Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto)

Definitions

Ferragosto: a major Italian holiday, celebrated August 15, that involves an elaborate meal. The majority of the population goes out of town for a few days. (Americans, think “Thanksgiving weekend”)

Pranzo:  lunch or dinner

Youth, beauty, materialism, and other facets of contemporary culture permeate the cinema landscape today.  Mid-August Lunch (2008), a gem of a movie, is the antithesis of these themes and should not be missed.  The storyline is gentle, uncomplicated but rich, and leaves the viewer with considerable substance on which to ponder long after the film is over.

The movie begins with Gianni, a middle-aged man who lives with and cares for his elderly mother in her small apartment in Rome.  Gianni inadvertently finds himself providing respite care for three additional elderly women, whose families have gone away on holiday to celebrate Ferragosto.  Initially displeased with their disposition, after being dismissed to the care of a complete stranger, the women and Gianni try to make the best of this rather awkward situation.  Liberated from the confines of their prescribed roles within their families, the women’s more youthful, true personalities begin to emerge as the afternoon evolves.  Later that evening, one of the women confides to Gianni, “We live on memories. Without memories what would you do?”  The following day the women and Gianni prepare their own Pranzo di Ferragosto celebration meal, creating new memories for each of these new friends.

 Mid-August Lunch is a directorial debut for Italian actor and screenwriter Gianni Di Gregorio who also plays the central character of this film.  The calculated simplicity of this story and the cinematography, which features close-ups of the actors, images of the delicious meals prepared, and quintessential scenes of Rome work together to create a rich story.  The viewer readily connects with the characters, seeing the individual within each of the women, as well as the caring and generous Gianni.  Foreign language film viewers who oppose subtitles should not dismiss this movie.  The dialogue is not complex and moves at a comfortable pace; the viewer quickly forgets she is reading subtitles.  Charming scenes of the story unfold during the final credits… do not shut the DVD player off too quickly.  I urge you to see Mid-August Lunch, and, if you are like me, you will tell your friends and family to do the same.

Check the WRL catalog for Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto)

Read Full Post »

Spirited Away

I don’t usually watch Anime, but my daughter enthused about Spirited Away, so we sat down on the couch to watch it together on her laptop. That became a nudging, pushing, “Turn the screen this way” experience for  both of us, so I was very pleased to discover that my library owns it on DVD. The library copy usually has several holds, so I had to wait. But it was worth it! This movie proves that a great story is a great story, no matter its format.

Ten-year-old Jahiro is unhappy about moving to a new house in a new town with a new school. As they are driving to their new home her father decides to take a short cut and the road ends at a strange, abandoned building. Jahiro doesn’t want to enter, but her parents seem strangely compelled. A short while later, without realizing it, they have entered a new world, peopled with odd, grotesque spirits. Jahiro is terrified, but her parents are unaware that anything is wrong and are soon trapped. From here the story gets compelling and creepier and creepier. Jahiro will need help to navigate this world and save her parents. But who is really her friend, and who is pretending to help her for their own ends?

I enjoyed the snippets of Japanese culture, that may have been so ingrained in the creators’ minds that they didn’t realize that they were showing something that might be different in other places. For example, on several occasions I noticed that in the midst of drama and action and danger, the characters stop to take off their shoes before going inside. Even in an emergency they can’t imagine running into a bathhouse with their shoes on.  Other details were also intriguing, such as the night clothes and driving on the left.  To me this shows that the creators were portraying what they saw around them, and not what an outsider might think a place is like.

This movie was animated the old-fashioned way with drawings, rather than being computer generated. I found the animation painterly, rather than the gaudy, flashing, flatness of some Disney movies. I loved the details – I could even recognize the bushes in the background and name hydrangeas, daphne, camellias and rhododendrons (not a quality appreciated by my family in the middle of a movie!).

My library’s double disk set included a Japanese documentary about the making of the movie. At the time the documentary was made in 2001 Spirited Away was the highest grossing film in Japanese history. It was dubbed into English without changing the original animation at all, which is unusual.  The English language version won the Academy Award for an animated feature in 2003. The director, Hayao Miyazaki had his sixtieth birthday while Spirited Away was being made, but he still wrote,  drew and directed for it. The documentary shows a meeting when they are working on a scene where Jahiro needs to give a pill to a dragon to save it. Miyazaki asks, “Has no one given a pill to a dog?” When it turns out only one person has even owned a dog, he mutters, “Pathetic!” and takes them all to a veterinary hospital to see all sorts of dogs dosed. I think this attention to detail shows all the way through this gripping, exciting and usual movie.

I recommend Spirited Away for everyone! It is suitable for children, but the gripping story, creepy events, great art and wonderful music will entertain young and old, even those who never watch this sort of thing.

