Scribbles and Ramblings

The Cinema of Neveldine/Taylor

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:49:00 +0000

With the exception of Ghost Rider, the remaining three films of Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor are perfect examples of Video Game Cinema.

Crank (2006)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Gamer (2009)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

The premise of Crank is setup like a video game where the main character Chev (Jason Statham) can only go for a limited distance before he needs to recharge himself otherwise he will lose his single life, thereby ending the film. The reason Chev needs to recharge is to keep his adrenaline level up otherwise the drugs injected in his body will slowly stop his heart. He can keep his adrenaline level up either by natural or artificial means such as usage of epinephrine. Such a premise allows the movie to freely incorporate whatever is required for him to survive. This means Chev pumps himself full of drugs, gets into fights, steals a car (Grand Theft Auto anyone?) in order to move to a new location in search of an antidote. The script also includes Chev’s attempted rape of his girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart) so that he can keep his heart from slowing down. Chev’s aggressive sexual act starts out as rape but is turned into a semi-consensual act after Eve stops fighting back, much to the shock of an onlooking bus of tourists.

By giving the film a video game premise, the directors get away by including any over the top sequence in the script which ends up making the movie critic-proof. Any questions about the film’s logic can be countered with the explanation that Chev’s desperate need to survive mandates inclusion of abundant excess and crudity. For example, if Chev doesn’t try to rape his girlfriend, then it is game over. If he does not inject himself with drugs, then lights out. On a scale of 1-10 for crudity, Crank breaks the scale with a whopping 11. Incredibly, Crank 2 shatters the scale even further and outdoes the first movie. Although, Crank 2 just follows the template laid out by Crank and the only variation is to ensure every aspect from the first movie is super-sized in the second one. And to hammer the point home, a mock Godzilla like fight scene is included in Crank 2.

Crank and Crank 2 are single player video games where one character has to navigate his way through an urban jungle filled with danger at every corner. Both movies also contain moments when Chev is depicted like a pixelated 1980’s style arcade game. On the other hand, Gamer is a multi-player game designed to follow the structure of a MMORPG, a game style which allows multiple players to control different online characters. A movie based on MMORPG would have been complicated enough but Neveldine & Taylor layer the movie with a “Simulation” style video game & wrap everything around a hyper-interactive social media world. The end result is a movie that bombards a viewer with a stream of information which is delievered in tiny chunks via fast cuts. Such an editing style requires a viewer to take some time to absorb the material and get used to the style. Only once the gaming style is absorbed, the smart social commentary becomes apparent. The directors want to convey a world where the line between an online virtual personality and a real persona is slowly erased. One can even say that the current world is close to what Gamer shows but the movie was released back in 2009, at a time when online gaming was growing substantially but bandwidth sucking smart phones and tablets were still in their infancy.

Fast Cuts

Crank, Crank 2 & Gamer all feature rapid-fire editing which at times appears to contain multiple cuts every second. Such an editing style results in a disorienting effect which does not make for easy viewing. These three movies are on the opposite spectrum of Slow Cinema and demonstrate that hyperactive films which can’t maintain focus for even a second result in an experience where the movies running time appears a lot longer than it actually is. One can only painlessly finish watching these movies if one is able to tune in to their rhythm.

On the other hand, Ghost Rider has no such accelerated video game style. Of course, given the material’s comic book source, such a style would not have made sense. Still, nothing in Ghost Rider indicates any whiff of Neveldine-Taylor's work. The only way one can even form a link to this movie with the directors is by the ending of Crank 2 which features Chev completely in flames showing the finger to the camera. The image of Chev’s head in flames evokes Ghost Rider so it is not a surprize that the directors next project was the Marvel Comic book character.

One can understand what the directors are trying to do with their style but the movies require an investment from a viewer. The blistering style also makes it is hard to recommend their films to anyone. Although, there are plenty of excellent articles that one can read about the directors style and save the trouble of watching any of their films.

Essential Reading

Adam Nayman article perfectly summaries the cinema of Neveldine & Taylor.

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky on Gamer.

Steven Shaviro has a 10,000 word entry on Gamer!

3D challenge

Ghost Rider was in 3D but thankfully the other three movies were in 2D. The first 15 minutes of Gamer are far more challenging to keep one's headache in check than any 3D movie out there. However, Crank 3 will be in 3D and that will result in a massive viewing challenge for those who see it in a cinema.

Video Game Cinema

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 01:21:00 +0000

“Video Game Cinema” doesn’t only refer to movies based on video games but instead applies to movies which are constructed and edited like a video game. Video games have come a long way from the 1980’s style arcade action and shoot’ em games. Contemporary video games can be divided into multiple genres, contain numerous characters & complicated plots and often include a cinematic sequences called cutscene, which fills in the backstory about characters and their mission. Also, with the rapid evolution in computer graphics, most games feature life-like characters modeled after actors whose movements and facial expressions are captured to create authentic video game replicas.

