Tom leads a criminal lifestyle, following the footsteps of his father, who made his money through illegal, and sometimes brutal real estate deals. Through a chance encounter, Tom runs into his old piano teacher, reinvigorating his interest in becoming a concert pianist, much like his mother, who died years ago. Jacques Audiard's 'The Beat That My Heart Skipped' is a complete character piece of a man who faces the moral dilemma of continuing down his current path, or defying his father's wishes, who he has much love for, in the pursuit of his dream. Though the details behind his mother's death are never stated, it is clear that Tom's father blames her devotion to the piano as the root cause. Tom has much love for his father, the only person he seems to truly love, yet it's clear that he has passion's similar to his mother. I was a huge fan of Audiard's ' A Prophet', but unfortunately I found this effort to be very underwhelming considering the critical praise. My biggest issue with the film is that for a character portrait piece, the story is far more plot driven than character driven. For example, the chance encounter with his piano teacher that out of nowhere rekindles his desire to be a concert pianist, or the romance which he begins with Aline, his friend/co-worker's wife, seem almost out of nowhere in service to the story more than actually coming from our main character psyche. This drive to become concert pianist is clearly something he shared closely with his mother, yet the film glosses over these details and doesn't give the viewer much emotionally, in the most interesting aspect of the movie. The visual style is similar to his other films, yet it's not nearly as refined or impressive as his later effort, 'A Prophet'. The films story-telling is subtle, which is great, but it needed more emotional depth. Music is this man's escape from a brutal world he is forced to be a part of, due to circumstance, and in the end it ends up saving his life, yet besides one obvious scene near the end, I was vastly unaffected emotionally. 6/10
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Gloria and Clifford are on a romantic holiday, settling into a quaint bed-and-breakfast in a small town which has been haunted by stories of cannibals. Thinking nothing of it at first, the couple begin to realize they are in fact among these cannibals, who fancy them for tomorrow's dinner. Ivan Reitman's debut feature, "Cannibal Girls', begins as a rather conventional horror flick, but due to an inventive narrative structure and a great command of balancing the comedy and horror elements, the film becomes quite a low-budget treat. From the opening frame, Cannibal Girls, announces to the audience that a large warning bell will sound whenever onscreen violence is about to occur. Like clockwork, the bell chimes moments later as we witness the grizzly death of a young couple, making it clear from the onset that this is a film that is both self-aware yet assured in its genre conventions and manipulations. As we follow the young couple, we are shown routine flashbacks of past victims falling prey to these young, beautiful cannibal girls. The mixture of eroticism and violence in these sequences reminded me of something out of a Jean Rollin film, though that comparison is probably a little too generous. These sequences are unannounced and come out of nowhere, really creating this blurred reality for the viewer. Later in the film when we begin to question what is real and what is imaginary, particularly through the character of Gloria, because of this approach. This is a very low-budget film, the acting is ham-fisted, we witness the boom mic falling into the frame a few times, yet it's ability to be a pseudo-spoof of the genre while still delivering on some rather horrific moments and an ominous tone is commendable. As random as it may seem that this film as directed by Ivan Reitman, the film does features some of his signature smart dialogue that is both sharp and hilariously deadpan at times. Essentially, if a Cannibalistic horror film by first-time director Ivan Reitman, starring a 24-year old thick mustached, goofy haired, Eugene Levy is appealing to you, this is your film. 7.5/10 We open on a seemingly happy family, on the day of the father's birthday. He goes to work just like any other day, but when he returns home he finds the house to be abandoned, dark and empty with no one in sight. Initially he suspects that this is just the antics of his wife, setting up a surprise party for him on his birthday, but he soon discovers that the house is in fact deserted, with only a single television and videotape waiting to be played. This is a rather tough film to talk about with giving away details, but lets just say he finds that the videotape is a message from his wife, leading him down a dark and twisted road which he would never expect on his