Ingmar Bergman's Shame telts the story of Eva and Jan, lovers and ex-musicians, who have retired and live peacefully in the tranquility of their farm in the countryside. There is a civil war of some sorts going on in the region, and while the young couple is apolitical and detached from the concerns of society, slowly and steadily war begins to seep into their lives. Unfortunately the couple finds themselves forced into the conflict when the rebels attack the region, throwing the couple into the deadly, dehumanizing spiral of war. Ignmar Bergman's Shame is a harrowing and angry denouncement of war which captures the profound effect such chaos and senseless violence can have on humanism. Bergman uses these two characters to show the deteriorating qualities of war, as Eva and Jan become further and further removed from each other, as they each fall deeper and deeper into depravity as a defense mechnisim of survival. Shame has got to be one of the filmmakers most intense and harrowing efforts, with Bergman's trademark use of the close-up being used to perfection, in capturing the growing isolation and deep sadness particularly in the eyes of Eva. Eva sees Jan slowly becoming desensitized as a loving and caring man, becoming more and more hardened by the harsh situation around him. I also particularly liked Berman's use of handheld throughout the film, using it sparingly as a technique to capture the chaos and intensity of conflict. What makes Shame work so well as an Anti-war film is Bergman's intentional decision to avoid identifying the ideologoies of this conflict, suggesting that all war, regardless of what ideology one is fighting for, ends badly for the sake of humanity. While Ignmar Bergman's Shame doesn't seem to be mentioned that often among the filmmakers best, this is a powerful film about the destructive qualities of war, capturing the destructive capabilites it has over love, compassion, and empathy in humanity.
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Brett Morgen's Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a detailed, and engrossing look at the legendary musician that works best as an observant study of a deeply troubled man who created art that touched so many people. Spanning the early days of his life in Aberdeen, Washington to his unfathomable success as the lead creative force in Nirvana, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a fascinating film that never tries to find definitive answers. The film has a very stream of conscious feel in its depiction of this complicated man, using home movies, journal entries, artwork, musical recordings, and animated recreations of some of Cobain's detailed writings that together create an exhaustive portrait of the inner psyche of Kurt Cobain. What makes Brett Morgen's Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck work so well is the directors unwillingness to pin-down the exact reasons as to what drove Kurt Cobain, asking questions of various important people in Cobain's life, while understanding that many of these individuals themselves can only question exactly what was going on inside Cobain's troubled mind. Internal suffering and artistic creation are presented as one in the same in Montage of Heck, as the film attempts to understand this relationship, visually capturing how intermingled these two things truly are. Vivid and engrossing, Montage of Heck is a film that manages to capture the complexities of Kurt Cobain, offer glimpses but never attempting to be bold enough to provide answers to what exactly led to Cobain's tragic demise. Taking place in Japan in the late 1980s after the death of the Emperor, Shinji Aoyama's Backwater tells the story of Toma, a seventeen year old, living in a small, dilapidated town with his father, a rough, mean-spirited man who engages in shady practices for money, while bringing a sexually abusive relationship to his latest mistress, Kotoko. Disgusted by his father's abusive treatment of woman as well as his shady dealings, Toma begins to become self-aware of the similarities he shares with his father, fearing he may be destined down a similar path of sexual abuse with his girlfriend, Chigusa. Shinji Aoyama's Backwater is a meditative study of male sexuality, specficially during adolescence, that explores the relationship between masculinity and sexual aggression. Shinji Aoyama has created a film that captures the intrusive nature of sex from the male perspective, with this father character representing the desire for dominance that is an inherent part of the male psyche. Backwater is a film that has very little interest in Love as it pertains to sex, being much more intrigued in how lust, dominance, and aggressive qualities of sex play a part in creating the male ego. Centered around the character of Toma, Backwater is one of the darker coming of age stories I've seen in awhile, as it showcases a young boy who clearly doesn't want to be like his father, scared that these behaviors are on some level hereditary, being only a matter of time until he seeks pleasure from the pain of Chigusa. While Backwater is a hard film to watch, it becomes clear that this is not a film merely about the male ego but almost a commentary on the shifting nature of Japense culture, with Jinko, Toma's mother and ex-lover of Toma's