Although, as video games get more complicated and involve multiple role playing characters, most video game movies follow an arcade style plot where a single character achieves small goals leading to a final mission completion sequence. The Resident Evil series, Raid: The Redemption and the two Crank movies are examples of such video game cinema which feature a single character moving from one crisis to another. Gamer is also an example of a video game cinema but it is the only one in this spotlight which contains a richly defined complicated world with multiple characters competing for control in a single frame.

Part I of this spotlight looks at all five Resident Evil movies while Part II will cover the cinema of Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor.

Resident Evil Movies

Any discussion about video game cinema has to start with Paul W.S Anderson. He directed Mortal Kombat in 1995, at a time when video game movies rarely made their way into cinemas. In 2002, he directed the first Resident Evil movie and has written all the movies in the series and directed 3 of the 5 movies so far. He will also direct the 6th movie in the series due in 2014.

Resident Evil (2002, Paul W.S. Anderson)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004, Alexander Witt)

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007, Russell Mulcahy)

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010, Paul W.S. Anderson)

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012, Paul W.S. Anderson)

The movies are based on a video game and for the most part, all 5 features follow a video game format where one central character, Alice (Milla Jovovich), moves from one action sequence to another. The first movie contains the most dialogue as it outlines the origins of the T-virus and how the infection ended up getting released from the Umbrella Corporation's underground facility (Hive).

Each movie recaps prior events so a viewer does not need to worry about seeing all the previous movies. Subsequent movies provide a little more information about Alice's past but for the most part, the movies are about Alice killing infected and mutated creatures. The subtitles in the movies refer to the creatures as zombies but that word is never used to describe the flesh eating walking dead in any of the movies.

The on-screen action is kept simplistic like an old fashioned arcade game where there are easily classifiable targets that have to be taken out. Once Alice or her allies kill the creatures, then they proceed to the next frame where more creatures await. Resident Evil: Extinction has some outdoor shots in the desert where multiple characters try to kill the zombies but usually Alice and just an additional character is present to do the killing. Alice finds new helpers as the movies progress with Claire (Ali Larter) doing her part in Extinction and Afterlife and Ada Wong (Bingbing Li) in Retribution. This is also a rare series where woman take centre stage both in terms of heroes and villains. The villain of the first four movies is the Umbrella Corporation headed by Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts) but the fifth movie finally reveals that the Red Queen computer, shown in the first movie, has gone rogue and taken over. As the name indicates, Red Queen is a female and her personification is a little girl.

Throughout the series, villains often become allies to Alice in taking out a bigger threat. Or characters that were dead often return back in different roles. Each movie has a well defined end goal that must be reached and the returning characters either assist or stand in the way. The last two movies Afterlife and Retribution are basically cliffhangers that end by revealing that a bigger threat lays waiting.

The 5th movie, Retribution, so far is the high point of the series video game look and feel. By showing the computer as the villain, characters are given a clue as to where their next threat will come from.

For example, as Alice and Ada move through the city simulated landscape (New York), Red Queen’s voice indicates that the New York sequence has been initiated, alerting Alice and Ada that threats are on the way.

The audience also gets their cue as to a fight will take place. Also, just like in a video game, the music changes when a villain is about to enter the frame. Basically, Retribution feels like seeing a video game in demo mode.

All the movies don’t get good reviews because if one treats them as conventional movies, then it is frustrating to watch repetitious sequences over and over. On the other hand, if one sees the movies as simply live video games, then it allows one to get through them. Also, one can see the influence of some shots from this series in The Walking Dead. The Resident Evil movies feature overhead shots showing cluster of zombies narrowing on a target. Such shots can be found in Season One of The Walking Dead. Of course, the TV series has more focus on character development and dialogue driven scenarios whereas Resident Evil strips most of the dialogue out.

Other reading

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky.

R. Emmet Sweeney and Dave Kehr.

Universal Soldier

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:04:00 +0000

Like most friends, I saw the first Universal Soldier (1992) and ignored all subsequent sequels, including the official ones (three after 1992) and two TV movies. However, intrigued by some of the critical traction that Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning got in 2012, I decided to see both of the Universal Soldier films directed by John Hyams and revisited the first film to put everything in context.

Universal Solider (1992, Roland Emmerich)
Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009, John Hyams)
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012, John Hyams)

Universal Soldier starts off in the Vietnam war, a starting point for many cinematic stories over the years, where a fight between two soldiers Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Scott (Dolph Lundgren) results in both of their deaths. Both dead bodies are indoctrinated into a US military program and brought back as Universal Soldiers or UniSols, android fighting machines. The concept of UniSols follows the Robocop pattern in reanimating a dead character to fight justice. In Robocop, Murphy is meant to fight crime on the streets and keep civil justice. Whereas, UniSols are meant to safeguard nationalistic interests. Both Murphy and Luc are also united by their desire to return home. Despite the efforts of scientists to erase both Murphy & Luc's memories, a tiny portion of their past lingers on and manages to guide their moral compass. This makes both of these characters heroes, who try to do some good despite being programmed to kill without question. At the end of Universal Soldier, Luc does reach home. But a happy ending in Hollywood is never a guarantee for conclusion and Luc was called into action in 1999’s Universal Soldier: The Return.