Check the WRL catalog for Spirited Away

Read Full Post »

La Vie En Rose

I first watched this film not long after its release in 2007 and I come back to it time and again. Like many people my age, I was only familiar with a couple of Édith Piaf’s songs prior to watching La Vie En Rose.  But I was immediately fascinated by this portrayal of the famous French singer, whose voice was often described as the “soul of Paris.”

We first see Édith as a young child on the streets of Paris and then as a frail invalid nearing the end of her life in 1963.  La Vie En Rose is told in a non-linear format and follows two general timelines.  The first follows Édith as she grows up and attains great international fame as a singer, and in the second we see her attempt to recover from two bad car accidents, which left her with an addiction to painkillers, in order to perform one last time.

Abandoned by her mother and father as a very young child, Édith is left to grow up in her grandmother’s brothel and is cared for tenderly by one of the prostitutes, Titine.  But a few years later, her father, a contortionist in a traveling circus, returns to claim her and forces her to join his itinerant lifestyle.  We then meet her again, a few years later, living on the streets of Paris with her friend, Simone, singing for her supper. It is while singing on a street corner that she comes to the attention of Louis Laplée, a cabaret owner.  From this point, the movie charts Édith’s rise to fame under his patronage through the time she spent in New York and California, until her premature death at the age of 47 in the French Riviera.

Piaf’s life had its fair share of trials and triumphs, just as you would expect in any musical biopic, but it is Marion Cotillard’s performance that is the real revelation here.  Marion Cotillard gives the performance of a lifetime as the La Môme Piaf and in fact she won a Best Actress Oscar for the role (the first time an Oscar has been given for a French-language role). But by no means is the character of Édith always sympathetic–her fame and sycophantic hangers-on turn her into something of a monster, spoiled and prone to tantrums.  But at the end, it is the gift of her voice that triumphs.

And what would a film about Edith Piaf be without the music?  It features a long list of classics including “La Vie En Rose” and, of course, her swan song “Non, je ne regrette rien.”  La Vie En Rose is a marvelous film about the remarkable life of one of the twentieth-century’s greatest stars and I highly recommend it.

Check the WRL catalog for La Vie En Rose

Read Full Post »

Le Samourai

 Jef Costello (Alain Delon), an observant, somewhat taciturn, man, conducts his business with cool, brisk efficiency. His mission is clearly defined, all contingencies are considered, and nothing is left to chance. As a contract killer, this method of working is central to his success—and his survival. However, as Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 masterpiece Le Samouraï reveals, a meticulously crafted plan doesn’t always prevent unexpected complications.

As the film opens, Jef is in the final stages of preparing for his latest contract killing. The target is a nightclub owner named Martey, and Jef relies on his girlfriend Jane (Nathalie Delon) for his alibi. While Martey’s murder goes according to plan, Jef’s exit is witnessed by several people, including Valerie (Cathy Rosier), the pianist at the club. The local police conduct a sweeping dragnet in their search for Martey’s killer, and Jef is brought in for questioning. He doesn’t remain in police custody for long; the uncertainty of the eyewitnesses coupled with Jef’s seemingly airtight alibi prompt police to release him. However, the police superintendent (François Périer) believes he is a viable suspect and begins extensive surveillance of Jef’s movements. Meanwhile, Jef faces an additional complication when the man who ordered the hit on Martey learns of the investigation and has him followed as well. Then there is the question of Valerie; she had a clear view of Jef, yet she failed to identify him in the police lineup. Could she have a secret agenda?

Le Samouraï is a well-crafted film whose chief strengths are its tone and pacing. It is a somber and contemplative film, and the setting and color palette of the opening sequence establish this tone. At the beginning of the film, Jef, clad in his trademark dark suit, is in his apartment: an austere space with thick grey walls. He is silently watching a lone bird fly around in a similarly spartan cage. The pacing is slow in comparison to today’s films, but I think that heightens the tension as Jef slowly begins to realize he has become like a caged bird. The performances are strong, with Delon’s stylish and coolly calculating Jef Costello meeting his foil in François Périer’s exuberant and obsessive police superintendent. Le Samouraï is in French, but the subtitles are formatted so they are easy to follow.

Since its release in 1967, Le Samouraï has inspired a number of filmmakers, including John Woo and Jim Jarmusch. Fans of Woo and Jarmusch, as well as those who like crime dramas, may want to check out this sleek and stylish classic.

Search the WRL Catalog for Le Samourai

Read Full Post »

The Makioka Sisters

A few years ago, I saw Japanese director Kon Ichikawa’s 1963 film Revenge of a Kabuki Actor, and really enjoyed it, but I never got around to seeing any of his other films. Recently, however, the library added to its collection his 1983 adaptation of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s novel The Makioka Sisters and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to explore some of Ichikawa’s later work. The film did not disappoint; The Makioka Sisters is a poetic look at four sisters who are on the brink of life-altering changes in a society that is rapidly changing. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles.

