflict. Armin reads the script in a way that someone who doesn't know how to act does: without emotion, or rhythm. Throughout the lobbies, bars, and hallways of the hotel, Ibro manages to brag about his son's accordian playing skills - something, he believes, none of the kids have, or are even capable of.
Their trip to Croatia symbolizes a global trend in the "widening gap." Ibro is baffled by modern technology such as the hand dryer in the men's bathroom, and car alarms. Armin refuses whenever his father wants to buy him something - a characteristic of a child who feels guilty of spending money they know their parents don't have. But Ibro is supercilious, and always insists until his son finally gives in, and so his ego is satisfied.
Armin's first indulgence is eating an enormous amount of McDonald's - something every small-town Euroteen can never seem to resist. Then he's interested in a world atlas he sees in a newspaper stand. Ibro immediately buys it for him even though Armin protests this as well. Back at the room, they look it over, and Ibro comments on how large China is; a sort of subconcious realization of how small they actually are.
This is reiterated through awkward social situations in the hotel lounge with film people. Ibro is loud, a little dorky - even his speech lacks assimilation. He's is ultimately laughed at, but luckily, too drunk to notice. This is relatively subtle like everything else in the film, and this subtlety is precisely what makes it so interesting.
What's more interesting is Ognjen Svilicic wrote "The Melon Route," Armin Omerovic's acting debut. This leaves us wondering what the fact-to-fiction ratio of "Armin," the film, really is. Ultimately, this film serves as an interesting critique of what it is to be a foreigner; futhermore, what lacking privilege can really mean - especially when combined with facing true hardships. In this context, success by many would be considered just plain survival, and this epiphany is exactly what Ibro and Armin get to take home, back to Bosnia, with them.
Written and Directed by Ognjen Svilicic.
I was unable to locate a trailer with subtitles...sorry!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Diggers
"Diggers" plays like the bad parts in a full season of a one-hour television drama series all mashed together than a well-edited, gripping feature. Sadly, the only digging going on here is literally for clams, and coins. The score (original music by David Mansfield) also screams "This guy is our friend, so we didn't have to pay for the rights. He's an insurance adjuster now."
The strong point of "Diggers" would be the honesty of the characters; aimless working class Long Islanders who live for sex, drugs and clams(?). But they are almost too human; thus, not always terribly interesting. Many of the scenes fall flat in this film, and leave one wondering why they weren't edited out, or better yet, why they were ever filmed to begin with.
The writer (Ken Marino), and director (Katherine Dieckmann) don't seem to be interested in maintaining any sort of theme, or thread to the story. Vaguely, it all revolves around the death of Hunt's (Paul Rudd), and Gina's (Maura Tierney) father; a clammer who made a decent living before the "South Shell" dynasty came into town. His death (hardly) functions as a catalyst for Hunt's friends, who are also a younger generation of clammers. Hunt's father symbolizes the death of the full-time, breadwinning clammer, and this is supposed to evoke an onslaught of adjustments.
The problem with all this supposed "change" is nobody seems to have any difficult decisions to make. Should we sit around, whine about the new corporation in town, and do drugs all day; or try to do something functional with our lives? Gee, I'm not sure; let's pop some pills, and think about this.
Also, if a writer or director chooses to make a character-driven film shouldn't the characterss be involved in complicated, and mysterious relationships? Sixteen year olds have friendships of this magnitude, but you'd think thirty-six year olds would have evolved into something deeper, perhaps something capable of evoking discomfort, or at least bigger change. But not these guys, not much has changed for them since high school, and so the decisions they're faced with are as complicated as that of a recent college graduate who functions at the pace of a sedated turtle. The tagline is "No one can drift forever," but you can't help but wonder if they're sure about this.
The strong point of "Diggers" would be the honesty of the characters; aimless working class Long Islanders who live for sex, drugs and clams(?). But they are almost too human; thus, not always terribly interesting. Many of the scenes fall flat in this film, and leave one wondering why they weren't edited out, or better yet, why they were ever filmed to begin with.
The writer (Ken Marino), and director (Katherine Dieckmann) don't seem to be interested in maintaining any sort of theme, or thread to the story. Vaguely, it all revolves around the death of Hunt's (Paul Rudd), and Gina's (Maura Tierney) father; a clammer who made a decent living before the "South Shell" dynasty came into town. His death (hardly) functions as a catalyst for Hunt's friends, who are also a younger generation of clammers. Hunt's father symbolizes the death of the full-time, breadwinning clammer, and this is supposed to evoke an onslaught of adjustments.