abusive father, being a representation of female empowerment, with this father-son narrative being a representation of the shift in culture where woman were merely objects of desire. Subtly stylized, Backwater's small village setting is perfect for the film's thematic elements, with the dilapidated buildings, barren river, and isolated streets void of activity, centralizing this story of young Toma. While one could certainly argue that the film's vile father can be a little over-the-top at times, Shinji Aoyama's Backwater is fascinating study of the shifting culture in Japanese society that ends up being a deeply personal love letter to the filmmakers mother. William Dieterle's The Firebird is largely forgotten murder mystery film from the 1930s centered around the mysterious death of Herman Brandt, a popular stage actor and womanizer, who is murdered in his apartment. The murder of Herman Brandt doesn't happen until approximately twenty minutes into the film's running time, with Dieterle using this time to set up the groundwork for this whodunnit. Brandt lives in an upscale apartment, where he routinely exudes romantic advances towards many of the woman of the building, most notably Carola Pointer, the beautiful wife of a politician, who constantly rebuffs his advances. Unbeknownst to Carola or her husband, Jon, their daughter, Mariette, has been seeing the suave actor behind their back, with Mariette desperate to break free of the perceived tyrannical role her parents have over her. When Brandt ends up dead, the police begin to investigate all angels, which leaves both Mariette and her parents has the primary suspects. Wiliam Dieterle's The Firebird is a rather conventional whodunnit that manages to keep things interesting thanks to Dieterle's ability to keep ambiguity, while embellishing in the details of Herman Brandt's wild, womanizing ways. Quite comical at times, The Firebird keeps the viewer guessing from start-to-finish, as Brandt's womanizing ways make it hard for the police to pindown suspects, which seemingly every female character within earshot being involved with Brandt is some shape or form. I particularly liked how the film uses the character of Miss Teasdale as a form of narrative misdirection, an ex-lover of Brandt who is shown skahing him down early in the film for alimony payments. Typical of the time period, the performances are very melodramatic throughout The Firebird, with many feeling that they belong more on a stage than on a screen. Without giving away details, William Dieterle's The Firebird is a solid crime mystery that seems to have something to say about the negative aspect of parents over-sheltering their children, with Mariette's desire to find her own individualism leading her down a mistake-ridden path. Adolpho Rollo, a young, ambitious filmmaker and screenwriter, fantasizes about getting his 500-page script "Unconditional Surrender" made. Outside of his fantasy which sees him rise to fame and get his dream girl Angelica, who happens to be his next door neighbor, Adolpho lives a meager existence in a dumpy, New York apartment where he scrapes by financially through various odd jobs, which recently included acting in the flesh for an arty low-budget film. Desperate for money, Adolpho places an ad for financial banking for his film 'Unconsitional Surrender", which is answered by Joe, a charismatic con man who promises the cash necessary to produce Adolpho's vision. Alexandre Rockwell's In The Soap is a semi-autobiographical oddball comedy about youthful ambition, that is very much presented from the perspective of young Adolpho Rollo, a man who sees a bright future for himself as a filmmaking. Shot in color but released in black and white, In the Soup is a good looking film that does a great job of bringing the viewer into the perspective of a young filmmaker, seeing things through the eyes of young Adolpho, a man who sees everything very cinematically, having no true "life experience" outside of what he sees in the movies. Adolpho has a very romanticized viewpoint on life, most notably with how he perceives his Latin-American neighbor Angelic, a woman who he has become entranced with, wanting her to be his muse in the movie. The relationship he forms with Joe is the center-crux of this story, a small-time hood who lives an exuberant existence. While it's unclear as to whether Joe is simply using Adolpho to help on small time jobs, or has true intentions of funding Adolpho's film, Rockwell's Into the Soup showcases how Joe's greatest importance lies in his ability to give Adolpho a new perspective. Joe is a man whose shady dealings simply don't match is exuberant persona, and the relationship he forms with Adolpho gives the young filmmaker a crash course on life. Adolpho gains true life experience and a new perspective through his relationship with Joe, leading up to a conclusion that personifies Joe's care-free attitude towards even the sadder aspects of life. Featuring a very memorable performance by Seymour Cassel as Joe, and a host of fun cameos from the likes of Will Patton and Stanley Tucci, among others, Alexandre Rockwell's Into the Soup is a strange and offbeat comedy about the importance of ambition and exuberance. Struggling with the pain of his latest break-up, Shou, a struggling musician, spends