The Films of 2013

[flyonthewall2983]

Watched Rush last night. It suffers from some of the same rose-tinted views of the 70's that Frost/Nixon had, but that can be forgiven as this has a lot more charm and doesn't stay in one place too long without fidgeting. The racing stuff was okay but like most everything else would have been a better experience on the big screen than my computer screen.

[Numero Trois]

The Empty Hours / Las Horas Muertas- (d: Aarón Fernández Lesur)- A seventeen-year-old takes over his ailing uncle's love motel in a rural Mexican province. Not much of import happens in the film. Filmed with long takes, it's more about a series of perfectly composed details. An excellent use of cinema negative space. And certainly far more tolerable than what I've seen of Carlos Reygadas' work. Recommended.

[flyonthewall2983]

I've re-watched The History of the Eagles a lot on Netflix lately. The sheer ego on display from Glenn Frey at times is pretty staggering, and likewise Don Henley does come off as a little full of himself. But since Frey's death, this has kind of taken on the sheen of being their last statement, as opposed to their largely hit-or-miss final album Long Road Out of Eden. Especially considering that he wanted it to be warts-and-all emotionally, it showed something of an honesty that sits alongside his ego. His bitterness towards former guitarist Don Felder is particularly tempered by praise of his playing, and giving him credit for helping Joe Walsh sober up.

Of all the recent "rockumentaries" from the classic rock era, this might be the best only second to the George Harrison doc Scorsese did.

[colinr0380]

the Way Way Back (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) Hmm. Here's a familiar template: coming of age / one special summer tale of a young kid learning from a rag-tag group of older mentors to grow as a person, and unfortunately the film doesn't do much to set itself apart from the pack. There's something to be said for actually casting and directing a child actor to be convincingly awkward and not witty or clever in the slightest, but I'm not sure a film like this can survive such a passive, nothing central figure. It's sweet that Sam Rockwell takes him under his wing and nice that the cute girl kind of likes him out of boredom more than due to his charisma, but while Steve Carell's boor was out of line to say it to his face, the kid by all evidence is a three. Also, the film was/is sold as a comedy but there are few funny moments attempted, and the whole thing is really kind of a downer in a weird middleground way that doesn't embrace an extreme and just looks untethered and ill-conceived. That said, this is harmless, mildly diverting fare, but I don't think this will be around all that much longer in the public consciousness to matter anyways!

I've finally seen this film when it recently appeared on television and have to agree with domino's comments on it. This isn't really a hugely memorable film (and in terms of 'summer jobs in theme park' films, I prefer Adventureland more), but in some ways this really captures the mundane nature of everything and has the courage to have a relatively unlikeable (and therefore perhaps more realistic) teen protagonist moping about the place. I especially liked the very final moments of the mother coming to sit in the back with her son, suggesting that whatever happens between her and the boyfriend (likely it will not end well!) they'll at least have each other!

But then I also couldn't help but wish that there was a final scene tacked on after that in the vein of the tacked on deus ex machina climax of Fat Girl!

And I also thought that this film would make an interesting companion piece to Little Miss Sunshine, mostly due to Steve Carrell and Toni Collette playing another couple bickering and dragging their extended family around with them!

[dadaistnun]

Cherry Pie (d: Lorenz Merz)

Twenty-something Zoe ditches her shitty boyfriend in France and then walks, hitchhikes, and ferries her way to England (Brighton, I think, at the risk of embarrassing myself). Occasional flashbacks (or possible mental imaginings) hint at a pregnancy, but nothing is ever made explicit, including the leg injury causing Zoe to limp. Snippets of dialogue are heard in voiceover, but despite the widescreen visual flourishes (director Lorenz Merz is cinematographer making his feature debut here; he also shot and edited the film himself) and attention to Zoe's environment in a subjective way, this is far from a Malick knockoff. There's nary a shred of plot, just the viewer accompanying Zoe on her journey. I didn't really register how little interpersonal dialogue there was in the film until a climatic conversation with another woman on the beach, a commiseration on bad relationships in which Zoe herself barely speaks while her vodka-swilling new friend vents.

