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Film, Reviews

Film Review: Mother (2010)

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mother Film Review: Mother (2010)

Mother is a brilliant crime drama that breaks all expectations of the genre. The fact that a senior citizen is doing the investigating is enough to make the film stand out. Kim Hye-Ja plays the titular Mother. Her adult son, Do-joon has major mental issues, specifically an inability to remember what happens in his day to day life. He is accused of, and confesses to, the brutal murder of a local high school student and is sent to jail to await sentencing. Mother knows that her son couldn’t hurt a fly and sets out to solve the case when everyone else abandons it. She breaks into houses, confiscates evidence, and tracks down potential witnesses however she can to free her son.

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Film Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)

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dragontattoo Film Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has become somewhat of a phenomenon. The novel, the first in the Millenium trilogy from late author Stieg Larsson, concerns the exploits of Lisbeth Sanders, an unbalanced computer hacker. After being raped by her legal custodian, she takes full control of her life and forces herself into a mystery case being helmed by disgraced reporter Mikael Bloomvist. The novel has become an international best seller and will see its second film adaptation brought to life by director David Fincher in 2011.

The original set of films, produced in Larsson’s home country Sweden, has also done very well. The trilogy has been sold to twenty five different countries and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars internationally so far.

For fans of the book, I may seem to have described a small fraction of the plot. This is intentional. If there is a flaw in The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo film, it is that Mikael Bloomvist does not come alive as a character. All his introductory scenes–the trial, the exile from Millenium, and his initial investigation into the Vanger family–fall flat. It is not until his life collides with Lisbeth’s that the film takes off. By that time, people unfamiliar with the book might lose interest. Rest assured that all the slow-crawling exposition of who did what in the Vanger Group is there; it’s just not particularly compelling on the screen.

The strength of the film lies in Noomi Rapace’s performance as the titular character. She is ferocious and fearless. You never know what this slight little gothic/punk girl is going to do next, but you never doubt her ability to do it. Whether she’s defending herself in a subway attack or hacking into remote computers for pay and pleasure, Rapace’s performance feels real. There is something so immensely expressive in her face. Her character may be a creature of impulse, but Rapace makes those impulses seem authentic. She is wild and unpredictable. Her physical demeanor suggests a hard-lived life for a woman so young. Most impressive of all is how effortlessly she accesses the most physically and emotionally draining moments of the character. The rape sequences are graphic and tragic, and the revenge sequences even more so. Simply put, I cannot think of another working actress who could have performed all the elements of this character so well.

Where Rapace’s performance fails, the wonderful editing by Anne Osterod succeeds. The problem with adapting a book like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is how much of the action is driven by research. Lisbeth and Mikael are constantly digging through libraries and archives to stare at tiny photos, old receipts, business books, and newspapers. It’s not content that screams cinematic treatment. The only thing more boring than watching a writer onscreen is watching someone read onscreen. Osterod’s editing uses a lot of cross-cuts, fades, and overlays to engage the viewer in the research. Lisbeth will be digging through a pile of receipts in the library, bringing out stack after stack of folders and boxes to examine. The various papers float transparently over her face as she scans them for anything she can use. This is cross-cut with Mikael investigating a house on the remote island setting of the mystery. Osterod jumps back and forth, creating natural beats that rarely drag when Lisbeth and Mikael are following a lead in the case. True, such techniques have become the bread and butter of TV crime shows, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable for a film when done well.

For fans of the novel, the film is a must see. It is an almost-perfect realization of the book. For those who didn’t like the book or haven’t read it, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is a solid mystery. It takes a little too long to really get going, but once it does, it’s an enjoyable diversion.

Rating: 6/10

Thoughts? Love to hear them.

Film, Reviews

Film Review: Micmacs (2010)

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Micmacs is hard to classify as a film. It’s a comedy about people living in a junkyard waging war against weapons manufacturers, but it’s not a dark comedy. It’s a slapstick comedy, but most of the humor is derived from Rube Goldberg-like machines and schemes. The lead actor gives an expressive performance, but it is done mostly through mime and Charlie Chaplinesque physical comedy. It is, ultimately, a joyous movie experience, if you like mime, physical comedy, cartoon violence, and mild social commentary.

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Film Review: I Am Love (2010)

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I Am Love is a curious film. It is a melodrama that uses little dialog. It is a character study that targets three different characters in a family at the same time. It is a beautifully acted film that values artistic design and score over a clear portrayal of any character. I Am Love is less a film than a portrait of a family in motion. You get what you want to get out of the film and nothing more.