Two TV movies filled the gap without JCVD and Dolph Lundgren until John Hyams resurrected the series in 2009. Hyams rightly decided that both JCVD and Dolph Lundgren are not as young as they once were and instead made Andrei Arlovski’s UniSol the central character. Arlovski’s character is a pure representation of what a Unisol was originally meant to be as he has no moral compass and is free to kill without any filters. Regeneration is certainly a major improvement over the 1992 movie and takes the series into a much darker territory. Still, the 2009 film cannot predict the direction that Day of Reckoning jumps towards.

If Regeneration showed shades of darkness, then Day of Reckoning is a full blown nightmare that is only connected to the Universal Solider series in name. The 2012 film does feature Luc Deveraux and Scott but Luc is nothing like the past films. He is more like Tony Todd's Candyman character who appears either inside John’s (Scott Adkins) head or in his house. The Candyman sequence is shown early in the film and follows a point of view nightmarish start reminiscent of Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void. Day of Reckoning then stitches a David Lynch feel and mood throughout the film and includes nods to conspiracy stories and a few horror films along with the way, such as the famous axe breaking door scene of The Shining. It is impressive how many diverse ideas and sub-plots Day of Reckoning incorporates and it might have been better if the film had shed the Universal Soldier tag. As it stands, the UniSol reference will prevent others from checking out the film. The open ended nature of Day of Reckoning suggests a future possibility of another film but more importantly, it will be curious to see what John Hyams directs next.

Related Reading

The following three articles played a big part in my viewing these films.

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky's excellent mubi review.
Ian Buckwalter's review in The Atlantic.
Bilge Ebiri.

Lisandro Alonso

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 01:50:00 +0000

Some quick notes on all four of Lisandro Alonso’s features.

La Libertad (2001)
Los Muertos (2004)
Fantasma (2006)
Liverpool (2008)

All four films focus on a lonely male as he navigates his way through an environment. With the exception of Fantasma, the environment in the three other films is nature, free from the reach of any city, ranging from farmland, forests and mountains.

For a brief moment at the start of Liverpool, the camera is in a confined space but once Farrel leaves the ship, the camera soaks in the open spaced surroundings like it does in La Liberdad and Los Muertos.

Fantasma is the only film where a character, Argentino Vargas, the actor from Los Muertos, wanders within a confined space.

Argentino walks in a cinema hall before settling to watch a special screening of Los Muertos. The cinema hall setting is also the only city location depicted in any of Alonso’s films. However, the city is only viewed in tiny glances through the glass panels in the cinema’s lobby. Even this tiny glimpse of city life is a shocking aspect to find in an Alonso film. Lisandro’s other three features are devoid of people rushing from one place to another so it feels unnatural to see people walking at a brisk pace through the glass panels in Fantasma.

Fantasma

Even though Fantasma stands apart from the other three journey features, it forms a closed loop with Alonso’s first 2 features. Both the actors of La Libertad (Misael Saavedra) and Los Muertos (Argentino Vargas) are present in Fantasma while the cinema hall is playing Los Muertos. If Liverpool had not taken place in an open space, then Fantasma would have formed a natural trilogy with La Libertad and Los Muertos. However, in terms of location and style, La Libertad, Los Muertos and Liverpool form a natural trilogy. La Liberdad, Los Muertos and Liverpool evoke Bresson by depicting emotionless characters and stripping out any irrelevant details from the frame. The following quote from Robert Bresson applies to these three features:

One does not create by adding but by taking away.

Alonso’s films have removed any distractions from the frame thereby allowing an intense focus on a singular character.

Fantasma also deviates from the style of the other three features. The cinema hall in Fantasma evokes Tsai Ming-liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn and the large glass panels in the lobby and stairs remind of Tati.

Fantasma

Tati in Playtime

James Quandt’s excellent essay outlines this Tati connection in splendid detail:

But, oddly, it is Tati who most comes to mind in surveying the San Martín’s modernist horror of malfunctioning elevators, confounding staircases, and harshly lit hallways, rooms too ample or cramped, humanity subjugated to decor, architecture, mazes, and machinery. Like Tati, Alonso sees in this surrounding a kind of elegant inutility, a vast contraption in which people stumble, turn back, retrace their steps, push buttons that don’t work, tentatively position themselves in spaces not designed for their being, much less comfort. And, again like Tati, he embeds this vision of errant modernity in a musique concrète of mechanical sound: outside traffic; the whoosh, buzz, and hum of elevators; a computer whirring to life; an incessant, unanswered telephone; the squeal of an unoiled door; the roar of the projector showing Vargas the rural world of Los Muertos, with its contrasting quiet and cacophony of birds.

Alonso's new film (2014)

At first, the casting of Viggo Mortensen in Alonso's new film seemed to indicate a continuation of the lonely men journey structure but the following synopsis on imdb indicates otherwise:

A father and daughter journey from Denmark to an unknown desert that exists in a realm beyond the confines of civilization.

Related Reading

James Quandt’s article.

Michael Guillen’s interview.

Srikanth (JAFB) on the films of Alonso.

Cinema Scope’s interview.

Gabe Klinger’s 2005 article anticipated the rise of Alonso.