Set in Osaka in the late ‘30s, the central characters are the four Makioka sisters, whose family once ran a thriving kimono manufacturing business. Tsuruko (Keiko Kishi) is the oldest and the most concerned with the prestige of the family name, even though the business has been sold; Sachiko (Yoshiko Sakuma) is even-tempered and takes care of her youngest sisters; Yukiko (Sayuri Yoshinaga) is kind and gentle, but her extreme shyness makes it difficult for her family to find a husband for her; and Taeko (Yuko Kotegawa) is young, rebellious and occasionally resentful of the attention paid to Yukiko and her marital prospects.

The story primarily centers on the attempts made by the eldest sisters to find a suitable husband for Yukiko. Most of the matches are complete disasters, culminating in one awkward meeting where the family’s habit of investigating potential suitors comes back to haunt them in a major way.  Tsuruko in particular is clinging to traditions that have lost their relevance. As a result, during the course of the film the sisters face many conflicts arising from changing societal norms. Most of the conflicts revolve around the character of Taeko, who, at the beginning of the film, hopes to support herself by opening a doll factory, much to the chagrin of her oldest sister. The sisters’ resolutions to these conflicts forms the basis of the film’s poignant denouement.

The Makioka Sisters is beautifully filmed (the scenes involving the opulent kimonos are stunning), and I also really liked how Ichikawa developed the relationships between the sisters and how this sisterly bond helps them adapt to a changing society. This film turned out to be a good starting point to learning more about the work of this highly regarded director.

Check the WRL Catalog for The Makioka Sisters

Read Full Post »

Nine Queens

Mandy from Circulation Services shares a review.

For Juan and Marcos, it seemed like a simple, but potentially lucrative, con: sell a sheet of counterfeit stamps to a wealthy stamp collector, then split the profit. However, nothing–and no one–are what they appear to be in Nine Queens, an excellent suspense thriller from Argentina, written and directed by Fabián Bielinsky.

The film opens in a gas station where veteran grifter Marcos (Ricardo Darín) observes Juan (Gastón Pauls) attempting to pull the same con on two unsuspecting cashiers.  When Juan’s scheme is exposed, Marcos steps in and rescues Juan from an angry store manager.  Marcos is impressed with the quick thinking, but seemingly naïve, Juan, and offers to show him how a skilled con artist operates.  As soon as Juan accepts the offer, they are presented with the ideal opportunity to make a quick score.  One of Marcos’s former partners needs to sell a sheet of counterfeit stamps called the Nine Queens, and a potential buyer just happens to be staying at the luxury hotel where Marcos’s sister Valeria (Leticia Brédice) is employed. Juan and Marcos have less than 24 hours to make the sale; the buyer is eager to purchase the stamps, but he will be deported the following day. A complex transaction leads all the central characters down unpredictable paths as they try to sell the Nine Queens.

Nine Queens is a well-written and entertaining film that would appeal to fans of David Mamet and the 1995 film The Usual Suspects. One of my favorite elements of Nine Queens is its pacing. It is fast-paced, but that works well with the plot since Juan and Marcos have a limited window of time to successfully complete the con. I watched Nine Queens for a third time as I was preparing to write this review, and since I knew how the film would end I could focus instead on how Bielinsky constructed the film. I was impressed with the interaction between the characters, and I think a lot of credit should go to the actors, particularly Ricardo Darín and Gastón Pauls.  I also felt that Bielinsky did a skillful job of obscuring the true nature of the con until the very end of the film. It is definitely a film that holds up on repeated viewings. The film is in Spanish, but the subtitles are formatted so they are easy to read.

Fabián Bielinsky died suddenly in 2006, but Nine Queens proved so influential it was remade in several countries, including the United States. In 2004, director Steven Soderbergh and actor George Clooney produced the U.S. remake Criminal, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.

Check the WRL catalog for Nine Queens

Read Full Post »

Shaun of the Dead

OK, so zombies are big these days. Huge, in fact. Fictional and historical characters have taken up the eternal battle against the undead with great success. But what if you were a 20-something slacker and the Day dawned?

Shaun is the classic underachiever. In fact, the greatest triumph of his life is probably living away from his mom and despised stepfather. He’s in a dead-end job (and all his younger co-workers openly laugh at him), he’s drifting through a relationship with girlfriend Liz, and he’s stuck between his hard-charging roommate Pete and doper/gamer Ed, his best friend and the third roomie in the flat. When Liz dumps him, Shaun decides to change his ways. Unfortunately (fortunately?), the zombie outbreak has preceded Shaun’s resolution, and Shaun is forced to make more drastic changes than even he had imagined.