birthday. Alexandra's Project is a slow paced, intricate piece of filmmaking, that relies heavily on a visual style which exudes an ominous and mysterious tone. A large amount of the film simply revolves around the husband watching this vile, mean-spirited video from his wife. This is a psychological revenge film, that is incredibly mean spirited. Rolf De Heer's Alexandra's Project delivers a unique twist on the revenge flick, capturing a wife's attempt to take revenge on a husband who has hurt her emotionally in the past. 8.25/10 Part of the mother nature horror genre, Long Weekend, is the story of a troubled Australian couple, who venture off to the Australian coast for a nice weekend of camping and relaxation. From the very beginning it's clear that John and Marcia have a troubled relationship, as they spend more time antagonizing each other than getting along. Once they arrive it's clear that the couple has little regard for mother nature, whether it's throwing beer bottles into the ocean, cutting down a tree for the fun of it, or even running over a kangaroo, albeit not on purpose. Nature has seen enough, and wants it's revenge. This is not an exploitative horror film by any means, as it relies much more on Hitchcockian filmmaking to create a startling experience. Using tons of animal sounds, voyeuristic shot selections and well-designed editing, the film creates a brilliant foreboding tension in which it's very clear that nature is watching and planning its revenge against this couple. The music comes off a little too overbearing for my personal taste, and the amount of venom between the two even gets frustrating to the viewer but the film does a great job at slowly unraveling the inner workings of this couple, as we come to learn the true reason in which they share so much animosity. If you don't want any minor spoilers, skip this sentence: In fact, the film is a great anti-abortion advertisement, as we learn this is the main reason for such animosity, and one could easily conclude this as a crime against nature as well. *End of Spoilers*: Long Weekend is without a doubt one of the best films of this genre, making a clear statement about how humanity is a part of nature, not above it. 8.5/10 A unique love story by Aki Kaurismaki, Ariel, is the story of Taisto, a miner, who loses his job when the mine he works at closes down. In his search for work, he meets Irmeli, a resourceful single mother, who he instantly has a connection with. Through a series of unfortunate events, Taisto sees his life go from bad to worse, as he ends up penny-less and ultimately in jail. Irmeli is the only person in his life that cares about Taisto, and the two plan a way to escape their situation and start a new life. Kaurismaki's minimalistic style is very present in this film as we are given a lesson in economy of storytelling. At 72 minutes its a short film that explores the pitfalls and circumstance of life to great effect. There are instances of Kaurismaki's dark humor but this film is much more interested in gritty realism of Finland, a place that doesn't seem to have enough jobs to go around. Through Taisto's story, the film suggests that poverty and circumstance are the main contributors to crime. It's not as emotionally resonant as some of his other films from this era like 'The Matchstick Girl' but its still an affective portrait of a blue collar man, who desires a life with opportunity. 7.75/10 Frontiersman Vern Haskell wanders through the Wild West in search of the men responsible for the murder of his fiancee. Posing as an escaped prisoner, Haskell gains entry into Chuc-A-Luck, a horse ranch where a gang of criminals routinely hideout. Not knowing which man is responsible, Haskell befriends the gang, waiting for the perfect time to take his revenge. The film opens with Vern Haskell and his fiance in a loving embrace. Haskell is radiant and passionately in love, though this is the last time we will see him in that light. Rancho Notorious is a compelling story of a man whose life is empty after the loss of his fiancee. Filmed entirely on the studio backlot, the film feels unnatural at times, but Fritz Lang uses this to his advantage, creating a Western landscape that feels much more claustrophobic and tense than is typical for the genre. Thematically it's a film that is very similar to many Noirs - Revenge vs. Morality, and Arthur Kennedy plays the character of Vern quite well. Not as visually interesting as some of Lang's best films, Rancho Notorious does feature some classic Lang like camera movements and editorial decisions that really help put the viewer into the mind of vengeful Vern Haskell. 