Paul Verhoeven

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:58:00 +0000

It is easy to label Paul Verhoeven’s films as a cinema of excessive sex, blood and violence. However, these tags just refer to the surface of the films. Revisiting the following three films revealed the presence of multiple layers underneath:

Robocop (1987)
Total Recall (1990)
Starship Troopers (1997)

Robocop and Starship Troopers are razor sharp satires that are packed with social, economic and political commentary. On first glance, these references are overshadowed by over the top sequences which grab all the attention and become the film’s major talking points, such as the extremely violent killing of Officer Murphy (Peter Weller) in Robocop. Murphy’s killing is brutal but it fits in the film’s context of portraying a society where violence is used to drive all social, economic and political policies. For example, brutal force is used to evict the poor out of their homes in order to build a safer and cleaner new Detroit. And the residents have no choice but to use violent means to fight back. The rise of violence & crime is in turn used to justify the need for building more destructive killing machines so that peace can finally be achieved. RoboCop shows a society that is constantly in war with itself and depicts how once the war machine is started, it will never stop. The faces making the political decisions will change but an endless cycle of building bigger weapons will continue. In this regard, the film correctly anticipates the rise of private corporations in getting lucrative government contracts to protect society.

RoboCop not only targets private security firms but throws its net over all corporations. The appropriately named Omni Consumer Products (OCP) has its hands in every aspect of society and citizens can’t escape its influence. OCP not only thrusts its products down citizens throats but also creates weapons for them to kill or be killed. The media is not spared either and the hilariously depicted fake newscasts in both RoboCop and Starship Troopers shows how a culture of fear is created and controlled by a small group. When RoboCop was released back in 1987, news channels didn’t run 24 hours / 7 days a week. So the film can be credited as correctly predicting the state of contemporary news channels which repeat the same stories over and over again.

RoboCop and Total Recall also show that policies which deny basic equality to all citizens will force the have nots to fight for their rights. And when these citizens demand their rights, they will be labelled as troublemakers and attempt to be crushed by those in power. The enforcement of force is made possible by a collusion between government, corporations and certain elements of the police.

Even though Paul Verhoeven didn’t direct RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3, those later films continue the story, themes and style explored by Verhoeven’s film. For example, in RoboCop 2 Murphy’s programming is altered by those in charge to make him more friendly so that he is not seen as a cold killing machine but instead a friendly killing machine. This example is another piece of witty satire which shows how corporations use media spin and public relations to shift public opinion.

Other related reading

Aaron Light has an excellent essay about Verhoeven & his "Cinema of Excess".

Robert Koehler’s interview with Paul Verhoeven.

Remake

It is not surprizing that the remake of RoboCop (2014) will be directed by José Padilha whose Elite Squad films contain a biting social commentary about violence between the poor and the police. Padilha’s films don’t feature any satire so his selection appears to indicate that the remake will be a more serious and darker examination of society.

Nacer Khemir's Desert Trilogy

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:12:00 +0000

Nacer Khemir’s Desert Trilogy:

Wanderers of the Desert (1986)
The Dove’s Lost Necklace (1992)
Bab’Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul (2005)

All three films have a wonderful myth + fable structure which incorporates motifs of journey and death. Music is also a key component and plays the biggest part in Bab’Aziz, a film infused with Sufi music. As the title of the trilogy indicates, the films are set against a desert background. In an interview, Nacer Khemir explains the beauty that comes with filming in a desert:

There is a Tuareg proverb that says: "There are lands that are full of water for the well-being of the body, and lands that are full of sand for the well-being of the soul." The desert is a literary field and a field of abstraction at the same time. It is one of the rare places where the infinitely small, that is a speck of sand, and the infinitely big, and that is billions of specks of sand, meet. It is also a place where one can have a true sense of the Universe and of its scale. The desert also evokes the Arabic language, which bears the memory of its origins. In every Arabic word, there is a bit of flowing sand. It is also one of the main sources of Arabic love poetry. In all of my three movies, which form a trilogy, The Wanderers of the Desert, The Dove’s Lost Necklace, and today, Bab’Aziz, The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul, the desert is a character in itself.

The Wanderers of the Desert

A bus drops a teacher off in the middle of the desert. The village that he is looking for doesn’t appear to exist.

But it does. The village exists even though it is mostly empty because the village men often disappear to wander off in the desert for days on end.

The concept of a journey is a key ingredient in The Wanderers of the Desert where characters yearn to leave for far-off lands, especially for Cordoba which is seen as the ultimate pilgrimage.

Myths and fables are found in almost every frame as the film feels similar to the multiple layered structure of One Thousand and One Nights. In fact, at certain moments, fairy tales manifest themselves into reality such as the appearance of Sinbad’s boat:

The Dove’s Lost Neckless

Hassan (Navin Chowdhry), a calligrapher, queries many wise men to gain their wisdom about the meaning of love. One elder tells Hassan that the Arabic language has 60 different words to describe love. At first, Hassan believes the discovery of all 60 words would bring him closer to an understanding of love. Unfortunately, he remains stuck at 35 words but his hopes are boosted by finding a single partly burnt page from a book about love. That page makes makes him yearn for the “Princess of Samarkand”, who haunts his dreams. He goes on a quest to find the book and perhaps his princess along the way.