The script does a great job balancing the horror of increasing zombie attacks and the humor of Shaun’s attempts to be a hero. The funniest part of the film (to me) was a scene in which Shaun goes out to run an errand and blithely walks past scenes of mayhem. But he quickly comes to understand that he’s surrounded by a catastrophe and begins to improvise weapons in the face of zombie attacks. (Another funny scene has Ed and Shaun arguing over which sentimental objects are OK to use in their battles.) But that humor is underlined with background images that leave the viewer uncertain and off-balance—is that a couple kissing in the shadows of a phone booth, or a hickey going drastically wrong? Are those kids playing tag or is It one of Them?

Shaun of the Dead occupies an enviably unique spot in the movie realm: a horror film that is truly comic, a comic film that is truly horrific. There are moments of revelation as well, including impossible decisions that Shaun and his friends must make to survive. I don’t know that you could truly say that Shaun grows up, but at least he finds his niche, no matter how bizarre that niche may be.

Check the WRL catalog for Shaun of the Dead

Read Full Post »

Rashomon (1950)

A samurai and his wife find their travel violently interrupted when they encounter a bandit in an isolated grove. The bandit assaults the wife, murders the samurai, then flees the scene with the samurai’s horse and possessions. Later, the bandit is thrown from the horse and arrested by a passing policeman who discovers him with the stolen property.

The bandit’s guilt seems obvious, right? Think again. Truth isn’t easily discernible in Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece Rashomon. Kurosawa uses this basic premise as a springboard to explore the fluid nature of truth and justice, creating in the process a movie that combines philosophical inquiry with expert acting and filmmaking.

Based on the short story “In the Grove” by Japanese author Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Kurosawa’s film is framed by a discussion between a woodcutter, a Buddhist priest, and a wandering commoner who are seeking shelter from a thunderstorm. While the storm rages around them, the woodcutter and priest begin discussing a recent court case in which the priest was a key witness. The priest encountered the samurai (Masayuki Mori) and his wife (Machiko Kyō) shortly before a bandit (Toshirō Mifune) saw the couple and decided he must have the wife for himself. As the film progresses, multiple stories of the couple’s fateful encounter with the bandit emerge, told from the perspective of the bandit, the wife, the samurai (related through a medium), and, finally, the woodcutter who has his own involvement in the events of that day. None of the stories match, leaving it up to the viewer to decide who is telling the truth.

Rashomon is a film that can be enjoyed on many levels. The narrative is engaging and thought-provoking, and skillfully incorporates flashbacks to tell the differing versions of what happened in the grove. The actors are convincing, particularly Toshirō Mifune, who appeared in a number of Kurosawa’s films. Finally, the film itself is expertly crafted and features stunning cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa. Nearly 60 years after its release, Rashomon stands out as excellent example of the work of Akira Kurosawa and is well worth discovering or rediscovering.

On a side note, I’d like to comment on the DVD presentation. Rashomon is in Japanese with English subtitles; however, there is an optional English dub track for those who would prefer to skip the subtitles. The subtitles themselves are white lettering against a black and white picture, and I’d recommend the dub track if you find the subtitles are difficult to read.

Check the WRL catalog for Rashomon

 

Read Full Post »

The Way Home (2003)

This week’s posts feature four novels written by Chinese- and Korean-American authors. The first is a romance written by Sherry Thomas, a Chinese author who learned English by reading romances with the help of her dictionary. The second is a young adult story of one girl’s immigration to America from Korea, a land just “A Step From Heaven.” Kimberly Chang is a “Girl in Translation” as she works day and night to get herself and her mother out of the sweatshops of New York. Closing out the week, Korean adoptee Sarah Thorson journeys to find her identity, knowing she is “Somebody’s Daughter.” But to kick the week off is a Korean film featuring one boy’s quest to find “The Way Home.”

Featuring a selfish, confrontational little boy out to get his own way, The Way Home has the potential to be a recipe for disaster.  Instead it is a story about love that is funny, poignant, and heartwarming.  Although this is a Korean film with English subtitles, there is little need for the spoken word.  The story is told through music and the actions of the characters, not words.

The opening frames of The Way Home show a weary mother and her combative son making their way from the city into the rural countryside.  On the long journey Sang-woo badgers his mother with questions about his grandmother, a woman he has never met. Sang-Woo will soon be living with his halmoni (grandmother) for a few months until his mother can get back on her feet after losing her job.  But as mother and son get further from Seoul and closer to their destination, Sang-Woo’s anxiety grows.  Sang-Woo is good at being alone and taking care of himself, living on canned food, drinking sodas, and playing tirelessly on his handheld videogame, but he is a city boy, not a country one.  How is he going to survive with a peasant woman who is elderly and mute? To add to it all, the shock of using a chamber pot, lack of television, and no access to Kentucky Fried Chicken may just send this seven-year-old over the edge.

