During the Christmas holidays, my husband and I had a "movie day" when we went to see 2 movies in one day (different theatres) with dinner in between.
We first saw Casino Royale (2006), the latest James Bond film with Daniel Craig new to the Bond role - I thought he did a great job as Bond, and really enjoyed that the film was more reliant on acting and actual drama rather than flashy car-chases/crashes and gimmicky gadgets. (My mother-in-law told us ahead of time that she didn't like the film, now I know it was probably because it was too real and not enough gimmicky/flashy action scenes).
Then, after dinner to the Garneau Theatre for Volver (2006), a Spanish film by director Pedro Almodóvar. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as the reviews I had read were somewhat vague and it almost seemed like just a character study from the reviews - but in seeing the film, I realized that if they had given more details about the plot it would have given away all the surprises (plus, when we thought about it afterwards we realized that the plot was certainly not typical Hollywood fare, so to write about the plot details could come across as really silly and unbelievable - and yet the film was not at all like that). I really enjoyed it, and my husband did too - I had convinced him to go with the mention of Penelope Cruz (and somehow he claims I didn't tell him it was in Spanish with English subtitles, though I'm sure I had).
(Interesting that this year I actually saw 3 films that were nominated by their countries for best foreign-language film Oscar - Volver, Water, and Ten Canoes; Volver and Water have made the shortlist so far and I think the actual nominations are announced in a couple of weeks).
And then there was my Jane Austen guilty pleasure romantic film that I recorded from TV and finally watched a couple of weeks ago, Mansfield Park (1999). I'm not sure whether I enjoyed this or last year's version of Pride and Prejudice the best of the Jane Austen film versions I've seen - needless to say, my husband didn't watch with me (not his kind of film). I didn't realize until just now that the actor playing Sir Thomas Bertram was Harold Pinter, the 2005 Nobel Laureate for Literature who attacked US foreign policy during his acceptance speech.
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Showing posts with label films. Show all posts
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Film Directors
Some of the most recent films I've seen have been chosen because of their directors ... one new, the others "catching up" on films I'd never seen previously.
I went to see The Science of Sleep (2006) a few weeks ago, a film written and directed by Michel Gondry (the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). I had only seen Eternal Sunshine for the first time a few months ago, and thought it was wonderful - so when I saw the preview for Gondry's latest film (before Little Miss Sunshine) I figured I'd have to go see this one as well. I thought it was a fascinating look at the idea of blurring between sleep and wakefulness, and some of the effects during the dream sequences were neat. Towards the end though, I started feeling a bit frustrated because some of Stéphane's actions just seemed incredibly stupid - I wondered why couldn't he properly sort out what was sleep and what was real. Then I started thinking about Stéphane in the context of mental illness, that is, that he had a distorted perception of reality - and then the film made a lot more sense to me overall. Looking at the reviews on IMDB, it seemed as though it got either 8-10/10 ratings or 0-1/10 ratings (love it or hate it) - for me, it was almost both during the same film (but the frustration was short-lived, so overall I enjoyed it and I was glad I saw it).
I watched Mystery Train (1989) the other day (VHS from the library), the first film I'd seen by director Jim Jarmusch. I had been told about his penchant for panning shots - certainly it was a good way in this film to convey the mood (desolation?) of inner-city Memphis. I liked the technique how 3 intertwining yet never-really-meeting stories were told one after the other - I first thought that it was the next day when it switched from "Far from Yokohama" to "Ghost", until we saw the same hotel, the same song/same time on the radio, and so on, to realize that it was actually taking place at the same time as the first story (and the third story also taking place at the same time).
And while I had several friends who were big Twin Peaks fans when it was originally on TV, while we were undergrad university students, I never actually got around to watching it, nor anything else by David Lynch until now. The other day I watched Blue Velvet (1986) - "disturbingly good". I think disturbing in the sense that if you watch a movie about drugs/gangs/crime you'd expect certain levels of violence - but it seems more out of place with white picket fences and roses, and wholesome kiddies crossing the street in a small town, as in the opening shots of this film.
Today I watched Mulholland Dr. (2001) - wow! I was captivated throughout, at the end I got lost and confused, yet still appreciated the artistry and film-making throughout. Then when I read some "hints" online and realized I'd missed the significance of the opening scenes, it made more sense - overall, amazing!
(Thanks to Chris for the David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch recommendations).
I went to see The Science of Sleep (2006) a few weeks ago, a film written and directed by Michel Gondry (the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). I had only seen Eternal Sunshine for the first time a few months ago, and thought it was wonderful - so when I saw the preview for Gondry's latest film (before Little Miss Sunshine) I figured I'd have to go see this one as well. I thought it was a fascinating look at the idea of blurring between sleep and wakefulness, and some of the effects during the dream sequences were neat. Towards the end though, I started feeling a bit frustrated because some of Stéphane's actions just seemed incredibly stupid - I wondered why couldn't he properly sort out what was sleep and what was real. Then I started thinking about Stéphane in the context of mental illness, that is, that he had a distorted perception of reality - and then the film made a lot more sense to me overall. Looking at the reviews on IMDB, it seemed as though it got either 8-10/10 ratings or 0-1/10 ratings (love it or hate it) - for me, it was almost both during the same film (but the frustration was short-lived, so overall I enjoyed it and I was glad I saw it).
I watched Mystery Train (1989) the other day (VHS from the library), the first film I'd seen by director Jim Jarmusch. I had been told about his penchant for panning shots - certainly it was a good way in this film to convey the mood (desolation?) of inner-city Memphis. I liked the technique how 3 intertwining yet never-really-meeting stories were told one after the other - I first thought that it was the next day when it switched from "Far from Yokohama" to "Ghost", until we saw the same hotel, the same song/same time on the radio, and so on, to realize that it was actually taking place at the same time as the first story (and the third story also taking place at the same time).