The film is garnished with many thoughtful philosophical dialogues:

The Beginning is easy but the end is hard.

The above words are applicable to life and stories in general but they also perfectly describe the structure of all three films. The beginning of each film appears to be simplistic but the complexity of life is only revealed as the characters undertake a physical, emotional and spiritual journey. At the end of each journey, death greets one of the characters. But this death is not meant to be a final stop but just one of the paths in a cosmic journey that spans generations.

People often run after a dream. One day they run across it and don’t recognize it.

A basic truth where a person often loses sight of their goal during an exhaustive quest.

Bab’Aziz: The Prince who Contemplated his Soul

Unlike other trilogies, the third film of the Desert trilogy, Bab’Aziz, is the strongest work.

This is because the desert’s beauty comes through in virtually frame of Bab’Aziz. Also, the Sufi music against the background of giant sand dunes makes for a calm and mesmerizing experience.

Once Upon a Time....

These four words have started countless stories but they appropriately describe the Desert Trilogy as well. Each film contains scenes of story telling that peels off multiple layers of fables, myths or reality. Often, a character is mesmerized by a story they are listening to and slowly find themselves drifting into the realms of myth, where they in-turn become characters in stories that will be narrated to future generations.

Nacer Khemir deserves a lot of credit for creating a visually rich form of an ancient story telling tradition that is mostly lost in contemporary cinema.

It also seems appropriate that I came across two films in the trilogy in an old fashioned way by flipping through DVD racks in the library. With the disappearance of almost all rental DVD stores in the city, finding new films is down to online digital files. But my discovery of The Wanderers in the Desert and Bab’Aziz evoked memories of a time when DVD stores and the library played a big part in discovering gems. “Once Upon a time....” indeed!

Essential Reading

Chale Nafus, Director of Programming for the Austin Film Society, perfectly describes The Wanderers in the Desert, including the Arabian Nights references.

The Right IP Address

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 18:05:00 +0000

A few years ago, Verena Paravel and J.P. Sniadecki’s Foreign Parts got some critical love and was a must-see film. The documentary’s setting in the Queen’s auto parts lanes besides the New York Metz stadium was also the setting for Ramin Bahrani’s Chop Shop, a film which made it across Canada. However, Foreign Parts has remained foreign and not touched my local Canadian shores theatrically or rental DVD. Currently, Amazon.com streams the film for $2.99 (USD), a few weeks ago that price was $2.35. The website also sells a digital copy of the film for $9.99. But one can only rent or buy this digitial film if they live in the US. The only legal option for me to view Foreign Parts is to buy the film's DVD. Amazon.ca sells a DVD of Foreign Parts in Canada for $29.71 (CAD). Hardly a fair differential to view the same film but people in Canada are used to paying more for everything. Even Canadian oil is cheaper in the United States than in the Canadian spots that extract the crude variety out of the ground.

Often excuses of tariffs, taxes, population and currency disparity is used to explain the price difference. None of these excuses matter when it comes to a digital streaming file which does not have to travel across a physical border. In fact, the price difference feels worse when it comes to streaming a digital file from a remote server which may be located in one common location. For example, iTunes US rents most new releases for $3.99 (USD) while the same film costs $4.99 (CAD) in iTunes Canada. At the current currency rate, USD 3.99 = CAD 4.09. And this ignores the fact that for most of last year, the Canadian dollar was on par or above the American dollar.

Then there are the lack of legal streaming options in Canada compared to the US. Fandor and Hulu don’t stream in Canada while Netflix.com has almost 10,000 more titles than Netflix Canada. SundanceNOW also has more streaming films in the US than in Canada. Licensing rights are blamed for lack of film availability in Canada. But there are many titles that have no distributor or rights holder in Canada. To make matters worse, in a few cases Amazon.com won’t ship a DVD to a Canadian postal code even though there is no place in Canada that sells the DVD. I ran into this problem last year when Film Movement confirmed in an email that they don’t have legal rights to sell The Country Teacher in Canada. As a result, Film Movement and Amazon.com won’t ship a DVD of The Country Teacher to a Canadian postal address.

When seeking reasons for the lack of film title availabilities in Canada, some say it is due to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations. But the CRTC can’t be blamed in all cases. Regardless of who is to blame, the fact remains that many films remain unseen.

If one followed the legal path, then one won’t have access to most films. But if a computer has the right IP Address, an American one in this case, then one has access to a world of films. But if a computer has a Canadian IP Address, then one must continue to be frustrated and see the message that the film is not available.

Best Films of the Decade: 2003-12

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:33:00 +0000

Compiling a best of the decade list using only top 10 film lists from 2003-12 resulted in omissions from many of the best directors in the world. That meant no films from Claire Denis, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Pedro Costa, Béla Tarr, Manoel de Oliveira, Wang Bing, Terrence Malick, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhangke & Nuri Bilge Ceylan. In most cases, it took me a few years to catch up with the forenamed auteur’s work thereby making the film ineligible from an end of the year list. On a few occasions, worthy films narrowly missed out on the top 10. For example, Syndromes and a Century placed #12 in 2008, Uncle Boonmee.. was #15 in 2010 and The Turin Horse grabbed #18 in 2011.