The gentle acts of kindness, patience, and silent acceptance of Sang-Woo by his grandmother slowly win him over until he begins to understand and love this wordless woman.  Her quiet acceptance allows Sang-Woo to come out of his shallow, materialistic shell and explore the world around him, moving beyond his childish animosity.  This is a lovely story that illustrates the power of simple acts of kindness.

Check the WRL catalog for The Way Home.

Read Full Post »

Pane e tulipani

Have you ever wished you could shed your life and do something completely out of character?  If so, take a look at this marvelous Italian film (English title Bread and Tulips), and see how that impulse affects Rosalba Barletta and the people around her.  You might not catch the bus home tonight.

Rosalba is married to the plumbing king of Pescara, a man devoted to his business and his mistress—who happens to be his sister-in-law.  Rosalba is the wallpaper of his life, pleasant enough but strictly background.  She has served her purpose: bearing sons, preparing his meals, and keeping his house.  What she thinks and feels make no difference to him.

Then a funny little accident changes everything.  Rosalba finds herself stranded when their bus tour stops for a restroom break.  Uncharacteristically, she decides to hitchhike her way home, but chooses the exit to Venice, intending to have a solo evening before resuming her staid existence. Time after time, though, when presented with the opportunity to go home, she chooses instead to continue her adventure. Of course, it doesn’t help that her husband shouts at her over the phone every chance he gets.

Rosalba finds a job in a florist’s shop and a temporary place to sleep.  That temporary place gradually becomes more homelike, and before she knows it she has friends and newfound opportunities to express herself.  She also serves as the ‘normal’ character, the foil to oddballs who begin to collect around her.  Her nominal landlord is a sorrowful waiter from Iceland concealing a great secret.  The neighbor girl is a holistic masseuse, daffy but friendly, and the 0wner of the florist shop spends his days yelling at the customers and plotting revolution.

The best of these oddballs is an unemployed plumber who accepts Barletta’s assignment to find Rosalba on the promise of a job.  An enthusiastic reader of mystery novels, he may fancy himself Inspector Montalbano, but is closer to Inspector Clouseau, and the scenes featuring him bumbling his way through Venice wearing his raincoat and carrying the suitcase his mama packed for him are masterpieces of understated comedy.  As all these people cross paths, each is confronted by a decision: whether to continue their old lives or risk everything on an uncertain future.

Venice is as much a character in this film as any of the human actors, and director Silvio Soldini takes us exploring down the backstreets tourists will  never see.  Actress Licia Maglietta does a terrific job of taking Rosalba from the weary housewife to a woman blossoming thanks to a vision of what life can be.  That makes Pane e Tulipani a visual treat as well as a charming comedy.

Check the WRL catalog for Pane e Tulipani

Read Full Post »

Departures (Japan, 2008)

Mandy of WRL’s Circulation Services reviews an award-winning Japanese movie.—Editor

Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is a young cellist who has achieved his dream of playing in an orchestra despite a traumatic childhood, which includes his parents’ divorce and his subsequent abandonment by his father. Then a series of events occur which send him on the path towards a reconciliation with his past and an understanding of his future. This is the basic premise of the Japanese film Departures, winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2009 Oscars. What’s not so conventional about the film is the career choice that serves as the vehicle for Kobayashi’s self-discovery.

As the film opens, Kobayashi is living in Tokyo and working with a small orchestra. He is enthusiastic about his job, even though the orchestra is having a difficult time attracting an audience. Following the performance, the owner of the orchestra calmly informs the musicians that the orchestra is broke and will be disbanded immediately. Unemployed and faced with the payments on an expensive new cello, Kobayashi decides the best course of action is to sell the cello and move back to his hometown, where he still has the house his late mother left him. His wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) readily agrees, and once they have relocated Kobayashi begins scouring the help wanted ads looking for a job—any job. The most promising lead comes in the form of an “NK Agency” looking for someone who will assist with “departures.” He doesn’t know what an “NK Agency” is, but assumes it must be a travel agency since the word “departures” is in the advertisement. Upon meeting with the owner of the agency, he is surprised to learn that “NK” is an abbreviation for nokan or “encoffinment” and that the job entails ceremonially preparing the deceased in the presence of mourners before they are placed in the coffin. He’s also informed that the ad should have read “the departed” instead of “departures.“ He’s skeptical about the job but desperate for work, and the agency’s owner convinces him to give it a chance, believing that fate has led Kobayashi to the agency.