his days secluded in his Tokyo Apartment, drowning his sorrow in alcohol and pornography. His estranged father arrives unexpected, telling Shou about Aunt Matsuko, a woman which Shou never knew, who lived a meaningless life and was recently murdered at the age of 53. Shou's father asks this son to clean out the ramshackled apartment of this mysterious Aunt as a favor, but as Shou begins to dig through the unkempt apartment he becomes increasingly intrigued with the details of his aunt's life. Tetsuya Nakashim' Memories of Matsuko is a hyper-kinetic, glossy, digital piece of heavily stylistic filmmaking that tells the story of a woman in Matsuko, who lived one of the most depressing lives every committed to celluloid. This is a woman who routinely is beaten down by life around her, with Tetsuya Nakashim creating a harrowing portrait of human abjection that is told through an extremely vibrant color palette. Escaping a childhood full of neglect due to her father favoring her sister, Matsuko finds her footing working as substitute teacher, where she gives love and affection to her students. This only lasts for a short time though, when Matsuko is forced to resign after being blamed for stealing money by one of her student, Ryu. Disgraced for this alleged cirme, Matsuko spirals down a series of sexual affairs and encounters with various individuals who further damage this woman physically and emotionally. While aspects of Memories of Matsuko feel shallow due the films vibrant and colorful tone, Memories of Matsuko reveals its intentions, capturing a good-natured woman who is slowly beaten down by life. Matsuko is a woman of unabridled love and compassion who blames herself for her failings and tough times, unable to see outside of her perspective and understand that it's the world around her that is the problem. For as absurdist and subversive as Memories of Matsuko can be, there is a deeper truth to this film centered around the importance of being a kind person no matter the circumstances. While Matsuko's life wouldn't be considered particuarly positive, her plight is important for Shou, a boy headed down a similar path who sees how his Aunt lived her life in a meaningful way. The film is quirky and colorful, feeling like a Japanese version of Amelie but much more violent. Violent and stylish with horror, musical, and romance elements, Tetsuya Nakashima's Memories of Matsuko is a unique story about a woman's battle through life that ends on a surprisingly uplifting note. Tim Sutton's feature debut, Pavilion, is a minimalist study of youth, likened to the early film of Gus Van Sant or David Gordon Green. The story centers around Max, a teenager, who moves from the lush, green lakeside town in Upstate to New York to his father's home in the dry, hot, and barren landscape of suburban Arizona. Tim Sutton's Pavilion is a dreamlike examination of adolescence that effectively captures the transcients of youth where the individual themselves is still trying to piece it all together, navigating their own emotions and feelings in an effort to understand who they truly are. Featuring hypnotic imagery that beautifully expresses the emotions of its characters, Tim Sutton has created a fever dream about adolescence, touching on the fragility of friendships, and turning an observant eye on the overall nature of adolescence youth. Pavilion is a film thats plot is rather inconsequential, serving merely as a vehicle to set the film in motion. Sutton as a filmmaker gives the viewer absolutely nothing through dialogue, using a voyeuristic style of study that forces the viewer to look closely at Max's actions, attempting to comprehend what his feelings are under his exterior. I particularly found myself blown away by the final sequence in Upstate New York, where Max spends his last day on the lake during dusk. This dusk sequence is a masterclass in cinematography, using the deep blues of twilight as a visual representation of Max's sadness in leaving behind. There is nothing said or no tears from Max, but Sutton visually captures the inherent sadness of this situation in an adolescent's life, moving to a new area and leaving everything one knows behind. Due to the minimalist style and cinematography, Tim Sutton's Pavilion is a film that feels an awful lot like a documentary, feeling like a beautiful realized visual representation of the aimlessness of youth, attempting to uncover the mystery and understand the emotion of what they do what they do. Notorious serial killer Garrick Turrell, who has gained a celebrity following for his grotesque killing spree, has just escaped police custody. Meanwhile, his former girlfriend, Sarah, is doing her best to star over again, having moved to a small Midwestern town in an effort to put her life back together. A recovering alcoholic, Sarah regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, where she soon draws the eye of fellow addict Kevin. A relationship begins to develop between the two of them, a tender romance, but unfortunately for Sarah, her past in the form of Garrick is coming back to do more than haunt her. Adam Wingard's A Horrible Way to Die is a twisted and clever narrative about a woman trying to escape her past. Amy Seimetz gives a fantastic performance as this skittish, damanged character in Sarah, a