And while I had several friends who were big Twin Peaks fans when it was originally on TV, while we were undergrad university students, I never actually got around to watching it, nor anything else by David Lynch until now. The other day I watched Blue Velvet (1986) - "disturbingly good". I think disturbing in the sense that if you watch a movie about drugs/gangs/crime you'd expect certain levels of violence - but it seems more out of place with white picket fences and roses, and wholesome kiddies crossing the street in a small town, as in the opening shots of this film.
Today I watched Mulholland Dr. (2001) - wow! I was captivated throughout, at the end I got lost and confused, yet still appreciated the artistry and film-making throughout. Then when I read some "hints" online and realized I'd missed the significance of the opening scenes, it made more sense - overall, amazing!
(Thanks to Chris for the David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch recommendations).
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Edmonton International Film Festival
Ok, so the EIFF was actually over a month ago now, but in the meantime I crashed and burned and then got sick (just recovering now), so here's a few words about the films I saw there.
La Tourneuse de Pages -The Page Turner (2006, France) - quite intriguing to me, having experienced a lot of piano festivals, adjudications, and performances (piano and other). Though I can't say that any negative comments from an adjudicator ever left me so permanently scarred that I had to carry on an obsessive campaign to (psychologically) destroy their life...
El Violin (2005, Mexico) - I picked this because I thought the contrast between the music focus and the guerilla rebellion would be interesting, and it was. Quite graphic and disturbing in parts though.
Ten Canoes (2006, Australia) - This was recommended to me by an Australian friend, I had to skip half of my French class to see it, but I'm glad I did - my favourite of the festival. Mainly in an aboriginal language, with an English narrator/voice-over, it was an interesting look at some of the aboriginal ways and myths, and much different than anything else I've seen. The contrast between the "current" storyline (which was actually far in the past) and the "mythical" storyline, where one was in colour and one in black-and-white, was well-done. And I enjoyed the scenery/landscape shots as well. (though it wasn't quite "terrorists in canoes", which is how Chris advised me to try to sell it to my husband - I went with a friend instead).
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005, China) - This was my friend's pick, and I enjoyed it. I had the advantage of remembering a little Japanese, enough to know just how bad (and amusing) Lingo's Japanese translations and accent really were. The story was touching, but not a happy Hollywood ending - though in a sense, the ending was happy in that many characters learned more about themselves.
La Tourneuse de Pages -The Page Turner (2006, France) - quite intriguing to me, having experienced a lot of piano festivals, adjudications, and performances (piano and other). Though I can't say that any negative comments from an adjudicator ever left me so permanently scarred that I had to carry on an obsessive campaign to (psychologically) destroy their life...
El Violin (2005, Mexico) - I picked this because I thought the contrast between the music focus and the guerilla rebellion would be interesting, and it was. Quite graphic and disturbing in parts though.
Ten Canoes (2006, Australia) - This was recommended to me by an Australian friend, I had to skip half of my French class to see it, but I'm glad I did - my favourite of the festival. Mainly in an aboriginal language, with an English narrator/voice-over, it was an interesting look at some of the aboriginal ways and myths, and much different than anything else I've seen. The contrast between the "current" storyline (which was actually far in the past) and the "mythical" storyline, where one was in colour and one in black-and-white, was well-done. And I enjoyed the scenery/landscape shots as well. (though it wasn't quite "terrorists in canoes", which is how Chris advised me to try to sell it to my husband - I went with a friend instead).
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005, China) - This was my friend's pick, and I enjoyed it. I had the advantage of remembering a little Japanese, enough to know just how bad (and amusing) Lingo's Japanese translations and accent really were. The story was touching, but not a happy Hollywood ending - though in a sense, the ending was happy in that many characters learned more about themselves.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Still more movies...
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - went to see this with some friends, we chose to go to the semi-art-house theatre rather than the multiplex - not sure that the audience at the multiplex would have applauded at the end of the film. Actually, I don't remember the last time I recall an audience applauding at the end of a film ... I enjoyed this one a lot, perhaps in some ways a bit over-the-top. I really liked the scene where Frank, Dwayne, and Grandpa managed to get Olive to eat her ice cream without the guilt that her father was trying to impart ... also the horror of the pageant organizers and audience when Olive started her "dance" routine, as if all the other competitors were innocent and pure compared to Olive.
8 femmes (2002) - recorded this a while ago but only just watched it tonight. This musical-mystery was intriguing, good interactions between the actors, and overall quite amusing - not a typical Hollywood ending for sure. I liked the colour contrasts of all the outfits they were wearing - a lot of bright colours. The musical numbers weren't quite as jarring as in some films I've seen (see Bride and Prejudice below). I'm now interested in seeing other films by director François Ozon. (and some good practice for the French class I'll be starting soon ... vocabulary review when you hear French words you recognize and then can confirm via the English subtitles, I'm a long way still from understanding a French film without subtitles).
Bride and Prejudice (2004) - seeing that Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favourite novels, of course I had to watch this at some point. It was the first Bollywood-style film I had seen, I thought some of the musical-dance numbers were a bit much (I fast-forwarded through a few of them). But it was an interesting twist on the story, setting it in India with Mr. Darcy being a rich American.
Sense and Sensibility (1995) - I couldn't remember whether or not I had seen this one previously - I had, but I watched it again anyway. Directed by Ang Lee and starring Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, and Hugh Grant, it's another film based on a Jane Austen novel. Like comfort food for me ... (ie. not very challenging, but enjoyable in the right context).
Looking forward to see what will be showing at the Edmonton Film Festival that starts on September 29, they were supposed to have their schedule online yesterday but it isn't yet.
8 femmes (2002) - recorded this a while ago but only just watched it tonight. This musical-mystery was intriguing, good interactions between the actors, and overall quite amusing - not a typical Hollywood ending for sure. I liked the colour contrasts of all the outfits they were wearing - a lot of bright colours. The musical numbers weren't quite as jarring as in some films I've seen (see Bride and Prejudice below). I'm now interested in seeing other films by director François Ozon. (and some good practice for the French class I'll be starting soon ... vocabulary review when you hear French words you recognize and then can confirm via the English subtitles, I'm a long way still from understanding a French film without subtitles).