7.5/10 Escaping the hectic lifestyle of New York, Paul Kemp (Johnny Deep), arrives in Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper. A slave to the rum-soaked lifestyle, Paul is recruited by Sanderson, an american entrepreneur, determined to turn Puerto Rico into the capitalist paradise in which he will make millions. The Rum Diary is essentially a film about a haphazard journalists who faces a decision to either sell out to corporate greed, or use his words against these forces. Advertised as a film in the same vein as Fear and Loathing, The Rum Diary ends up being quite boring and not particularly entertaining. The story unfolds haphazardly and is never all that focused which could have been fine if Paul Kemps character would have been portrayed in a more flamboyant or eccentric tone. We get none of the gonzo, which made this type of character so much fun and everything just comes off rather limp. In the end, the film takes itself too seriously and while its message is valid, it's paper thin and ultimately unfulfilling. 5/10 The story of a small town girl, Sherrie and city boy, Drew, who both meet in Hollywood, pursuing their dreams of stardom. Working at the famous rock club, the Bourbon room, these two fall madly in love with each other, but will the possibility of fame and fortune end up tearing them apart? Rock of Ages is a shameless musical which fully takes advantage of nearly every 80's Rock'n'Roll hit from Def Leppard to REO Speedwagon. The narrative is wildly predictable and the performances by both Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta leave something to be desired for sure, but the bottom line is if you like the music, you will find this film a lot of fun. Sure it's totally shameless and at first I found it a little insulting to all the bands, but I can't deny that I found myself enthralled every time another great 80's rock ballad started up. Regardless of the shortcomings of the two leads, they are wisely surrounded by lots of great actors like Paul Giamatti, as a greed talent manager, and Tom Cruise, as rock god Stacee Jaxx, among others who really save the film when the music isn't blasting. For all the generic bits and predictability of the story, this film is pretty damn fun, with the supporting actors like Tom Cruise, Giammati, and Alec Baldwin really stealing the show. It's kinda funny because, none of the scenes involving the two leads alone are at all memorable. While entertaining, I found Catherine Zeta Jones character to be wildly unnecessary to the story, and quite frankly out of place. Even with all it's narrative flaws, the bottom line is, if you like 80s rock ballads, there is no reason you shouldn't have a good time. 7.25/10 Adam Sandler's latest film is the story of Donny, a teenager who was forced to father his son Todd, the product of an inappropriate student-teacher relationship. Now much older, Donny is broke and in desperate need of money to pay back the IRS. Donny's only hope relies in his now wealthy son, Todd, who he hasn't seen for over a decade. That's My Boy is pretty much exactly what you would expect from an Adam Sandler movie, though it's much more vulgar and crude than many of his recent films. The story is a predictable redemption story as Donny learns the error of his ways and eventually becomes a good, if unorthodox father to Todd. This film definitely has it's moments, at times taking things to a surprising extent of tastelessness, yet it never becomes anything more than a decent comedy that's definitely better than his most recent efforts. To be fair, that isn't particularly saying much. If you enjoy this brand of vulgar, tasteless humor than the film has it's moments, but there is definitely better product out there. 5/10 I'm probably not the best person in the world to classify the work of Giuseppe Andrews, as this is only my second experience. That's pretty much the best way to describe them though, an experience. Schoof is an extremely low-budget film about a strange cosmic force known as "Schoof", which is slowly making the human race bat-shit insane. Tracy is a teenager who is witnessing her entire family go nuts, yet she remains strangely unaffected. Using amateurish actors, Schoof is gloriously goofy and laughably bad in all the right ways. It's kinda like the type of film you would have dreamed of making as a child, though it's much more vulgar and disgusting. Writing off this film because of it's extremely unorthodox approach or it's extremely low production value would be a mistake, as this film is more visually inventive and creative in it's approach than almost anything coming out of mainstream filmmaking these days. If there is a deeper meaning to this one, I surely missed it, but Schoof is so much fun. There are bits of this film that are absolutely hilarious in their creativity and absurdity. I particularly loved the Giant Hamster bits. Given how wacky this film is I couldn't be too surprised that it ended with a musical number! 7.5/10 |
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June 2023
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