As I come to a close in my exploration of Piotr Szulkin's films, I wasn't sure what to expect with Femina. While many of his films use science fiction to express gave concerns about current times, Femina is definitely the most complex in its dissection of humanistic emotions and inner turmoil. It’s a film about Bogna, a thirty year old woman whose unhappy in her marriage and seems to be deeply scared emotionally. After her husband leaves for a long assignment with his work, Bogna learns that her mother has died and returns home for the funeral. What ensues is a voyage through Bogna’s childhood, as she reflects on the past which has lead to her present. Femina really gets into the mindset of this woman who is forced to relive her tortured past which created these insecurities and issues which haunt her to this day. Her mother is an incredibly suppressive human being which Bogna herself describes as “one large Christian commandment”. Szulkin uses a lot of extreme wide-angled imagery along with motion and handheld in these flashback sequences which really do give the entire film a very effective dream-like feel. It’s a complicated, fascinating piece and I would lying if I said that I completely grasped everything that it was trying to say. What was clear to me is how this suppressive form of thinking from an authority figure can lead one to becoming only interested in the things in which they are told are forbidden. This seems to be a major theme in the film, from the Stalin-esque figure, t the general thinking of our main character as her flashbacks progress. Aesthetically fascinating, with an amazing ending, Femina is another film by Piotr Szulkin, which reaffirms once again how he could be my favorite underappreciated filmmaker. 8.25/10
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Wren, a high school senior, is eager to escape from her dysfunctional family by attending college at NYU. On Halloween, Wren is invited to a party by the popular boy in school but her plans are spoiled when her mother insists she watch her little brother Albert. Albert isn't your normal little boy, he's a bit psychotic, so Wren eventually loses him in a crowd, chaos ensues. Josh Schwartz's Fun Size is a derivative teen-romantic comedy that doesn't leave much of an impression on the viewer, good or bad. The film definitely plays in all the tropes of the genre from the main character being far too attractive to be considered a nerd, to the unnoticed boy who is inevitably going to win Wren's heart. The film just goes through the motions with a very predictable narrative but that doesn't mean it didn't have its moments. There are some rather entertaining bits centered around Wren's mom dating a 26 year old and the very last scene with Albert may ave been the best part but the drama the film tries to create centered around the death of Wren's father ends up falling flat. It would be unfair to call Fun Size a bad film per se, but its utterly disposable narrative and poor dramatic beats keep it from being anything beyond a film which younger teenagers may enjoy. 5/10 After receiving an invitation from Mr. Owens, Ten strangers head towards a remote island off the English coast. On their arrival, the individuals soon realize they have been brought there by an insane man, who believes each of them must to be punished for crimes they have committed in their past. As each guest is eliminated in a fashion corresponding to the titular nursery rhyme, the strangers attempt to discover who is responsible for this deadly game. Rene Clair's And Then There Were None is a tight, mystery that works both as a tense piece of filmmaking and an impeccable dark comedy. The opening 5-10 minutes of the film feature no dialogue at all, with the 10 strangers on their ship sailing to the remote island. The time is spent with Clair simply observing these men and woman, seemingly capturing the type of character each has from their body language. With this opening sequence Clair is familiarizing the viewer with the various characters and prepping them for a film in which the observer will be keeping a close eye on everyone involved- looking for any indication of foul play. Much of this film is simply that, observation, as each of these characters' suspect each other of the murders. The comparisons to Clue are apparent and obvious but what seperates And Then There Were None from that film is Rene Clair's assured direction. Through visual design, Clair and company are able to create an aesthetic that helps elicit this sense of mystery and tension, using slow tracking shots, obtuse camera angles, framing, etc. Towards the end of the film the use of darkness is outstanding, elevating the suspense for the finale. For all the suspense and mystery that surround the film, it's impressive just how comedic And Then There Were None can be. The entire cast is superb, with sharp dialogue which sprinkles just the right amount of comedy over the tension-filled story. And Then There Were None is a classic mystery film that is well acted, directed, and photographed, supplying both mystery, suspense, and comedy into its "whodunnit" structure. 7.75/10 Let me just start off by saying I absolutely despised the first installment of this series, being that it butchered one of my favorite films as a child, the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans. The best way to describe Jonathan Liebesman's Wrath of the Titans is CGI porn with nothing much else of merit. I'm not sure why I was hoping for more but Wrather is big, flashy and pretty damn dumb featuring some dramatic moments that don't work at alll and really just get in the way of CGI extravaganza. I for one hope that at some point soon Hollywood will finally wake up and realize that Sam Worthington is the most boring, bland actor, but this still hasn't happened. Being that I have always had an interest in Greek mythology the film was fun for me, as it's essentially Greek Mythology as told by Michael Bay. I will admit that I enjoyed watching Liam Neeson kick ass towards the end, and the final sequence had some pretty damn good eye candy moments. Wrath of the Titans is big and dumb, providing some decent eye candy while being instantly forgettable. 5/10 Larry Clark's Ken Park is a pensive, albeit cynical look into a group of troubled teenagers and their parents/guardians living in sunny Southern California. The film opens in a skate park, where a troubled young man puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. From there the film proceeds to chronicle the boys classmates, interweaving their somewhat connected lives into a portrait of a dysfunctional America. Ken Park isn't a film interested in blaming anyone in particular for the dysfunctional families which we witness, with each storyline providing its own unique set of circumstances. Instead the film is merely interested in presenting these people to the audience, providing a portrait of their everyday lives, which are often shocking and explicit in nature. While there is no denying that Clarks' other films deal with similar subject matter, Ken Park is by far his most explicit and raw film. There will be many who simply write off this film as shock over substance but that is simply unfair and untrue. Ken Park works so well because it's able to balance its shocking elements with its more touching sequences, which together create a clear and effective portrait of the dysfunctional America which Larry Clark sees. I was particularly enamored by the story of Peaches, a young girl who lives under the strict catholic upbringing which her father provides. The juxtaposition of religion and Peaches carnal desires is really well done, effectively creating an argument that her father's strict beliefs are in fact driving Peaches to experiment. Ken Park is certainly not a film for everyone but for those interested in this type of film it's engrossing, brutal and fascinating stuff. 