Bride and Prejudice (2004) - seeing that Pride and Prejudice is one of my all-time favourite novels, of course I had to watch this at some point. It was the first Bollywood-style film I had seen, I thought some of the musical-dance numbers were a bit much (I fast-forwarded through a few of them). But it was an interesting twist on the story, setting it in India with Mr. Darcy being a rich American.
Sense and Sensibility (1995) - I couldn't remember whether or not I had seen this one previously - I had, but I watched it again anyway. Directed by Ang Lee and starring Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, and Hugh Grant, it's another film based on a Jane Austen novel. Like comfort food for me ... (ie. not very challenging, but enjoyable in the right context).
Looking forward to see what will be showing at the Edmonton Film Festival that starts on September 29, they were supposed to have their schedule online yesterday but it isn't yet.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
More films part 2 ...
A few days ago I borrowed a DVD that my mom had rented (was quite surprised that she'd rent something in Hindi with English subtitles, even if it was by a Canadian director) - Water (2005), by Deepa Mehta. I remember hearing a few years back about how when she originally tried to film this in India, she ran into a lot of religious protests - she ended up delaying the project for a few years then filming in Sri Lanka instead (which then makes it a bit amusing how many articles online refer to her as an "Indian" filmmaker - yes, she was born there but immigrated to Canada many years ago, and I'm not sure how welcome she is in India by certain groups).
The film is set in the late 1930's, at which time child marriage was still quite common, and widows were basically cast out by their families under the guise of religion and usually ended up living in poverty. One of the main characters, Chuyia, was married so young that when she was widowed by age 8 she didn't even realize she had been married or who her husband was - others of the widows had never met their husbands. So there were some interesting social aspects (especially since Mehta points out at the end that there are still millions of widows living under similar conditions today in India despite some loosening of cultural restrictions), a love story, and hopefulness at the end that things might change (e.g., the influence of Gandhi). I really enjoyed the film, and thought that Mehta did a good job of weaving the water theme throughout - from the opening scene of a pond with water lilies, to the holy water used in many rituals, to the many times it was raining, to the focus on the river Ganges. (and I thought it was pretty amazing that the actor playing Chuyia, a Sri Lankan girl, didn't speak either English or Hindi so learned her lines phonetically via an interpreter - in one of the special features on the DVD).
(and tonight I'l see something entirely different with my husband, The Sentinel, with Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland. Oh, and I guess with one of those Desperate Housewives actors too, not that I have or ever will watch that show. Tomorrow night I'm going with friends to see Eeny Meeny (2000), a Czech comedy that's part of a Central European Film "Festival" they're having at our Metro Cinema).
The film is set in the late 1930's, at which time child marriage was still quite common, and widows were basically cast out by their families under the guise of religion and usually ended up living in poverty. One of the main characters, Chuyia, was married so young that when she was widowed by age 8 she didn't even realize she had been married or who her husband was - others of the widows had never met their husbands. So there were some interesting social aspects (especially since Mehta points out at the end that there are still millions of widows living under similar conditions today in India despite some loosening of cultural restrictions), a love story, and hopefulness at the end that things might change (e.g., the influence of Gandhi). I really enjoyed the film, and thought that Mehta did a good job of weaving the water theme throughout - from the opening scene of a pond with water lilies, to the holy water used in many rituals, to the many times it was raining, to the focus on the river Ganges. (and I thought it was pretty amazing that the actor playing Chuyia, a Sri Lankan girl, didn't speak either English or Hindi so learned her lines phonetically via an interpreter - in one of the special features on the DVD).
(and tonight I'l see something entirely different with my husband, The Sentinel, with Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland. Oh, and I guess with one of those Desperate Housewives actors too, not that I have or ever will watch that show. Tomorrow night I'm going with friends to see Eeny Meeny (2000), a Czech comedy that's part of a Central European Film "Festival" they're having at our Metro Cinema).
More films part 1...
Last week my husband and I went out to see the "World's Hottest Commercials" at the Garneau Theatre, which is "a compilation of the winning TV commercials chosen at the annual Clio Awards" and a fund-raiser for the Edmonton International Film Festival. This review from the Edmonton Sun brings up the excellent point that if all TV ads were this entertaining, there wouldn't be the problem of people trying to avoid them all the time. The humourous ones usually seem to get the best response, but I also really enjoy the cultural insight provided by seeing ads from different places... too bad in that respect that they mostly seem to be American these days (a few years ago there were a lot more from other countries). Other thoughts I had:
1) I'm guessing public drunkenness must be a problem in Thailand such that they need public service ads to address the issue (which were quite amusing actually).
2) After the Adidas basketball player who was in 3 ads (sorry, don't recognize many basketball players), the next most frequently used "celebrity" would have been Lance Armstrong in two Nike ads ... I guess he's going to be around for a long time even though he's now retired from cycling (though these ads would have been from 2005/2004 when he was still riding). (OT - interesting article about US cycling after Armstrong in the Financial Times )
3) Amusing that the Citroen ad was done by a Vancouver ad agency - don't think there are too many Citroens sold in Canada (and definitely no TV ads for them that I've ever seen).
1) I'm guessing public drunkenness must be a problem in Thailand such that they need public service ads to address the issue (which were quite amusing actually).
2) After the Adidas basketball player who was in 3 ads (sorry, don't recognize many basketball players), the next most frequently used "celebrity" would have been Lance Armstrong in two Nike ads ... I guess he's going to be around for a long time even though he's now retired from cycling (though these ads would have been from 2005/2004 when he was still riding). (OT - interesting article about US cycling after Armstrong in the Financial Times )
3) Amusing that the Citroen ad was done by a Vancouver ad agency - don't think there are too many Citroens sold in Canada (and definitely no TV ads for them that I've ever seen).
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Films - down to just the notes now
Okay, so my goal to post my thoughts on one film a day (as mentioned previously) didn't last at all...
so here are the rest of the notes I made back in January, in note form because otherwise they'll never end up here. I apologize in advance for any spoilers (not really any big ones I don't think).
Hable Con Ella (Talk To Her) 2002 - directed by
Pedro Almodóvar.