In order to come up with a more complete best of the decade list, I put together a collection of stellar films that I caught a few years after the film’s release. Also, I included some films that were initially cut from my top 10 but placed in an end of the year list. The final tally of this collection ended up being a staggering 181 titles. These 181 titles combined with the original 100 more accurately reflects some of the best films of 2003-2012.

List 1 (reproduced here): 100 films from 2003-2012 top 10 lists

List 2 (in alphabetical order below): 181 films that were delayed viewing or narrowly missed out on the top 10.

12 (2008, Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov)
12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
15 Park Avenue (2005, India, Aparna Sen)
2046 (2004, Hong Kong co-production, Wong Kar-wai)
35 Shots of Rum (2008, France, Claire Denis)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 days (2007, Romania, Cristian Mungiu)
5x2 (2004, France, François Ozon)
A Town Called Panic (2009, Belgium co-production, Stéphane Aubier/Vincent Patar)
A Useful Life (2010, Uruguay, Federico Veiroj)
After this our exile (2006, Hong Kong, Patrick Tam)
Agrarian Utopia (2009, Thailand, Uruphong Raksasad)
Alamar (2009, Mexico, Pedro González-Rubio)
Alexandra (2007, Russia/France, Aleksandr Sokurov)
Apocalypto (2006, USA, Mel Gibson)
Applause (2009, Denmark, Martin Zandvliet)
Attenberg (2010, Greece, Athina Rachel Tsangari)
Avenida Brasilia Formosa (2009, Brazil, Gabriel Mascaro)
Away from Her (2006, Canada, Sarah Polley)
Baixio das Bestas (2007, Brazil, Cláudio Assis)
Ballast (2008, USA, Lance Hammer)
Before I Forget (2007, France, Jacques Nolot)
Between Two Worlds (2009, Sri Lanka, Vimukthi Jayasundara)
Black Butterfly (2006, Peru, Francisco J. Lombardi)
Blind Shaft (2003, China co-production, Yang Li)
Blockade (2006, Russia, Sergey Loznitsa)
Broken Flowers (2005, USA, Jim Jarmusch)
Bug (2006, USA, William Friedkin)
Café Lumière (2003, Japan/Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-heien)
California Dreaming (2007, Romania, Cristian Nemescu)
Carcasses (2009, Canada, Denis Côté)
Certified Copy (2010, France/Iran/Italy, Abbas Kiarostami)
Children (2006, Iceland, Ragnar Bragason)
Chronicles of an Escape (2006, Argentina, Adrián Caetano)
Citizen Havel (2008, Czech Republic, Miroslav Janek/Pavel Koutecký)
Climates (2006, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Closer (2004, USA/UK, Mike Nichols)
Colossal Youth (2006, Portugal, Pedro Costa)
Continental: A film without guns (2008, Canada, Stéphane Lafleur)
Crane World (2003, Argentina, Pablo Trapero)
Crime and Punishment (2007, China, Zhao Liang)
Crimson Gold (2003, Iran, Jafar Panahi, Writer -- Abbas Kiarostami)
Curling (2010, Canada, Denis Côté)
De Muze (2006, Holland, Ben van Lieshout)
Delta (2008, Hungary, Kornél Mundruczó)
Departures (2008, Japan, Yôjirô Takita)
Dirty Carnival (2006, South Korea, Ha Yu)
Dogtooth (2009, Greece, Giorgos Lanthimos)
Dogville (2003, Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier)
Duck Season (2004, Mexico, Fernando Eimbcke)
Election (2005, Hong Kong, Johnnie To)
Elephant (2003, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Enter the Void (2009, France co-production, Gaspar Noé)
Euphoria (2006, Russia, Ivan Vyrypaev)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010, USA/UK, Banksy)
Good Bye Dragon Inn (2003, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang)
Happy New Life (2007, Hungary, Árpád Bogdán)
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003, India, Sudhir Mishra)
Helvetica (2007, UK, Gary Hustwit)
Hunger (2008, UK, Steve McQueen)
I Wish I Knew (2010, China, Jia ZhangKe)
Import Export (2007, Austria/France, Ulrich Seidl)
In Memory of Myself (2007, Italy, Saverio Costanzo)
Independencia (2009, Philippines, Raya Martin)
Inland Empire (2006, USA co-production, David Lynch)
In the Pit (2006, Mexico, Juan Carlos Rulfo)
Invisible Waves (2006, Thailand, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang)
Iraq in Fragments (2006, USA, James Longley)
It’s Winter (2006, Iran, Rafi Pitts)
I’m Not Scared (2003, Italy co-production, Gabriele Salvatores)
Japanese Story (2003, Australia, Sue Brooks)
Julia (2009, France/USA/Mexico/Belgium, Erick Zonca)
Khadak (2006, Belgium/Germany, Peter Brosens & Jessica Hope Woodworth)
Khamosh Pani (2003, Pakistan co-production, Sabiha Sumar)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003, USA, Quentin Tarantino)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005, USA, Shane Black)
La France (2007, France, Serge Bozon)
Last Life in the Universe (2003, Thailand/Japan, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang)
Let Each One go Where He May (2009, USA/Suriname, Ben Russell)
Like you know it All (2009, South Korea, Hong Sang-Soo)
Lion's Den (2008, Argentina co-production, Pablo Trapero)
Look At Me (2004, France/Italy, Agnès Jaoui)
Los Angeles Plays itself (2003, USA, Thom Andersen)
Los Muertos (2004, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
Lourdes (2009, Austria/France/Germany, Jessica Hausner)