An awkward start with the agency causes Kobayashi to wonder if he’s really suited to this line of work; however, he gradually comes to take great pride and care in what he does, moved by the profound effect the encoffinment ritual has on families in mourning. At the same time, he has to deal with the scorn of his wife and close friends who believe he should have a “proper” job. As the film progresses, joyous news from Mika followed by tragic news about his long absent father forces Kobayashi to make peace with his past in order to move toward his future.

I thought Departures was a gentle and involving film that treats its subject matter with a high degree of grace and dignity. Director Yojiro Takita keeps the action at a steady pace which fits with the contemplative nature of the material. The performances are strong and nuanced, particularly that of the lead, Masahiro Motoki, whose range of facial expressions really brings a lot of depth to the character of Kobayashi. Another strength of the film is the way in which the screenwriter, Kundo Koyama, incorporates the backstory of the supporting characters as well as the stories of the families the agency serves. The film is subtitled, but the subtitles are clear and easy to follow.

Departures could be an ideal choice for viewers looking for a meditation on the curious nature of life, fate, and, yes, death.

Check the WRL catalog for Departures

Read Full Post »

Causing a Scene, by Charlie Todd and Alex Scordelis

Some people have no sense of humor. Thankfully, others more than make up for them. Charlie Todd is one person who redeems hundreds of the humorless, and in Causing a Scene he shows why he is probably one of the funniest people you’ve never heard of.

Charlie is the founder of Improv Everywhere, a loose-knit group of fun-loving and risk-taking “agents” who meet in places around New York City to perform brief sketches.  These are not pranks (although several unhappy police officers and store managers would beg to differ), since pranks are meant to cause discomfort to specific targets.  Instead, Charlie and his friends create unique situations that are purposefully absurd, recording the reactions of the witnesses who have innocently crossed their path.  For those witnesses, you could call it a case of being in the right place at the right time; they’ll be telling these stories for years to come.  Some of my favorites: the Olympic synchronized swimming tryouts in the fountain at Washington Square Park, the Rob! mission, in which an entire section at a sporting event is involved in calling a wayward fan back to his friends, and, of course, the booksigning by Anton Chekhov in the Union Square Barnes and Noble.

Charlie Todd and co-author Alex Scordelis have captured the planning, setup, and execution of these scenes with the same sense of fun.  Approaching each event as if it were a case file, they lay out the details of the mission’s intent, methods of recruiting “agents,” the mission itself (and the priceless reactions of the witnesses), and they  debrief a participant who shares his or her insights about their experience.  They aren’t meant as instructions—oh, no, you might get into hot water doing these (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)— but as reports from the front lines of public performance.  Technically, these aren’t improvisational, since Charlie scouts locations,  plans the scenes, and briefs the participants, but to onlookers it can seem like a trip into the bizarre.   Those forays into the land of weirdness are the best part of improv theater.

Although the setups varied widely, one of the constant reactions surprised me—in almost every mission, someone would ask whether the event was some form of protest.  In an odd way, it could be considered a protest against canned entertainment, but I don’t believe Charlie and his agents care about anything but creating and spreading fun whenever they can.  Causing a Scene does that on its own—several times I found myself chortling in public—but even better, I started thinking, “what if…?”  Keep your eyes open.

Check the WRL catalog for Causing a Scene

Read Full Post »

The Damned United by Tom Hooper

Today we hear from Ceilidh Mapes on England’s top football team.

First things first – in England soccer is known as “football;” and secondly, I am NOT a fan. I just do not get it and, despite numerous attempts by my brother, I still do not understand the offside rule. So imagine my surprise when I found myself actually enjoying a film about soccer, so much so that I could not wait to recommend it.

The Damned United of the title is Leeds United – the best English football team of the 1970s. They dominated the First Division, but were notorious for their dirty tactics. Brian Clough – arguably the most controversial manager of his day – has just taken over and makes it quite clear the days of playing dirty are over. Understandably, this does not go down well with the players or the owners, and so begins Brian Clough’s tumultuous 44-day stint as manager of Leeds United. Michael Sheen stars as the cocky, self-assured Clough, who was famous for his brash and abrasive approach, with lines such as “I wouldn’t say I’m the best manager in the country – but I’m in the top 1.” Sheen has a talent for portraying real people (as he does in The Queen and Frost/Nixon), especially when he works in conjunction with a screenplay written by Peter Morgan, and in my opinion, this is Sheen at his very, very best.

The film documents the journey that leads him to this turning-point in his career, his rise to the top of the English football league, and his friendship with assistant manager Peter Taylor (played by Timothy Spall), which is put under extreme pressure by Clough’s “mad ambition” and obsession with defeating his rival Don Revie – the former manager of Leeds United. The quarrel begins six years earlier, during an FA Cup match between Derby County and Leeds United, when Revie fails to shake Clough’s hand. Feeling slighted and overlooked, Clough vows to beat his rival, if it’s the last thing he does. But in order to achieve this, Clough’s team has to get into the same division first. Clough’s hatred of Revie lights a fire in him, and, together with Taylor they begin recruiting new players, which leads to a speedy rise to the First Division for Derby County. The suspense builds as the two managers and the two teams go head to head, and we wonder whether Clough and Taylor can build a team strong enough to defeat the mighty Leeds.