-Themes of love, loyalty, friendship (however atypical or unlikely the circumstances); emphasizing the borderline of what's considered "right" and "wrong"; amusing that Benigno gives advice because of his "experience with women" (his only experience really is with his mother previously who was ill, and Alicia who is in a coma) - yet he's likely right with a lot of what he said (you have to talk to them = women), but applying his advice to those who are comatose is a surreal.
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior) 2000 - directed by Tom Tykwer (and he was involved with the music for the film as well, which I thought was interesting).
-points out how it is hard to leave what is familiar to do something for yourself - in this case for Sissi the familiar was caring for others (even if it was overattachment to the point of being somewhat bizarre)
-similarities to my own personal situation - letting patients get too attached/too dependent when I started off in practice and hard to change that later when I tried.
-Sissi quite naive to expect that something will happen just because you want it to (eg. not understanding Bodo's rejection of her initially)
-the tracheotomy reminded me of an episode of ER where George Clooney's character saved a kid's life in a drainpipe ... somewhat overdone (not sure which came first, the ER episode or the film ... now that I think of it, I wondered the same thing about another Tykwer film "Run Lola Run", whether it came before or after an X-Files episode it reminded me of).
Adaptation 2002 - directed by Spike Jonze
-I could relate somewhat to the anxieties of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman in the film
-liked the quote from Douglas Kaufman, "You are what you love, not what loves you"
-(spoiler) at the end, I thought all the sudden action was actually Charlie's brother's screenplay somehow rather than "real".
Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries) 2004
-interesting to see the South American scenery
-also interesting having been to Cuba in 2004 (and wanting to go back to Havana for a longer visit someday) - learned Cuban history from a different viewpoint then including a better understanding then who Guevara was (the movie was about his earlier life).
-Guevara seemes so frail and slight in the movie, compared to the "larger than life" figure he seems to have become.
-interesting how he was trying to be like the common people, for example, at the leper colony, and giving money to the mining couple.
-his loyalty was prominent, such as to his girlfriend (until she dumped him via letter).
-on a side note, anything about Cuban history (eg. Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis) was always portrayed in school as the "bad communists" taking over; whereas in Cuba it was more the long struggle for independence, first from the Spanish then from the American influence, and that Castro was the only one who allowed the Cubans to achieve independence. Not that I'm a Castro supporter, but interesting the different points of view there can be...
Pride and Prejudice 2005
-I had to go see this, because the novel is one of my all-time favourite books and Jane Austen one of my favourite authors (yeah, I was probably the only one in my high school and university English classes who actually enjoyed reading it).
-compared to the prior mini-series, this film version had good flow and good action - good editing/screenplay writing to cut out extraneous parts of the book
-the dancing/ballroom scenes were really neat IMO
-quite romantic overall - definitely "chick flick" category
-at a younger stage of my life I probably would have ended up like Jane - too quiet, not making my liking/affection well-known and having others misinterpret that I wasn't interested (but now I'm more assertive and open, not so introverted :-) - and married, so it doesn't really make a difference in the sense of Jane in the movie anyway).
Whew. I think I even missed a few that I didn't make notes on. Maybe I'll get around to them in the summer or something ...
so here are the rest of the notes I made back in January, in note form because otherwise they'll never end up here. I apologize in advance for any spoilers (not really any big ones I don't think).
Hable Con Ella (Talk To Her) 2002 - directed by
Pedro Almodóvar.
-Themes of love, loyalty, friendship (however atypical or unlikely the circumstances); emphasizing the borderline of what's considered "right" and "wrong"; amusing that Benigno gives advice because of his "experience with women" (his only experience really is with his mother previously who was ill, and Alicia who is in a coma) - yet he's likely right with a lot of what he said (you have to talk to them = women), but applying his advice to those who are comatose is a surreal.
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior) 2000 - directed by Tom Tykwer (and he was involved with the music for the film as well, which I thought was interesting).
-points out how it is hard to leave what is familiar to do something for yourself - in this case for Sissi the familiar was caring for others (even if it was overattachment to the point of being somewhat bizarre)
-similarities to my own personal situation - letting patients get too attached/too dependent when I started off in practice and hard to change that later when I tried.
-Sissi quite naive to expect that something will happen just because you want it to (eg. not understanding Bodo's rejection of her initially)
-the tracheotomy reminded me of an episode of ER where George Clooney's character saved a kid's life in a drainpipe ... somewhat overdone (not sure which came first, the ER episode or the film ... now that I think of it, I wondered the same thing about another Tykwer film "Run Lola Run", whether it came before or after an X-Files episode it reminded me of).
Adaptation 2002 - directed by Spike Jonze
-I could relate somewhat to the anxieties of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman in the film
-liked the quote from Douglas Kaufman, "You are what you love, not what loves you"
-(spoiler) at the end, I thought all the sudden action was actually Charlie's brother's screenplay somehow rather than "real".
Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries) 2004
-interesting to see the South American scenery
-also interesting having been to Cuba in 2004 (and wanting to go back to Havana for a longer visit someday) - learned Cuban history from a different viewpoint then including a better understanding then who Guevara was (the movie was about his earlier life).
-Guevara seemes so frail and slight in the movie, compared to the "larger than life" figure he seems to have become.
-interesting how he was trying to be like the common people, for example, at the leper colony, and giving money to the mining couple.
-his loyalty was prominent, such as to his girlfriend (until she dumped him via letter).
-on a side note, anything about Cuban history (eg. Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis) was always portrayed in school as the "bad communists" taking over; whereas in Cuba it was more the long struggle for independence, first from the Spanish then from the American influence, and that Castro was the only one who allowed the Cubans to achieve independence. Not that I'm a Castro supporter, but interesting the different points of view there can be...
Pride and Prejudice 2005
-I had to go see this, because the novel is one of my all-time favourite books and Jane Austen one of my favourite authors (yeah, I was probably the only one in my high school and university English classes who actually enjoyed reading it).