The problem with all this supposed "change" is nobody seems to have any difficult decisions to make. Should we sit around, whine about the new corporation in town, and do drugs all day; or try to do something functional with our lives? Gee, I'm not sure; let's pop some pills, and think about this.
Also, if a writer or director chooses to make a character-driven film shouldn't the characterss be involved in complicated, and mysterious relationships? Sixteen year olds have friendships of this magnitude, but you'd think thirty-six year olds would have evolved into something deeper, perhaps something capable of evoking discomfort, or at least bigger change. But not these guys, not much has changed for them since high school, and so the decisions they're faced with are as complicated as that of a recent college graduate who functions at the pace of a sedated turtle. The tagline is "No one can drift forever," but you can't help but wonder if they're sure about this.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
La Doublure (The Valet)
A cartoonish telepic with would-be riveting characters that bore us with silly antics, and shallow portraits. I can enjoy the occasional slapstick scene thoroughly, but when a film (such as this one) lacks overall depth, it just becomes disengaging.
Francois Pignon (Gad Elmaleh) is a sorry valet deprived of confidence, and status. Emilie (Virginie Ledoyen), his girlfriend, is a bookstore owner who is too wrapped up in her own life to take Francois seriously. Their fathers are involved in a "reverse" doctor/patient relationship where Francois' father, Andre Pignon (Michel Jonasz), doctors the doctor (Michel Aumont) who is apparently senile, and has all of his patients give him shots, take his temperature, and whatnot. A fine example of the irreverent moments that, at times, take over this film.
Near simultaneous scenes of supermodel Elena (Alice Taglioni), and powerful Pierre Lavasseur (Daniel Auteail) having a covert date; and Francois and Emilie having a rushed lunch show that heartbreak does not discriminate, and everyone is a loser sometimes.
Then, of course, the gimmick that the whole plot is based around is put into motion, and Pierre finds himself in a bad situation when his uberwealthy wife, Christine Lavasseur (Kristin Scott Thomas), sees photos of Pierre, and Elena together. Christine begins questioning him, and spying on him, but never shows any signs of remorse. This is odd considering she seemed quite happy with her marriage prior to this finding.
And the manipulation begins! But too bad all of it lacks creativity, and just leaves us craving some sort of unexpected plot twist, or character arc. None of that happens, just a series of predictable events follow that may only make one compelled to force a chuckle just to go through the motions.
Directed and written by Francis Veber.
How To Share Videos With Your Friends And Get Paid! Click Here.
Francois Pignon (Gad Elmaleh) is a sorry valet deprived of confidence, and status. Emilie (Virginie Ledoyen), his girlfriend, is a bookstore owner who is too wrapped up in her own life to take Francois seriously. Their fathers are involved in a "reverse" doctor/patient relationship where Francois' father, Andre Pignon (Michel Jonasz), doctors the doctor (Michel Aumont) who is apparently senile, and has all of his patients give him shots, take his temperature, and whatnot. A fine example of the irreverent moments that, at times, take over this film.
Near simultaneous scenes of supermodel Elena (Alice Taglioni), and powerful Pierre Lavasseur (Daniel Auteail) having a covert date; and Francois and Emilie having a rushed lunch show that heartbreak does not discriminate, and everyone is a loser sometimes.
Then, of course, the gimmick that the whole plot is based around is put into motion, and Pierre finds himself in a bad situation when his uberwealthy wife, Christine Lavasseur (Kristin Scott Thomas), sees photos of Pierre, and Elena together. Christine begins questioning him, and spying on him, but never shows any signs of remorse. This is odd considering she seemed quite happy with her marriage prior to this finding.
And the manipulation begins! But too bad all of it lacks creativity, and just leaves us craving some sort of unexpected plot twist, or character arc. None of that happens, just a series of predictable events follow that may only make one compelled to force a chuckle just to go through the motions.
Directed and written by Francis Veber.
How To Share Videos With Your Friends And Get Paid! Click Here.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Everything's Gone Green
This is a tale of moral corruption that turns wayward in a way that does benefit society. Just before deeming it another whiny, slacker film, Ryan (Paulo Costanzo), gets involved in some identity altering putrefaction. "Everything's Gone Green" introduces us to Ryan, a boy-man asleep on the couch, snuggled up with a sleeping bag while the tv plays an exercise video that seems to be geared toward women. He awakens from his slumber to find that his girlfriend, and her barbarian of a brother are moving him out. His now x-girlfriend explains that her therapist explained that Ryan refuses to "unleash his inner warrior," and she's looking for more from life than Ikea furniture, and weekend trips to auto-malls.