This film is shot in such in a way, with clips from actual interviews and footage from matches, that it both looks and feels like a documentary. One of the film’s greatest strengths is this feeling of authenticity – the hairstyles, the clothes, the wallpaper, the vintage cars, the dark, dank feeling of the changing rooms and the shabby, rundown stadiums all add up to create a potent sense of atmosphere – this is football before the money took over.

So, yes, The Damned United is about football, but more importantly this film is about friendship, and its ability to survive the pressures of ambition and ego, pride and selfishness. Clough was undoubtedly “the greatest manager the England team never had,” but he was nothing without Taylor.

Check the WRL catalog for The Damned United

Read Full Post »

Das Leben der Anderen (2006), by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Today we take a thrilling trip to pre-unification Berlin, courtesy of Ceilidh Mapes’ review of the film Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others).

German cinema has experienced something of a blossoming over the past decade with films like Goodbye Lenin!, The Baader-Meinhof Komplex and Downfall, but Das Leben der Anderen (in German with English subtitles) is undoubtedly the pinnacle of this resurgence, having won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2007. It is a poignant, suspenseful thriller where the basest of motives – jealousy and greed – are disguised under the banner of political righteousness. At the same time, it is also a haunting drama about the power of love and friendship, as well as high art and culture, to enrich and humanize our existence.

Set in East Berlin in 1984, the plot centers around Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe), a cold, unemotional, exemplary member of the Stasi. On the orders of party big-wig Minister Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme), Wiesler’s latest mission is to monitor Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) – an idealistic playwright in good standing with the party and his beautiful, actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). But Wiesler soons learns that Christa-Maria is secretly, although unwillingly, involved with Hempf and that his job is, in reality, to find – or fabricate – evidence to incriminate and remove the minister’s rival.

However, following the blacklisting of a more liberal playwright friend, Dreyman realizes it is no longer enough for him to use his position as a party favorite to plead for clemency for other artists, but that he must stand up in a more concrete way to a regime he has previously been loyal to, and to blow open the shadowy, secret world of the GDR to the rest of the world.

Simultaneously, from his voyeuristic position Wiesler is able to observe a warm, loving relationship for the first time, and he begins to soften. His cold professional shell is thawed by the love he witnesses and the art – both literary and musical – that he is exposed to. Von Donnersmarck manages to paint a very sympathetic portrait of a very unsympathetic character, who finds himself committing what would have been serious crimes, in order to defend the couple that he has come to care for. Unbeknownst to Dreyman or Sieland, Wiesler weaves himself into the fabric of their lives and we watch as the once passive observer becomes a very active participant in life, even if it is not his own.

Meanwhile, the tragic figure of Christa-Maria is little more than a fly caught in the web of Hempf’s machinations. She is manipulated into a betrayal that, despite Wiesler’s best efforts, has tragic consequences, and ultimately, he is unable to save Dreyman and Sieland from themselves. We watch, helpless, as these parallel lives converge, intertwine, and ultimately collide, in what is the most perfect ending of any film I have ever seen. An ending that will resonate powerfully with you, long after the credits have ended.

Check the WRL catalog for Das Leben der Anderen

Read Full Post »

Nightwatching, by Peter Greenaway

Today, Mandy Malone gives us her thoughts on the film Nightwatching by Peter Greenaway.

When I learned that the library was adding Nightwatching to its DVD collection, I was excited about the possibility of reviewing it for BFGB. I’ve long admired the films of British director Peter Greenaway, and when I heard that his latest film, Nightwatching, would explore the Dutch artist Rembrandt and the creation of his painting “The Night Watch,” my curiosity was piqued. Then I realized that I really wanted to analyze Nightwatching, not review it, and almost chose something else to review. As much as I enjoyed the film, it doesn’t lend itself to an easy review, but I thought I would try by commenting on the film’s plot and some of its stylistic elements. I should  preface my remarks by saying that while the conspiracies at the heart of Nightwatching are completely fictitious, I think it would be inaccurate to simply characterize the film as a historical biography with wildly speculative elements.

Early in the film, Rembrandt’s (Martin Freeman) wife Saskia (Eva Birthistle) becomes pregnant; and he accepts a commission to paint the Amsterdam Musketeer Militia. As work on the painting progresses, Rembrandt uncovers a host of secrets lurking among the members of the group, and when a murder occurs, he seizes on the commission as an opportunity to reveal the group’s dark deeds. Greenaway thus posits that “The Night Watch” was Rembrandt’s “J’Accuse,” a clever allegory exposing the multi-layered conspiracy. Once the painting is unveiled, the militia is outraged, but rather than destroy the painting outright the members plot to destroy Rembrandt’s life and career, and the fallout from the painting forms the final act of the film.