-compared to the prior mini-series, this film version had good flow and good action - good editing/screenplay writing to cut out extraneous parts of the book
-the dancing/ballroom scenes were really neat IMO
-quite romantic overall - definitely "chick flick" category
-at a younger stage of my life I probably would have ended up like Jane - too quiet, not making my liking/affection well-known and having others misinterpret that I wasn't interested (but now I'm more assertive and open, not so introverted :-) - and married, so it doesn't really make a difference in the sense of Jane in the movie anyway).
Whew. I think I even missed a few that I didn't make notes on. Maybe I'll get around to them in the summer or something ...
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Films at the Metro Cinema
I've now gone to a couple of films at the Metro Cinema, "devoted to the exhibition and promotion of Canadian, international and independent film and video in Edmonton".
Tonight I went with some friends to see Christmas in August (1998), a Korean film. It shows how the owner of a photo shop copes with the knowledge of his impending death, and develops a relationship with a meter-maid who is his "best customer", yet never tells her about his illness - she is left wondering what happened when he is hospitalized and later dies. I thought it was very well done in showing the emotions in a mostly subdued way.
Last month we went to see Mirror (2002) by Hakan Sahin, almost a local filmmaker. Set in Zama City, Alberta, a tiny hamlet about 900 km northwest of Edmonton, this film tells the story of an immigrant who takes a job in a convenience store in Zama, filling in so the proprietor can go on a vacation. “The Student” meets a number of interesting characters living in Zama, from oilfield workers to truckers to the bored kids, and it was interesting to see what life is like in such a remote location.
The plot synopsis talks about how he is trying to deal with his brother’s death – it would probably have helped if the flashback segments in Edmonton that were in Turkish were subtitled into English. Neither I nor the friends I was with really understood how the brother’s death fit in …
We were unsure at the end whether “The Student” actually was killed by the hunters, or whether the showing of a mirror shattering was symbolic of something else (“the death of the self-reflective consciousness” as a friend put it).
Tonight I went with some friends to see Christmas in August (1998), a Korean film. It shows how the owner of a photo shop copes with the knowledge of his impending death, and develops a relationship with a meter-maid who is his "best customer", yet never tells her about his illness - she is left wondering what happened when he is hospitalized and later dies. I thought it was very well done in showing the emotions in a mostly subdued way.
Last month we went to see Mirror (2002) by Hakan Sahin, almost a local filmmaker. Set in Zama City, Alberta, a tiny hamlet about 900 km northwest of Edmonton, this film tells the story of an immigrant who takes a job in a convenience store in Zama, filling in so the proprietor can go on a vacation. “The Student” meets a number of interesting characters living in Zama, from oilfield workers to truckers to the bored kids, and it was interesting to see what life is like in such a remote location.
The plot synopsis talks about how he is trying to deal with his brother’s death – it would probably have helped if the flashback segments in Edmonton that were in Turkish were subtitled into English. Neither I nor the friends I was with really understood how the brother’s death fit in …
We were unsure at the end whether “The Student” actually was killed by the hunters, or whether the showing of a mirror shattering was symbolic of something else (“the death of the self-reflective consciousness” as a friend put it).
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Even shorter snappers (film reviews)...
I made a bunch of notes when we were away on vacation in January, about films that I had seen recently, but obviously haven't yet got around to posting anything about them (except Wired to Win). So, here's my transcribed short-form notes on a few:
Overcoming (2005) - film about the Danish pro cycling team CSC managed by Bjarne Riis, during the 2004 season which was the first for Ivan Basso with the team (he came 2nd in the Tour de France that year as well as in 2005). It would be good for cycling fans, as it showed an indepth look behind the scenes (especially on the DVD special features), but it jumped around a lot such that it was really hard to determine the sequence of events (even I was confused, I can't imagine what non-cycling fans would think - or maybe they wouldn't be watching in the first place). The pace was slow at times, with not a lot of action, but I found the focus on Riis's team theories and strategy quite interesting (especially since I was reading an article about it in Cycle-Sport magazine at the same time). The best part though had to be the comment from Jens Voigt in one of the special features about his routine when he gets to a hotel room, turning on the TV is one of the first things he does and if there's a German channel then "life is great".
(I have notes on at least 5 others, maybe if I try to put up one every few days I'll get around to them all eventually - and I watched a few more films on the weekend too...)
Overcoming (2005) - film about the Danish pro cycling team CSC managed by Bjarne Riis, during the 2004 season which was the first for Ivan Basso with the team (he came 2nd in the Tour de France that year as well as in 2005). It would be good for cycling fans, as it showed an indepth look behind the scenes (especially on the DVD special features), but it jumped around a lot such that it was really hard to determine the sequence of events (even I was confused, I can't imagine what non-cycling fans would think - or maybe they wouldn't be watching in the first place). The pace was slow at times, with not a lot of action, but I found the focus on Riis's team theories and strategy quite interesting (especially since I was reading an article about it in Cycle-Sport magazine at the same time). The best part though had to be the comment from Jens Voigt in one of the special features about his routine when he gets to a hotel room, turning on the TV is one of the first things he does and if there's a German channel then "life is great".
(I have notes on at least 5 others, maybe if I try to put up one every few days I'll get around to them all eventually - and I watched a few more films on the weekend too...)
Friday, January 20, 2006
Wired to Win - new IMAX movie
(a variation of this was previously posted to the Daily Peloton forums)
One week ago, we had a stopover in Vancouver between the Greyhound back from Whistler and the airport - much better than spending an extra hour at the airport was walking across the street to see this movie at the "Telus World of Science" (we have one of those now in Edmonton too, but most people still refer to it as the Odyssium or even its previous name the "Space and Science Centre", just as I'm sure Vancouverites still talk about the "Expo Dome").
As a 45 minute IMAX film, using cycling to transition into explanations of brain function and chemistry, obviously they can't go into incredible depth about the cycling or the 2003 Tour de France - but both my husband and I thought they did a good job of explaining the basics of the Tour (eg. the different jersey competitions and that Baden Cooke's goal was different from Lance Armstrong's). And there were a number of oohs and ahs from the high school students on a school trip at some of the cycling shots and the comments in the film like "going downhill at speeds of 100 kmh" - cycling might actually pick up a few more fans.
