06.30.08
Review: “Battle for Haditha”
“Battle for Haditha,” directed by the bold and daring Nick Broomfield, is one of those nuanced war films that attempts, successfully so, to place the viewer in the centre of unthinkable atrocity by stripping away as much artifice as possible, to produce a film that can boast the immediacy of a documentary, the aesthetic feeling of one too, as well as the observant humanisation of one of those over-sensationalised dramas pertaining to the emotional impact of war. While the film is not successful every step of the way, it is one of the most riveting war-themed films of recent times, capturing not just the explosions, resultant bloodshed and turmoil on the battle field, but the internal war that rages on to no avail; the rage that has been explored time and time again, but hardly to the disturbing effect that can be witnessed in this particular dramatisation by the man who brought us the provocative documentaries “Biggie and Tupac,” “Kurt & Courtney” and “Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer.” Just as the improvisation on behalf of the mostly unprofessional cast, most of whom are ex-marines, benefits the docu-stylisation of the film, it also comes across as forced, unsubtle and blunt most of the time, limiting emotional connectivity and weakening the overall impact the film had on me.
06.29.08
Film Festival: Durban International Film Festival ‘08
The line up for the 29th Durban International Film Festival has been unveiled, and I could not be more depressed about it. Not because the line up is not great, because it is spectacular, it is just that there is a 99% chance I will not be able to attend. Life’s hard, I tell you. I am working on a plan to attend the final three days of the festival, but we’ll see. If I had a dollar for every time I uttered those meaningless words…
Review: “When Did You Last See Your Father?”
“When Did You Last See Your Father?” is a polite, emotionally rewarding film based on Blake Morrison’s 1993 autobiography, about a young boy’s confusion about his father which escalated into a seething resentment when he hit his adolescent years, and now that they are both adults, all the painful memories and festering despondency come to the surface when a harsh reality comes to pass. Eloquent in its sense of balance, matching manipulative sentimentality with resonant human emotion in its truest form, the film is a slow-paced, thought-provoking pleasure that could not have been crafted more stunningly.
06.27.08
Review: “Charlie Bartlett”
“Charlie Bartlett” is a teen comedy without the usual teenage frivolity and dilemma and most of the comedy, but high on messages of moral righteousness. Fine performances and a certain resonance that we once saw in “Rushmore” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” lift it from a mediocre existence, but only just. Robert Downey Jr. is almost too good an actor for a film like this because when he gives it his all, not a single soul can match him, so his usual firecracker persona steals the limelight from all the precautionary warnings wrapped up in a Canadian-shot frolic that attempts to live up to angst-filled powerhouses that have come before it, but never once does its apparent realism come across as provocative or iconic, rather just aimless savvy that jumps from one cliché to the next, as if it had ADD itself, just like its title character was thought to have, and at least he was prescribed Ritalin.
Review: “Death Defying Acts”
The odd but rather short lived fascination of the film industry, being its recent rollout of films focusing on the complex public and private lives of magicians, has not been particularly satisfying. “The Prestige” and “The Illusionist” dazzled as mesmerising and elegant entertainment, with a few tricks up their sleeves each, and proved to be moderate critical and commercial successes, that excelled in their technical achievements as well as their actors’ performances of rather fascinating characters. “Death Defying Acts” follows in the same vein, yet its mixture of fact and fiction, with uneasy romantic chemistry or tension and very little to warrant interest, and is far more bland achievement. It is a lightly entertaining and charming, not forgetting to mention that it is visually attractive, that tries, and fails, to instil a shred of life into its potentially arresting characters.
06.26.08
Weekend Attractions (27 – 29 June ‘08)
Films opening in South Africa this weekend:
Kung Fu Panda
“DreamWorks latest effort, “Kung Fu Panda,” is an exhilarating tale of an unlikely hero that will have you rooting for the underdog, like you have for many animated films before it, and even though it relies heavily on formulae that have worked in the past, there is a sure fine amount of non-pop culture laden comedy, action and appealing characters set in the most awe-inspiring evocation of an ageless China, this film will certainly go down as one of the better animated films of recent times, even if it will not fall into the category overnight, the way most Pixar films do. Where “The Forbidden Kingdom” is a failed attempt at a parody, “Kung Fu Panda” is simply a respectful homage to the kung fu genre, which matches its usage of cliché and breezy inventive touches, resulting in one leaving the theatre with the impression of having spent time watching a timeless yet accessible animated film with immense attention to detail and talent that we have come to expect, not to mention savour, from recent animated films.” (read the rest of my review)
And by watching Kung Fu Panda, consider it as preparation for the upcoming sequel. Yes, they are going to screw it up.