As Zoe, Lolita Chammah is onscreen virtually constantly. She's Isabelle Huppert's daughter, something I was not aware of the first time I watched this; the second time through it's hard not to miss the resemblance at times, especially the eyes. She made her debut in Story of Women when she was a kid; she's also in Denis's L'intrus. The film obviously wouldn't work without a compelling performer, but she is more than up to the task. Merz has a good eye but perhaps an even better ear. The sound design makes good use of coastal winds and waves, and the musical presentation runs the gamut from leaking earbuds to muffled sounds from other rooms (Polanski-esque, but less creepy) to a blaring Connie Francis tune.

All told, an impressive debut for Merz. I look forward to his next film, Beast. From the production company's website:

Gabriel takes care of his two year-old son Jamie. On a delirious summer night, Gabriel’s best friend Joel presents his enigmatic girlfriend Cory. The three break-into a zoo and encounter a magnificent giraffe. In their irrational state, they release the Giraffe together with a group of wild animals.

[Soothsayer]

I wrote this elsewhere but thought I'd share here.

Wang Bing's 'Til Madness Do Us Part

The final moment/shot of 'Til Madness Do Us Part is simultaneously one of the most heartbreaking, as well as hopeful moments I've ever seen put on video or film.

This film is a documentary where you spend over 3.5 hours becoming acquainted with people deemed "insane" by the Chinese government and the rundown asylum they call home. It is unflinching, Wang Bing gives himself or viewer no respite from what he films. This is a perspective which almost no one has been granted before this film was made, certainly no one unrelated to those who live in this environment. Over the course of this film, you see a real, sincere love develop between some of the people who live here. The sincerity of this love is overwhelming, almost devastating.

The final shot of this film is two people, living in this asylum. Sitting on a bench, looking at a courtyard obscured by rusty metal bars. Bars designed to keep them confined. Abandoned by the world to be forgotten by their families, by those who knew them before. People deemed unworthy of what society had created before them. They have found beauty and connection in each other, and can hope for the future because they have each other.
I can only hope others see this moment and find a warmth and hope. That moment gives me warmth and hope.

While not an easy watch by any means, it is an extremely rewarding one. I want to thank the Austin Film Society for screening this a few years ago. That was how I discovered this film.

[aox]

I wrote this elsewhere but thought I'd share here.

Wang Bing's 'Til Madness Do Us Part

The final moment/shot of 'Til Madness Do Us Part is simultaneously one of the most heartbreaking, as well as hopeful moments I've ever seen put on video or film.

This film is a documentary where you spend over 3.5 hours becoming acquainted with people deemed "insane" by the Chinese government and the rundown asylum they call home. It is unflinching, Wang Bing gives himself or viewer no respite from what he films. This is a perspective which almost no one has been granted before this film was made, certainly no one unrelated to those who live in this environment. Over the course of this film, you see a real, sincere love develop between some of the people who live here. The sincerity of this love is overwhelming, almost devastating.

The final shot of this film is two people, living in this asylum. Sitting on a bench, looking at a courtyard obscured by rusty metal bars. Bars designed to keep them confined. Abandoned by the world to be forgotten by their families, by those who knew them before. People deemed unworthy of what society had created before them. They have found beauty and connection in each other, and can hope for the future because they have each other.
I can only hope others see this moment and find a warmth and hope. That moment gives me warmth and hope.

While not an easy watch by any means, it is an extremely rewarding one. I want to thank the Austin Film Society for screening this a few years ago. That was how I discovered this film.

This sounds really fascinating, so I read up a little about it. The IMDB description left me a little confused though:

50 men live for 12 months in a madhouse, they passing their days in a single plane and having little contact with the medical team. Every one of the inmates is not there for mental health problems but for had killing someone for committing a crime against public officials.

So, are they not certifiably insane or mentally ill? If not, why aren't they in a regular Chinese prison for committing a crime? What makes them special?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Local officials will often have an accused criminal committed to a mental hospital as an end run around a lack of evidence, or to keep them locked up indefinitely instead of for a fixed term. Dissidents and other "disorderly" types (e.g. petitioners) are sometimes committed as well. People with the right connections might also abuse the system for personal reasons, like getting a relative out of the way or settling a score with a rival.

[Soothsayer]

Local officials will often have an accused criminal committed to a mental hospital as an end run around a lack of evidence, or to keep them locked up indefinitely instead of for a fixed term. Dissidents and other "disorderly" types (e.g. petitioners) are sometimes committed as well. People with the right connections might also abuse the system for personal reasons, like getting a relative out of the way or settling a score with a rival.

Better than I would have been able to explain it. Thanks!