The IMAX cycling shots were amazing - they did a lot of panoramic shots and distance shots, as well as stationary ones showing the point of view of a fan as the peloton goes by - that really conveyed the speed of the peloton (better than the usual TV shots from a car/motorcycle/helicopter going at the same speed as the cyclists, where you can't blame non-cycling-fans for sometimes thinking that they aren't really working hard/going fast). They used some non-IMAX footage as well (eg. Armstrong going down after catching his handlebar on a fan's bag - and coming back to win the stage, which in the film's context was an example of the power of the brain...). And of course there had to be a panoramic shot of the peloton going through a sunflower field ...
(and I usually find the TV shots when they go over the Tour route maps to be a bit dizzying - imagine the whole tour route done like that on a huge screen with zooming in and out)
For Tyler Hamilton fans (the movie was originally going to focus on him until he ran into legal trouble regarding alleged blood transfusions before racing, his case is still before the Court for Arbitration in Sport), they still had a few good shots of him (but didn't comment or mention who he was) - the main shot they showed of him was on a climb with his jersey open, shoulder/collarbone bandage visible, the voiceover was talking about working through pain but I think only cycling fans would understand the implication (he had broken collarbone yet still finished 4th overall in that Tour) as I'm not sure how obvious the bandage/evidence of injury would have been for others. And they gave special thanks to Tyler in the credits. (There was also a list of featured cyclists as well, that flashed by - prominence to Jimmy Casper and Baden Cooke but it looked like they listed everyone who was clearly identifiable in the cycling shots).
As for the 2 main featured cyclists, it was interesting to see shots of Casper abandoning (and about to have an MRI to rule out brain injury after his crash); and there was a sequence with Cooke in front of the team bus looking really depressed and unmotivated after losing the green jersey to Robbie McEwen... but then the power of the brain that he was able to win it back in the final sprint.
I was impressed with my husband that he was able to pick out as many cyclists as he did (I probably annoyed him with my whispers of "there's Ullrich", "there's Vino", "there's Robbie" etc )
As for the scientific/brain stuff, it was well done from the IMAX point of view but I can't really comment on how educational it was - to me it seemed incredibly simplistic, but that's likely because of my background (prior courses in biochemistry, physiology, neurology, neuroanatomy ...)
Anyway, if you get a chance to see it, I'd recommend it for the cycling shots in IMAX if you're into that sort of thing (but not if you want an in-depth look at the Tour).
One week ago, we had a stopover in Vancouver between the Greyhound back from Whistler and the airport - much better than spending an extra hour at the airport was walking across the street to see this movie at the "Telus World of Science" (we have one of those now in Edmonton too, but most people still refer to it as the Odyssium or even its previous name the "Space and Science Centre", just as I'm sure Vancouverites still talk about the "Expo Dome").
As a 45 minute IMAX film, using cycling to transition into explanations of brain function and chemistry, obviously they can't go into incredible depth about the cycling or the 2003 Tour de France - but both my husband and I thought they did a good job of explaining the basics of the Tour (eg. the different jersey competitions and that Baden Cooke's goal was different from Lance Armstrong's). And there were a number of oohs and ahs from the high school students on a school trip at some of the cycling shots and the comments in the film like "going downhill at speeds of 100 kmh" - cycling might actually pick up a few more fans.
The IMAX cycling shots were amazing - they did a lot of panoramic shots and distance shots, as well as stationary ones showing the point of view of a fan as the peloton goes by - that really conveyed the speed of the peloton (better than the usual TV shots from a car/motorcycle/helicopter going at the same speed as the cyclists, where you can't blame non-cycling-fans for sometimes thinking that they aren't really working hard/going fast). They used some non-IMAX footage as well (eg. Armstrong going down after catching his handlebar on a fan's bag - and coming back to win the stage, which in the film's context was an example of the power of the brain...). And of course there had to be a panoramic shot of the peloton going through a sunflower field ...
(and I usually find the TV shots when they go over the Tour route maps to be a bit dizzying - imagine the whole tour route done like that on a huge screen with zooming in and out)
For Tyler Hamilton fans (the movie was originally going to focus on him until he ran into legal trouble regarding alleged blood transfusions before racing, his case is still before the Court for Arbitration in Sport), they still had a few good shots of him (but didn't comment or mention who he was) - the main shot they showed of him was on a climb with his jersey open, shoulder/collarbone bandage visible, the voiceover was talking about working through pain but I think only cycling fans would understand the implication (he had broken collarbone yet still finished 4th overall in that Tour) as I'm not sure how obvious the bandage/evidence of injury would have been for others. And they gave special thanks to Tyler in the credits. (There was also a list of featured cyclists as well, that flashed by - prominence to Jimmy Casper and Baden Cooke but it looked like they listed everyone who was clearly identifiable in the cycling shots).
As for the 2 main featured cyclists, it was interesting to see shots of Casper abandoning (and about to have an MRI to rule out brain injury after his crash); and there was a sequence with Cooke in front of the team bus looking really depressed and unmotivated after losing the green jersey to Robbie McEwen... but then the power of the brain that he was able to win it back in the final sprint.
I was impressed with my husband that he was able to pick out as many cyclists as he did (I probably annoyed him with my whispers of "there's Ullrich", "there's Vino", "there's Robbie" etc )
As for the scientific/brain stuff, it was well done from the IMAX point of view but I can't really comment on how educational it was - to me it seemed incredibly simplistic, but that's likely because of my background (prior courses in biochemistry, physiology, neurology, neuroanatomy ...)
Anyway, if you get a chance to see it, I'd recommend it for the cycling shots in IMAX if you're into that sort of thing (but not if you want an in-depth look at the Tour).
Sunday, December 18, 2005
More film reviews...
well, at least short snappers...