06.25.08
Review: “Wanted”
Mark Millar’s explosively dark graphic novel series are the subject of visionary helmer and émigré Timur Bekmambetov’s high octane, violent, insubstantial and nonsensical fantasy action mind-bender, with enough star power and gun powder for audiences to maintain interest even when the mostly undiluted action comes to a grinding halt and the weightlessness of the film registers, because the unremitting action only stands still every once in a while. However, when it does, notice as your heart rate slows down and you find it difficult to breathe. Do not panic, this is only momentary.
06.23.08
Festival Review: “Lakshmi and Me”
For her latest documentary, “Lakshmi and Me,” filmmaker Nishtha Jain found that her inspiration came from within her own home, particularly in the form of her loyal and obedient domestic worker, Lakshmi. The bleak, but candidly affecting portrait of the unstable bonds between madam and maid, but from an uncommon perspective, is one where the madam has a sincere interest in Lakshmi’s life and well-being, as a friend or a sister, also referred to as “didi.” Crossing the borders of society’s labels, social stigmas, class structures, the documentary is a unique look at a unique situation, filtered through a lens that can boast both clarity and unsettlingly refined observations.
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Awards: 2008 AMPAS Invitees
The 2008 AMPAS invitees have been announced, and those invited are said to “have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.” All 105 of them.
“These individuals are all incredibly talented and a credit to the world of filmmaking,” said Academy President Sid Ganis. “They exemplify the high standards of the Academy and I welcome each and every one of them to our ranks.”
2008 Invitees:
Festival Review: “Angels in the Dust”
Marion Cloete in “Angels in the Dust.”
Louise Hogarth’s follow up to her eye-opening documentary “The Gift,” in which she documented the plight of a subculture of men who go out of their way trying to get infested with HIV no matter what the cost, called “Angels in the Dust” is every bit as eye opening, but ultimately more heartbreaking, in the way in which it explores how the rampant virus is destroying the lives of South Africa’s biggest gift, its children. However, where there is adversity, there are always a small few who are given the gift of wanting to make a difference, and in this film we watch as one very miracle is changing the lives of those ravaged by AIDS in the hills of Magaliesberg.
06.22.08
Review: “Bomb It!”
Jon Reiss’s (“Better Living through Circuitry”) highly entertaining and energised film “Bomb It!” documents the rebellious life-force through which many talented and passionate individuals brighten or vandalise the world we live in, depending on our personal views, that being graffiti. Captivating in its tour of the walls of the world that highlights the obvious and unexpected impacts of the delinquent, socially maligned form of art, and covers both the pro-graffiti and anti-graffiti lobbies in an explosively inspired take on the history and future of the controversial artistic extreme that, or so it seems, is here to stay.
Review: “Cat Dancers”
“Cat Dancers” tells the true story of Ron and Joy Holiday and Chuck Lizza, successful dancers and show people who forged masterful careers in a world that regarded them as outsiders from the get go. Unsentimental and even-handed, the complexities of love and the, or so society makes us believe, unnatural bonds between humans and animals are explored in the context of a sympathetic portrait of life in show business, and the reality of the situation, while dealt with tastefully, is one of the most tragic stories I have ever seen, ominous from the start, yet uplifting in its arguments as well.
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06.21.08
Review: “Married Life”
Very often films which are defiant of genre categorisation can easily come across as messy and imprecise, but in Ira Sachs’ “Married Life,” he blends dark comedy, suspense and stylish melodrama into a contemporary throwback, conceptualised from a male perspective, to the film noir facet of the glamour of the 40’s in a wholesome package that keeps the viewer on their toes every step of the way. Audiences will either revel in the manner in which the film strays from a singular course or they will find annoyance in the seemingly directionless film, with an insubordinate mixture of tones and principles, in a way that very much resembles reality. What the film does not manage to do is balance its daring concept will an entirely fulfilling outcome, and perhaps “Married Life” is too modest for its own good.
06.20.08
Review: “Get Smart”
The iconic 60’s show of the same name is given its contemporary reinvention in Peter Segal’s “Get Smart,” but the resultant action-comedy proves to neither pay homage to the touchstones of the series nor is it a very successful modernisation of them. For a show that thrived during its run, there is very little inspiration evident in this modern-day incarnation, a formulaic misbalance between a weak action film and a weak comedy film, there is almost no reasoning as to why the film would work, but it does, even if barely.
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Festival Review: “When Clouds Clear”
Deep in the jungles of Ecuador lies the small agricultural village of Junin, where roots of anger and frustration run deep in the copper rich soil. The lush, green mountains have been home to its impoverished residents for a mere generation – and now with the continuous intimidation of numerous mining companies threatening to destroy the land which they live off, they refuse take the incidents lying down. The poor rising up and beating the Company down to size? Sounds like material that would make a scathingly strong indictment of the corporate world’s policies, capitalism and communism side by side. Instead, the films directors, Anne Slick and Danielle Bernstein, resort to overly amateurish techniques that tell a blatantly one-sided depiction of a story that deserves more.