Love Exposure (2008, Japan, Shion Sono)
L’Appolinde (2011, France, Bertrand Bonello)
L’Enfer (2005, France co-production, Danis Tanovic)
L’Intrus (2004, France, Claire Denis)
Machuca (2004, Chile, Andrés Wood)
Manufacturing Landscapes (2006, Canada, Jennifer Baichwal)
Memories of Murder (2003, South Korea, Joon-ho Bong)
Miami Vice (2006, USA, Michael Mann)
Mildred Pierce (2011, USA, Todd Haynes)
Milk of Sorrow (2009, Peru/Spain, Claudia Llosa)
Mirage (2004, Macedonia, Svetozar Ristovski)
Mithya (2008, India, Rajat Kapoor)
Mo & Me (2006, Kenya, Roger Mills/Murad Rayani)
Moolaade (2004, Senegal co-production, Ousmane Sembene)
Moon (2009, UK, Duncan Jones)
My Joy (2010, Ukraine co-production, Sergei Loznitsa)
Mysteries of Lisbon (2010, Portugal/France, Raoul Ruiz)
Mystic Ball (2006, Canada/USA, Greg Hamilton)
Mystic River (2003, USA, Clint Eastwood)
No Smoking (2007, India, Anurag Kashyap)
Notes on a Scandal (2006, UK, Richard Eyre)
Of Gods and Men (2010, France, Xavier Beauvois)
Oki’s Movie (2010, South Korea, Hong Sang-soo)
Oldboy (2003, South Korea, Chan-wook Park)
Our Beloved Month of August (2008, Portugal, Miguel Gomes)
Oxhide (2005, China, Jiayin Liu)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Mexico, Guillermo del Toro)
Paprika (2006, Japan, Satoshi Kon)
Paradise Now (2005, Palestine co-production, Hany Abu-Assad)
Paraguayan Hammock (2006, Paraguay co-production, Paz Encina)
Paranoid Park (2007, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Parents (2007, Iceland, Ragnar Bragason)
Poetry (2010, South Korea, Lee Chang-dong)
Putty Hill (2010, USA, Matthew Porterfield)
Rapt (2009, France/Belgium, Lucas Belvaux)
Requiem (2006, Germany, Hans-Christian Schmid)
Rhinoceros Eyes (2003, USA, Aaron Woodley)
Rumba (2008, France/Belgium, Dominique Abel/Fiona Gordon/Bruno Romy)
Secret Sunshine (2007, South Korea, Lee Chang-Dong)
Shame (2011, UK, Steve McQueen)
Shut up & Sing (2007, USA, Barbara Kopple/Cecilia Peck)
Siddharth: The Prisoner (2008, India, Pryas Gupta)
Sideways (2004, USA, Alexander Payne)
Silent Souls (2010, Russia, Aleksei Fedorchenko)
Songs from the Second Floor (2003, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
Spare Parts (2003, Slovenia, Damjan Kozole)
Still Life (2006, China/Hong Kong, Jia ZhangKe)
Summer Wars (2009, Japan, Mamoru Hosoda)
Sun Spots (2009, China, Heng Yang)
Syndromes and a Century (2006, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Synedoche, New York (2008, USA, Charlie Kaufman)
Take Shelter (2011, USA, Jeff Nichols)
The Barbarian Invasions (2003, Canada/France, Denys Arcand)
The Box (2009, USA, Richard Kelly)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007, France/USA, Julian Schnabel)
The Edukators (2004, Germany/Austria, Hans Weingartner)
The Ghost Writer (2010, France/Germany/UK,Roman Polanski)
The Girl Cut in Two (2007, France, Claude Chabrol)
The House of Sand (2005, Brazil, Andrucha Waddington)
The Inheritance (2003, Denmark, Per Fly)
The International (2009, multiple, Tom Tykwer)
The King and the Clown (2005, South Korea, Joon-ik Lee)
The Machinist (2004, Spain, Brad Anderson)
The Man’s Woman and other Stories (2009, India, Amit Dutta)
The Middle of the World (2003, Brazil, Vicente Amorim)
The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (2007, Bulgaria, Director Andrey Paounov)
The New World (2005, USA/UK, Terrence Malick)
The Russian Dolls (2005, France/UK, Cédric Klapisch)
The Strange Case of Angelica (2010, Portugal co-production, Manoel de Oliveira)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, USA, Tommy Lee Jones)
The Tiger Factory (2010, Malaysia/Japan, Woo Ming Jin)
The Tree of Life (2011, USA, Terrence Malick)
The Turin Horse (2011, Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)
The Wind Journeys (2009, Colombia co-production, Ciro Guerra)
The World (2004, China co-production, Jia Zhang ke)
The Wrestler (2008, USA, Darren Aronofsky)
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006, Brazil, Cao Hamburger)
There Will be Blood (2007, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Three Times (2005, France/Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy (2011, UK co-production, Tomas Alfredson)
Todo Todo Torres (2006, Philippines, John Torres)
Tony Manero (2008, Chile/Brazil, Pablo Larraín)
Torremolinos 73 (2003, Spain, Pablo Berger)
Tropical Malady (2004, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010, Thailand co-production, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Undertow (2009, Peru co-production, Javier Fuentes-León)
United 93 (2006, USA co-production, Paul Greengrass)
Used Parts (2007, Mexico, Aarón Fernández)
We Own the Night (2007, USA, James Gray)
West of the Tracks (2003, China, Wang Bing)
Whisky (2004, Uruguay, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll)
White Material (2009, France, Claire Denis)
Win/Win (2010, Holland, Jaap van Heusden)
Woman on Fire Looks for Water (2009, Malaysia/South Korea, Woo Ming Jin)
Woman without a Piano (2009, Spain, Javier Rebollo)
You, the Living (2009, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004, USA, Xan Cassavetes)