While the painting of “The Night Watch” and the conspiracy theory behind it provides the primary narrative framework for the movie, Greenaway weaves in elements of Rembrandt’s personal life, particularly his relationships with Saskia, and, following her death, his servants Geertje (Jodhi May) and Hendrickje (Emily Holmes). Greenaway’s vision of Rembrandt is that of a bawdy, lusty, driven artist, and Martin Freeman turns in a solid performance, conveying this vision without veering into caricature. Birthistle, May and Holmes are also quite good. Rembrandt’s relationships are pivotal to the story, and the actresses are effective in showing how the women in his life were not only the sources of his inspiration and redemption, but also the agents of his destruction.

Peter Greenaway’s films are unique in their cinematic style and unconventional approach to storytelling, and Nightwatching is no exception. The film is highly stylized, with each frame resembling a Dutch painting. The dialogue is rather dense, which is typical for a Greenaway film, and there are several images which are repeated throughout the film, giving the narrative an elliptical structure.

While Nightwatching may not be a film for everyone, it should appeal to Greenaway fans and the accessible nature of the subject matter could make it a good starting place for those interested in his films.

Check the WRL catalog for Nightwatching

Read Full Post »

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

I finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire a few weeks ago, and am so glad I did. It is truly an amazing film, well deserving of the eight Oscars it won, including those for best motion picture, cinematography and directing. Jamal Malik is an 18-yr old who is brought in for questioning by the police after having a successful start on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire.” The police want to know why a slumdog, a kid from the slums, could be doing so well on this show. Jamal reveals to them, in a series of flashbacks, how the answer to each question asked on the show relates to a key event in his life. I don’t want to give away the plot, but poor Jamal sees a lot in his young life, including dire poverty, deadly riots and vicious gangs. But through it all, he and his brother Salim and their friend Latika learn to adapt as best they can.

The story kept me interested, sometimes on the edge of my seat. There were some truly funny scenes, like the one where Jamal discovers the Taj Mahal, with all its tourists, and almost instantly sees the opportunities it provides him. Three sets of child actors portrayed Jamal, Salim and Latika, and all three are naturals. The cinematography was well done, especially the many panoramic shots of the slums. One memorable shot expands to show just how big the slums are in Mumbai. The music is great, with lots of exciting rhythms that help move the story along and help you to get a feel for Indian culture. There are several scenes of violence (one that made me cringe) that probably helped earn the movie its R rating; it is definitely not for young children. But the film has so many fine qualities that it is a joy to watch, and is highly recommended.

Check the WRL catalog for Slumdog Millionaire

Read Full Post »

Hot Fuzz

The British film Hot Fuzz is a comedy about a London cop, Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) who is too good for the London Metropolitan Police Department so he is sent off to the quaint little town of Sandford. There he is teamed up with the bumbling Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), a police constable who craves to get a piece of the action. It doesn’t take long for Nicholas to “smell a rat” and find out that not everything is what it seems in this little town.

There is much to enjoy here. The movie, which is directed by Edgar Wright (who also directed Shaun of the Dead), is full of gags and allusions to famous action movies. There are several gory scenes and a good deal of colorful language, so the movie probably is not appropriate for children or the faint of heart. But the violence is itself a parody of the horror movie genre (think Scream), so it adds to the humor of the movie, rather than distract from it. The climax of the movie (which I won’t give away here) would make the NRA very proud. I also liked the music in the movie, very 1980′ish with groups like Adam Ant the Kinks. Highly recommended.

 

Check the WRL catalog

Read Full Post »

Iron Monkey

Iron Monkey is a comic Chinese film that has been one of my all time favorite action flicks since I saw it in the movie theaters several years ago. It has some of the most incredible martial arts fight sequences that I have ever seen. The most amazing scene occurs at the climax of the movie, when three fighters duke it out on poles above a raging fire. But this amazing action is balanced by the many comic elements of the movie. The story is pure pulp, a Chinese Robin-Hood or Zorro tale that never takes itself too seriously. Some of the characters could have come right out of a comic book and have hilarious names, like the “ugly virgin.”  I did like the actors who played the good characters in the movie, especially Donnie Yen as the herbalist Wong Kei-Ying and Yu Rong-guang as Dr. Yang. Though it lacks the depth of many other outstanding Chinese films, like Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this movie has better fight sequences and is a lot more fun to watch. Highly recommended.

 

Check the WRL catalog

Read Full Post »