8.25/10 Chris wants to introduce Tina to "his world" by taking her on a cross-country road trip through the British Isles in his beloved Caravan. Tina has lived a pretty sheltered life due to her stern mother, so the two set off to see the sites. As they begin their dream vacation, the couple begins to grow more and more frustrated by the locals around them, leading Chris to take extensive action to make sure nobody ruins their dream getaway. Ben Wheatley's Sightseers is a rather unique, pitch-black comedy that delivers both the twisted violence and comedy more so than not, even if it doesn't quite live up to its fantastic concept. Why this film works in the slightest is the on-screen chemistry between Chris and Tina, who have this sorta neurotic energy which makes them easy to relate too and even dare I say root for regardless of their psychotic tendencies. These two individuals are complete psychopaths and the film doesn't spend much time trying to explain how they became so warped. Obviously the obnoxious people which surround them have something to do with it, as does Tina's sheltered upbringing, but Wheatley doesn't care to discover the root of their problems. I don't really consider this a problem in practice but because of this the film straddles the line between grounded and over-the-top, making it not nearly as enjoyable or horrifying as it could have been. While I consider Sightseers a minor disappointment given the potential of its concept, Wheatley once again proves to be a unique voice in cinema with Sightseers, a film that is bound to be a midnight-movie classic. 7/10 Something that feels more likely in a post-apocalyptic film, Marc Singer's Dark Days is the story of the homeless who live in the bowels of a Manhattan railway station. These men and woman live in utter darkness, with only the sound of the passing trains to accompany them. Marc Singer lived in this environment for two years with them and it's apparent in the amount of trust he has with the various homeless individuals. With Dark Days were are given an rather exhaustive look into the day-to-day existence of these men and woman who don't live by society's rules. Completely told from the point of view of these men and woman, the film is able to capture this society of disenfranchised and discarded humans. As the film progresses, the viewer becomes to realize that most of these people have had massive tragedy occur in their life and the film carries an emotional weight because of the portraits it is able to capture. Shot in a stark, black and white cinematography, Dark Days' is well shot with cinematography that really captures the darkness which these people live in. Dark Days shows the viewer a world they probably never knew existed, it's engrossing from start to finish and features a somewhat surprising ending. 8/10 Lorna is a popular nightclub performer whose acts aren't for the faint of heart. She routinely performs S&M type fantasies full of simulated murder sex and torture. Her husband owns the club and begins to worry about Lorna's mental state after she begins to have increasingly bizarre and frightening dreams. Destined to be a divisive piece of cinema, Jesus Franco's Succubus is a strange, surreal horror film far more interested in atmosphere and mood than narrative. Succubus is like a dream, with Lorna's perception of reality becoming more and more hard to decipher as the film progresses. What is real and what is not becomes almost unimportant, as the viewer is transported into surrealistic nightmare of Lornas where she is this demon, intent on devouring her living lovers. Too many times Franco seems to written off as merely a director of Skin Flicks, which quite frankly is just unfair and ridiculous, especially with how tame Succubus would be considered by today's standards. The visual compositions, direction and mood are all top notch, with Franco's ability to distort the viewers perceptions being quite masterful in approach. To say I grasped what Jesus Franco's intentions are with Succubus would be insincere, but honestly I'm not sure how much it matters, as Franco's undeniable talent shines through in this confusing, yet intoxicating endeavor. 7/10 In Paris, a down on his luck medical student, Johann Radek, is desperate for money. On the other hand is Bill Kirby, a man living off his aunt's wealth. Being the sole benefactor of his aunt's fortune, Bill Kirby pays Radek to murder his aunt. With the murder committed, Inspector Maigret is brought in to investigate, leading to a game of cat and mouse between both Radek and Maigret, intelligent men on the opposite sides of the law. Burgess Meredith's The Man on the Eiffel Tower is a very unique crime drama that has little regard for the typical tropes of the investigative genre. The first thing that struck me about The Man on the Eiffel Tower is how the film doesn't keep much from the viewer. Within the first 15 minutes of the film the viewer is completely aware of who is responsible for the murder, even if the Inspector is not, letting the audience focus more on the cat and mouse game which ensues between Radek and Inspector Maigret. While one would think this takes away from the suspense of the film, there is still plenty of twists and turns involved. Radek is such a fun antagonist, taunting the police right in front of their faces, even going as far as to give them clues like his dirty money. He is seemingly a step ahead of the Inspector at every turn, which leads to much of the mystery and suspense stemming from one wondering if he will ever slip up. Think Kevin Spacey in Se7en, as Radek is sociopath who believes he is far smarter than the Police, getting his kicks out of playing games with the police. While The Man on the Eiffel Tower is in color, it has a film noir sensibility in its visual design, using expressive lighting and shadows to create much of the atmosphere of the film. Considering this you would think the film is dreary and serious, yet it's quite playful at times, with comical music cues and other stylistic decisions which tend to be used in more light-hearted narratives. Really, almost everything about The Man on the Eiffel Tower isn't what one would expect from a murder mystery, which in turn is what makes it special, being one of the most unique and interesting films the murder mystery genre has to offer. 8.25/10 |
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June 2023
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