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002, director Lone Scherfig) - Wilbur keeps trying to commit suicide so his brother Harbour has Wilbur live with him for a while, Harbour falls in love with and marries Alice, but Wilbur starts to have feelings for Alice as well and finds a reason to live... sounds overall depressing to describe, but quite uplifting in the end. I found myself wondering if it was wrong to laugh at Wilbur's ineffectual suicide attempts and therapy sessions, and if it was wrong to be happy for Wilbur in the end (there was somewhat of a moral dilemma and twist involved). I enjoyed it very much.
Les Triplettes des Belleville (2003, animated) - I loved the song "Swinging Belleville Rendezvous" when I heard it at the Oscars (nominated for best song and best animated film that year), so had it on my list of movies to see eventually. Then when I became interested in cycling and realized that this film was about cycling (to a certain extent), I thought I have to see this. Plus, I'm kind of on a Canadian-kick right now and this was a Canadian -French-Belgian co-production... I found the pacing a bit strange at times (maybe I was biased because the librarian warned me of this when I borrowed it), but it was interesting overall. Madame Souza's grandson, a cyclist, is kidnapped during the Tour de France, so she has to rescue him with the help of the Belleville triplets singing group. I thought the exaggerations within the animation were fascinating - the skin and bones cyclists (except for their huge leg muscles), the really large size of everyone in Belleville (which seemed to be symbolic for the excesses of the western world I thought), the cycling scenes (especially when Champion is training up a steep hill and seems to barely be getting up it - but his grandmother behind him on a tricycle has no difficulty). I couldn't help but think of Michael Rasmussen, winner of the King of the Mountains jersey in this year's Tour de France, when Champion was weighing his food at dinner (plus the "skin and bones" aspect).
Les Invasions Barbaires (2003, director Denys Arcand) – Another Canadian film, since it won the Oscar for best foreign-film I thought I should probably see this. And since it was a continuation, 17 years later, of Arcand’s film “The Decline of the American Empire” from 1986 I thought perhaps I should see that first. I couldn’t actually get through Decline though, found it boring and not funny (supposed to be a comedy) – maybe it just seemed really dated, I’m not sure. So, I started into the Barbarian Invasions with great trepidation – but I really enjoyed it. It raised interesting questions about the meaning of one’s life plus end of life issues like euthanasia; and it was pertinent to the issues facing our Canadian health-care system when Rémy’s son Sébastien is paying for him to have tests done in the US and bribing officials to get his father a private room on an unused floor. It also raised issues about the quality of palliative care when Sébastien had to go to the street to get heroin to help his father cope with pain. The scenes with the narcotic officers were quite amusing, as was the scene when the doctor did his entire visit and examination but then it became apparent he had no idea who the patient was (you’d think everyone would know who was on the special floor); also the depiction of the unions and the hospital administration was hilarious. Very strange to me to see Mitsou in a dramatic-type role though – “Bye Bye Mon Cowboy” started running through my head…
Long Way Round (2004) – Not exactly a film but a TV series/DVD, about Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s motorcycle trip from London to New York via Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada. I really enjoyed this, not just as a travel or adventure show (maybe my 1/8 Norwegian explorer heritage was coming out), but to see their struggles and emotions as the trip became quite difficult. It was also fascinating to see the different people they encountered and how friendly and helpful the majority were – there’s so many awful things reported in the news these days that you really tend to distrust any strangers any more, and yet they often had to depend and rely on total strangers to get through. The UNICEF bits were quite informative and touching, makes you realize how lucky we have things in Canada (or the “developed world” in general).
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002, director Lone Scherfig) - Wilbur keeps trying to commit suicide so his brother Harbour has Wilbur live with him for a while, Harbour falls in love with and marries Alice, but Wilbur starts to have feelings for Alice as well and finds a reason to live... sounds overall depressing to describe, but quite uplifting in the end. I found myself wondering if it was wrong to laugh at Wilbur's ineffectual suicide attempts and therapy sessions, and if it was wrong to be happy for Wilbur in the end (there was somewhat of a moral dilemma and twist involved). I enjoyed it very much.
Les Triplettes des Belleville (2003, animated) - I loved the song "Swinging Belleville Rendezvous" when I heard it at the Oscars (nominated for best song and best animated film that year), so had it on my list of movies to see eventually. Then when I became interested in cycling and realized that this film was about cycling (to a certain extent), I thought I have to see this. Plus, I'm kind of on a Canadian-kick right now and this was a Canadian -French-Belgian co-production... I found the pacing a bit strange at times (maybe I was biased because the librarian warned me of this when I borrowed it), but it was interesting overall. Madame Souza's grandson, a cyclist, is kidnapped during the Tour de France, so she has to rescue him with the help of the Belleville triplets singing group. I thought the exaggerations within the animation were fascinating - the skin and bones cyclists (except for their huge leg muscles), the really large size of everyone in Belleville (which seemed to be symbolic for the excesses of the western world I thought), the cycling scenes (especially when Champion is training up a steep hill and seems to barely be getting up it - but his grandmother behind him on a tricycle has no difficulty). I couldn't help but think of Michael Rasmussen, winner of the King of the Mountains jersey in this year's Tour de France, when Champion was weighing his food at dinner (plus the "skin and bones" aspect).
Les Invasions Barbaires (2003, director Denys Arcand) – Another Canadian film, since it won the Oscar for best foreign-film I thought I should probably see this. And since it was a continuation, 17 years later, of Arcand’s film “The Decline of the American Empire” from 1986 I thought perhaps I should see that first. I couldn’t actually get through Decline though, found it boring and not funny (supposed to be a comedy) – maybe it just seemed really dated, I’m not sure. So, I started into the Barbarian Invasions with great trepidation – but I really enjoyed it. It raised interesting questions about the meaning of one’s life plus end of life issues like euthanasia; and it was pertinent to the issues facing our Canadian health-care system when Rémy’s son Sébastien is paying for him to have tests done in the US and bribing officials to get his father a private room on an unused floor. It also raised issues about the quality of palliative care when Sébastien had to go to the street to get heroin to help his father cope with pain. The scenes with the narcotic officers were quite amusing, as was the scene when the doctor did his entire visit and examination but then it became apparent he had no idea who the patient was (you’d think everyone would know who was on the special floor); also the depiction of the unions and the hospital administration was hilarious. Very strange to me to see Mitsou in a dramatic-type role though – “Bye Bye Mon Cowboy” started running through my head…
Long Way Round (2004) – Not exactly a film but a TV series/DVD, about Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s motorcycle trip from London to New York via Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada. I really enjoyed this, not just as a travel or adventure show (maybe my 1/8 Norwegian explorer heritage was coming out), but to see their struggles and emotions as the trip became quite difficult. It was also fascinating to see the different people they encountered and how friendly and helpful the majority were – there’s so many awful things reported in the news these days that you really tend to distrust any strangers any more, and yet they often had to depend and rely on total strangers to get through. The UNICEF bits were quite informative and touching, makes you realize how lucky we have things in Canada (or the “developed world” in general).