Tilda Swinton stars as Emma Rechi, a woman who was whisked away from her native Russia twenty years ago to marry an Italian business man (Pippo Delbono’s Tancredi Rechi). She has three grown children: daughter Betta (Alba Rohrwacher), sons Gianluca (Mattia Zaccaro) and Edoardo, Jr. (Flavio Parenti). Betta is going off to art school in London and Gianluca and Edoardo are joining the family textile business; Edoardo has been named co-owner of the company with his father Tancredi. 

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Midnight Rec: Exte: Hair Extensions (2007)

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Do you like weird films?

No really, this is a serious question. Can you handle a really strange film? Like, just shy of two hours of "I abandoned my child/I drink your milkshake" strange? Little Miss Sunshine toss grandpa in the trunk and compete in the pageant strange? The Wicker Man late night orgy strange?

Good. I'm glad.

Equally important: can you accept a film that requires camp and utter sincerity to be effective?

You can? Great.

Find a copy of Exte: Hair Extensions. You will not be disappointed.

Sion Sono has made some of the most bizarre and riveting horror films of the 2000's. In Suicide Club, a wave of mass suicides has hit Japan and no one can explain why. Schoolgirls jump in front of subway cars, comedians incorporate actual death into their acts, and mothers slice off their own limbs. What is the cause? And why does Japan have such amazing pop music like Dessert (no fair, they were made up for the film) while we get Justin Beiber? It's just not fair, I tell you. I'd take "Mail Me" any day over "Lonely Girl."

Then there's the follow-up (but not really) film Noriko's Dinner Table. This is the story of a family during the same period as Suicide Club that is designed to elucidate some of the events of the first film while completely destroying the interpretation of others. A web community exists that sometimes encourages teenage girls to leave home and join up with a quasi-prostitution ring, wherein young escorts take on the role of a daughter, a friend, a mother, or other female relation for very lonely men with no one else. It's actually stranger than Suicide Club. Only far, far less bloody. Except, of course, where scenes from the original film are recreated or reedited for inclusion in Noriko's Dinner Table. Then it flows like Kill Bill: fast, hard, and all over the place. Clean-up must be half the budget for your average Sion Sono production.

It would be irresponsible not to mention Strange Circus, as the title is very apt. There is a minor trend in modern Japanese horror involving authors writing horrific stories, recreating horrific events through fiction, or altering the world with fiction. Sono's attempt is unique, disturbing, and challenging. Picture Flowers in the Attic, only less hopeful and with more characters.

As a director, Sono seems to believe in allowing the audience to figure out what is going on rather than spell everything out. That's probably why his films, rather than his own reputation, is what gets international attention. Modern horror doesn't really try to challenge the viewer. If there's a struggle, it's because of a poorly written screenplay or inconceivable twist. Sono's craft is in opening up what could be a strange but straightforward narrative into something far more open to interpretation and discussion.

In a way, Exte: Hair Extensions is a departure from that. There is a definitive answer to what's happening in the film and it's a doozy. The twist at the end (well, one of them: Sono always has twist upon twist upon twist in his films, mostly to their benefit) is genuinely surprising. And confusing. And perfectly rational in the context of the film. But no less easy to watch.

There are two divergent plot strands in the film. First, killer hair extensions. As in, hair extensions that kill. This is handled with a very interesting balance of high camp and high suspense; they are not mutually exclusive. There will be scenes where you are laughing and groaning one second, covering your eyes the next, then rolling them to the top of your head before shuddering in terror and shedding a tear.

Second, child abuse. I was not expecting this plot element in the film (kind of gets overshadowed by the promise of killer hair extensions in recommendations) but it is handled with such sensitivity and skill by Sono and the cast that I wish more people paid attention to it. Basically, the main character's sister is a crazy party girl (too old to be partying) who abandons her child at the main character's house so she can do more partying. The main character and her roommate discover bruises and cuts. They witness first hand the horrors the mother is subjecting her child to and do everything they can to bring some sense of normalcy to the young girl's life. Even here, there is a blend of camp and suspense that is unpredictable. Well, ok: the results are utterly predictable as a story arc, but the events themselves are shocking and brutal.