Ryan goes to work, where he undergoes a review by a less-than-pleased supervisor who printed out several acquisitions discovered during their "server maintenance" period. Ryan's gloomy, redundant poetry is telling of his attitude toward his job, and life in general. His supervisor suspends him but gives him the option to come back if he decides to go to therapy, and "they" decide he's okay. As he's cleaning out his office, his mother calls to tell him they've just won 4.3 million dollars, but his father can't find the ticket.
Ryan takes a colorful bike ride to his parents house. Aliens from the "Mars, Texas" shoot have invaded his ride in the most pleasant way possible. He rides through this childlike atmosphere in Vancouver, and it seems that his life is going to work out.
At Ryan's parent's house is where his stodgy, business-first brother Kevin, his recently fired Father, and his somewhat passive Mother are introduced. Ryan calls the Lotto Bureau after the ticket is found and finds out they have a losing ticket, but is offered an interview for a job that recently opened up.
He gets the job at the Lotto Bureau, where he interviews people who have just won big time. An amusing montage of ecstatic people from all walks of life give the film a goofy kitsch quality. A beached whale, a feng shui loving boss, a Chinese-American women; her ritzy, "golf course designer" boyfriend, her grandmother and Mandarin classes are all new parts of Ryan's life; and this when things begin to get strange.
The delusion that money brings happiness is the theme in the film. From Spike to Furry Creek (and eventually Ryan) it seems everyone's motivation is to collect massive fortunes at any cost. But what are they willing to sacrifice? And how many times have we seen this before? But (yes but) what makes this film interesting is that it is taken away from the usual brunts, the stockbroker, the lawyer, the CEO, and puts the responsiblity of the negative affects of capitalism into the hands of regular, everyday people.
Get rich quick schemes, a grow op that Ryan's parents get involved with, and the Japanese mafia all contribute to this mish mash of a story that some how works. Its tagline "A new kind of comedy" is pushing it a bit, but nevertheless, it's way better than the last Canadian Indie film that I saw. It's entertaining, yet seemingly aimless; thus, a successful reflection of slacker life, and not fully predictable. The character arc is one that we can all probably relate to but have seen a few too many times. But still, you should watch it for its artful scenes, strong performances, and witty situations. Plus, it's very well written, as Douglas Coupland is a seasoned novelist, and this is his first stab at a screenplay.
Ryan goes to work, where he undergoes a review by a less-than-pleased supervisor who printed out several acquisitions discovered during their "server maintenance" period. Ryan's gloomy, redundant poetry is telling of his attitude toward his job, and life in general. His supervisor suspends him but gives him the option to come back if he decides to go to therapy, and "they" decide he's okay. As he's cleaning out his office, his mother calls to tell him they've just won 4.3 million dollars, but his father can't find the ticket.
Ryan takes a colorful bike ride to his parents house. Aliens from the "Mars, Texas" shoot have invaded his ride in the most pleasant way possible. He rides through this childlike atmosphere in Vancouver, and it seems that his life is going to work out.
At Ryan's parent's house is where his stodgy, business-first brother Kevin, his recently fired Father, and his somewhat passive Mother are introduced. Ryan calls the Lotto Bureau after the ticket is found and finds out they have a losing ticket, but is offered an interview for a job that recently opened up.
He gets the job at the Lotto Bureau, where he interviews people who have just won big time. An amusing montage of ecstatic people from all walks of life give the film a goofy kitsch quality. A beached whale, a feng shui loving boss, a Chinese-American women; her ritzy, "golf course designer" boyfriend, her grandmother and Mandarin classes are all new parts of Ryan's life; and this when things begin to get strange.
The delusion that money brings happiness is the theme in the film. From Spike to Furry Creek (and eventually Ryan) it seems everyone's motivation is to collect massive fortunes at any cost. But what are they willing to sacrifice? And how many times have we seen this before? But (yes but) what makes this film interesting is that it is taken away from the usual brunts, the stockbroker, the lawyer, the CEO, and puts the responsiblity of the negative affects of capitalism into the hands of regular, everyday people.
Get rich quick schemes, a grow op that Ryan's parents get involved with, and the Japanese mafia all contribute to this mish mash of a story that some how works. Its tagline "A new kind of comedy" is pushing it a bit, but nevertheless, it's way better than the last Canadian Indie film that I saw. It's entertaining, yet seemingly aimless; thus, a successful reflection of slacker life, and not fully predictable. The character arc is one that we can all probably relate to but have seen a few too many times. But still, you should watch it for its artful scenes, strong performances, and witty situations. Plus, it's very well written, as Douglas Coupland is a seasoned novelist, and this is his first stab at a screenplay.
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