Friday, December 09, 2005
Movie Review
One thing I've realized over the last few years is that there have been movies I wanted to see but either didn't have anyone to go with or never got around to seeing them. So, I'm trying to take some time now to watch some of them. I'll post some comments here about what I've watched.
Someone recommended to me a film from 2002, Man Without a Past by director Aki Kaurismäki. I watched it the other day - the basic story is a man travels to Helsinki to find work, and is mugged right away causing him to lose his memory. He leaves the hospital after being presumed dead, and works to recreate a new life. Some thoughts I had during and after watching:
-my first reaction was with the initial mugging scene, made me think how “violence” in other movies/TV shows is often camouflaged or indirect or sugar-coated somehow in that few/no details are actually shown. (I was a bit concerned at that point about what the rest of the movie would be like). It was a similar reaction actually to when I attended a junior hockey game in Red Deer and we sat in the corner near the boards, it was a lot more violent from that perspective, as was watching the Grey Cup on TV from the overhead cable camera. I guess it’s easier to watch if you aren’t reminded how violent it truly is, does that make me a hypocrite to watch hockey/football?
I loved the humour in scenes such as meeting Hannibal the “attack dog”, the Salvation Army band on the couch listening to rock music (and slowly starting to get into it/move with the music), the lawyer suddenly appearing to the police station and getting him out then giving him a cigar, the bank robber later apologizing and asking a favour. (and for some reason, when the SA band was singing their Christian songs then a mention of there being strict rules about music … I thought about the propaganda state of North Korea and the constant mentions of Kim Jong-Il/Kim Il-Sung, in a humourous comparison sort of way).
The idea/theme of being alienated or stigmatized because you’re different in some way (e.g., job agency wouldn’t help because no name, police assumed he did something wrong, even the doctor didn’t put much effort into his care before declaring him dead ;-) ) and falling through the cracks of bureaucracy as a result strikes a personal chord for me. There is someone I know who could be so bitter about how his life has turned out (because of mental illness in this case) and yet he isn’t and instead he finds joy in small things like finding 4-leaf clovers or watching lightning storms. (just like the people in the movie, on the fringes of society living in their containers/dumpsters yet all seem friendly/helpful/hopeful, using phrases like “going out for dinner” and dressing up to go to the soup kitchen.)
Also the recurrent idea of starting over/a new life/doing things differently hit home personally – obviously there was M, who went forward rather than trying to figure out the past, but also he was able to help others do something different (Irma to experience love, the SA band to widen their musical horizons, his neighbours to experience a concert nearby). The ending has a twist I won't reveal here - ask me if you'd like.
I really enjoyed this movie and it made me realize how perhaps I've been missing out by really only seeing Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Matrix and similar over the last few years.
Someone recommended to me a film from 2002, Man Without a Past by director Aki Kaurismäki. I watched it the other day - the basic story is a man travels to Helsinki to find work, and is mugged right away causing him to lose his memory. He leaves the hospital after being presumed dead, and works to recreate a new life. Some thoughts I had during and after watching:
-my first reaction was with the initial mugging scene, made me think how “violence” in other movies/TV shows is often camouflaged or indirect or sugar-coated somehow in that few/no details are actually shown. (I was a bit concerned at that point about what the rest of the movie would be like). It was a similar reaction actually to when I attended a junior hockey game in Red Deer and we sat in the corner near the boards, it was a lot more violent from that perspective, as was watching the Grey Cup on TV from the overhead cable camera. I guess it’s easier to watch if you aren’t reminded how violent it truly is, does that make me a hypocrite to watch hockey/football?
I loved the humour in scenes such as meeting Hannibal the “attack dog”, the Salvation Army band on the couch listening to rock music (and slowly starting to get into it/move with the music), the lawyer suddenly appearing to the police station and getting him out then giving him a cigar, the bank robber later apologizing and asking a favour. (and for some reason, when the SA band was singing their Christian songs then a mention of there being strict rules about music … I thought about the propaganda state of North Korea and the constant mentions of Kim Jong-Il/Kim Il-Sung, in a humourous comparison sort of way).
The idea/theme of being alienated or stigmatized because you’re different in some way (e.g., job agency wouldn’t help because no name, police assumed he did something wrong, even the doctor didn’t put much effort into his care before declaring him dead ;-) ) and falling through the cracks of bureaucracy as a result strikes a personal chord for me. There is someone I know who could be so bitter about how his life has turned out (because of mental illness in this case) and yet he isn’t and instead he finds joy in small things like finding 4-leaf clovers or watching lightning storms. (just like the people in the movie, on the fringes of society living in their containers/dumpsters yet all seem friendly/helpful/hopeful, using phrases like “going out for dinner” and dressing up to go to the soup kitchen.)
Also the recurrent idea of starting over/a new life/doing things differently hit home personally – obviously there was M, who went forward rather than trying to figure out the past, but also he was able to help others do something different (Irma to experience love, the SA band to widen their musical horizons, his neighbours to experience a concert nearby). The ending has a twist I won't reveal here - ask me if you'd like.
I really enjoyed this movie and it made me realize how perhaps I've been missing out by really only seeing Star Wars/Lord of the Rings/Matrix and similar over the last few years.