If you are in the mood for a fresh horror film that requires you to be engaged in the narrative, give Exte: Hair Extensions a try. I don't think you'll regret it.

I'm not embedding the trailer because it has way too many spoilers. I doubt I would have enjoyed the film nearly as much if I saw that. Literally every death and scare is telegraphed in the trailer.

So, here's another tactic: Did you like Kill Bill Vol. 1? Do you remember the Crazy 88 school girl with the fantastic fight against The Bride? Or the track star character in Battle Royale with the ultimate rape/revenge fantasy? Yeah, she's the lead in this film, playing a totally different character from either film, and she's amazing.

Full review later today.

Film

Film Review: Otto; or, Up with Dead People (2009)

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Before watching provocateur Bruce LaBruce's latest film Otto; or, Up with Dead People for the first time, I proudly recounted my understanding of what the film was like, "quasi-porn foreign satirical indie semi-horror film." Technically, the description is accurate. There are light pornographic scenes. It is a foreign film. There are elements of satire. It does behave like a horror film at times. The experience of the film, however, is far greater than its separate parts.

Otto is a young man in Germany who has risen from the dead to rejoin society. He does not remember who he was or how he died. He just knows he craves raw flesh of any kind. He is discovered by Madea Yarn, a filmmaker, creating her political opus–a gay zombie revolution film. The line between reality and fantasy is blurred as it becomes impossible to tell if Otto is actually a zombie or simply playing a role in a film within the film.

Bruce LaBruce uses a variety of great visual tricks and showpieces to bring his vision to life. The film opens in black and white as Otto rises from his single-name grave to embrace the tombstones of his fallen brethren. Madea Yarn's death-obsessed girlfriend, Hella Bent, is only filmed in grainy, 1920s-style back and white. Her dialog is presented as silent film cut away cards and her ghostly appearance remains unchanged even when interacting with the colorful world around her. Otto's perspective is always cast in a bright pink hue, distorting reality into a blood-tinged fantasy of forbidden flesh and social taboo. LaBruce also makes great use of open roads, abandoned amusement park rides, public transportation, and cemeteries to continually ratchet up the tension in the film.

The controversial pornographic scenes are not nearly as explicit as I was led to believe. To start, there are only two. The first involves a pair of zombies dining on each other while one penetrates the other in an open flesh wound. Yes, nudity is shown, but it is so cartoonish and outlandish it could hardly be called pornography anymore than Heavy Metal. The second scene is the much talked about gay zombie orgy, which is no more clear in action than the much-maligned orgy at the end of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. The only difference, and I assume the source of the controversy, is the the actors in both scenes are men. It's the reaction to homosexuality more so than sexual acts that is feeding into a negative perception of the film.

Some have objected to the high level of camp without the compliment of humor. To me, this is a failure of interpretation. The film is meta-theatrical, focusing on a zombie in a society where a gay subculture of zombie-players exist who happen to be recruited to star in a film about gay zombies overtaking society. I would assume the camp factor goes without question from the conceit of the film. Without camp, this film would be pure melodrama, a few stray sex scenes away from being a movie of the week. With the camp, LaBruce is able to broach a wide range of subjects in an inventive way.

Zombie films, at least the ones that are remembered, have a long tradition of exploring the failings of society. For George A Romero, rampant consumerism is the greatest ill infecting America, a theme he's reflected on from Dawn of the Dead all the way through Diary of the Dead. For Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Days Later, it's rage, violence, and isolation that hold society back. For Bruce LaBruce, it's homophobia and the failings of mental health care. More than other attempts at socially aware zombie films, LaBruce is knocking on risky territory. Showing Otto be chased by teenagers for clearly being different–gay–is one thing in a post-Matthew Shepard/Laramie Project world. Exploring how warped people can become to be pushed to make films about gay uprisings saving humanity or stumbling about in a haze of alcohol fantasizing about eating flesh is quite another. Together, it's uncomfortable. It's difficult to watch. And it's utterly compelling in the context of Otto.

I'm aware that Bruce LaBruce has a reputation for making films dealing with homophobia, explicit sexual content, and an arguable anti-heterosexual mindset, though I have not seen them myself. Otto; or, Up with Dead People is a sensitive examination of a lost soul doing everything he can to find out who he is and what he should do. It's not a perfect film, and I doubt that was the point. Otto is about the messages, thoughtfully and stylishly presented, and they deserve to be heard.

Trailer embedded below the jump:

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