woman whose been dramatically effected by emotioanl trauma, unaware that Garrick is leaving a trail of bodies headed right for her direction. Adam Wingard's debut effort shows expectional craft, especially considering its budget, using phenomenal transition shots and handheld photography that visually captures its two main characters inner psyches in Garret and Sarah. Routinely playing with focus, Wingard captures not only the the emotional distress on Sarah's mind, but the psychosis of Garret, a man who is a cold-blooded killer. Wingard creates a tense atmosphere of uncertainly around Garret, using well-placed music and an ambiance of terror surrounding his every move. Featuring a dual narrative split between these two characters, A Horrible Way To Die slowly unravels fascinating characterizations, particularly with Sarah, a damaged woman who on some level blamed herself for Garret's murderous tendencies. A Horrible Way to Die suggests Garrett suffers from mental illness, unable to control this monsterous side of himself. The examination is pulpy and feels fictionalized, with what I would imagine could be described as silly from a psychological perspective, though it certainly leads to entertaining performance. While the film's finale bites off a little more than it can chew with a thinly veiled allebory about celebrity culture, Adam Wingard's A Horrible Way To Die is a well-crafted horror thriller that features two phenomenal lead performances. Picking up after the events of the last entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron opens with the Avengers tracking down and destroying the remaining Hydra bases around the globe. After their latest conquest, it becomes clear that Tony Stark is growing increasingly agitated, seeing no end in sight to the battle for peace. In an effort to accelerate this, Tony Stark jumpstarts a long dormant peacekeeping program in an attempt to have peace once and for all on Earth. Unfortunately things go awry, with this highly advanced articificial intelligence, known as Ultron, deeming that the only way for peace is in the destruction of the human race, with the Avengers being the only ones capable of stopping Ultron. Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron is a bombastic, CGI-fest of superhero action setpieces that manages to be a somewhat enjoyable summer blockbuster due largely to a witty screenplay that cares enough about its characters. Avengers: Age of Ultron is a film overloaded with characters, storylines, and surprises, and somehow it by-and-large manages to stay coherent, thanks to Whedon's screenplay. Avengers: Age of Ultron has action set-pieces galore, but what stood out to me is the film's ability to tap into each of its character's mental state. While every characterization isn't fully developed, given the amount of characters, this is a film that desperately tries to make its characters more than two dimensional superhereos, not always succeeding but at least giving some of the lesser known characters, like Hawkeye, an amount of emotional weight. Typical of all the Marvel movies, Avengers: Age of Ultron doesn't really doesn't have anything new or interesting to say, dancing around the same thematic tropes of predecessors, touching on responsibility, hope, surveillance, etc. Quite frankly if you enjoy these types of films it's hard to imagine not enjoying Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it's hard to deny that the formulaic nature of these Marvel films' is growing a bit tiresome. Featuring a witty screenplay that manages to ground the bombastic nature of these epic blockbusters, Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron is a fun entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that manages to satisfy, in spite of the franchise fatigue that is beginning to set in. Steve James' latest documentary 'The Interrupters' tells the story of three "Violence Interrupters" who try to protect Chicago's communities from the violence, particularly youth violence, something which the three of them used to take part in themselves. The Interrupters shows an almost epidemic amount of violence taking places in these communities where young people kill one and other almost daily, creating a deep sense of sadness and fear that grips the entire film. These three individuals go into these poor, violent-ridden suburbs to try and forge a path to peace, finding Steve James along for the ride, chronicling their plight. It's a meticulous documentary that shows us these people's lives and how they so desperately try to forge a path to peace and stop the blood-shed. There are scenes through-out that are very emotional and definitely open the viewers eyes to a world in which they may not have even known existed to begin with. We witness the struggle these individuals have in trying to change young men and woman fueled by hate and also witness a few triumphs, with Steve James' film capturing the uphill battle and triumps that make it worth the fight. There isn't too much to say about Steve James' The Interrupters other than it's an important film about the crime plaguing many of our inner cities in America, a film that should certainly bee seen. |
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June 2023
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