Top 10 of the decade, 2003-12

1. L’Intrus (2004, France, Claire Denis)

2. Tropical Malady (2004, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

3. Colossal Youth (2006, Portugal, Pedro Costa)

4. West of the Tracks: parts I, II, III (2003, China, Wang Bing)

5. Crimson Gold (2003, Iran, Jafar Panahi)
6. The Strange Case of Angelica (2010, Portugal co-production, Manoel de Oliveira)
7. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)
8. Three Times (2005, France/Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
9. Foster Child (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
10. Los Muertos (2004, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)

Runners-up:

Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005, Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)
Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
Syndromes and a Century (2006, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
My Joy (2010, Ukraine co-production, Sergei Loznitsa)
The Turin Horse (2011, Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)
Climates (2006, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

The comparison of List 1 & List 2 is further proof that it often takes a few years to catch up with all the worthy films from one calendar year. And I am certain the above 278 titles still don't cover everything. I have missed many films over the last decade, including those by Lav Diaz, and need to catch up with a few 2011 & 2012 titles. So the above best of decade could still change in 2014.

Update Log

Entry #1, Feb 13: Less than a few hours after posting this list, I realized that I left out The New World from the above list. So List 2 grew from 178 titles to 179. I am certain the list will grow in upcoming weeks, so I will gradually update this page and modify the top 10 as needed. But for now, the top 10 stays unchanged.
Entry #2, Feb 16: Hard to imagine I left out the wonderful Mexican documentry In the Pit. Also, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly deserves its place. Total titles in List #2 have been modified from 179 to 181.

Best Films of the Last Decade

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:01:00 +0000

I have always refrained from assessing whether a particular year had a good cinematic output mostly because a majority of foreign films were out of reach for me. This meant I was a few years behind in catching all the newest film titles and as a result, many excellent titles missed my end of the year list. For example, past omissions have included personal favorites such as The Strange Case of Angelica, Mysteries of Lisbon, My Joy, West of the Tracks and Pedro Costa’s Colossal Youth. I had a 2 year delay for the first three films and it was almost 4 years before I finally saw the Costa. But ultimately at the end of the day, I can only judge what is available to me. With that in mind, I decided to tally up my top 10 film lists from 2003 - 2012 to determine a personal best cinematic viewing year. I cut down lists from some years which had more than 10 titles, such as 23 films in 2009.

A quick rundown of lists from 2003 - 2012.

Top 10 films of 2003

1. Lost in Translation (USA/Japan, Sofia Coppola)
2. And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen (2002, France/UK, Claude Lelouch)
3. Mr & Mrs Iyer (2002, India, Aparna Sen)
4. Teen Deewarein (India, Nagesh Kukunoor)
5. Adaptation (2002, USA, Spike Jonze)
6. 21 Grams (USA, Alejandro González Iñárritu)
7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)
8. Gangaajal (India, Prakash Jha)
9. Haasil (India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
10. Saathiya (2002, India, Shaad Ali)

Top 10 films of 2004

1. Exiles (France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)
2. Monsieur Ibrahim (2003, France, Francois Dupeyron)
3. Kontroll (2003, Hungary, Nimrod Antal)
4. Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)
5. Carandiru (2003, Brazil co-production, Hector Babenco)
6. Kopps (2003, Sweden/Denmark, Josef Fares)
7. Control Room (USA, Jehane Noujaim)
8. About Baghdad (USA, Sinan Antoon & 4 other directors)
9. Checkpoint (2003, Israel, Yoav Shamir)
10. Before Sunset (USA, Richard Linklater)

Top 10 films of 2005

1. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)
2. Yes (2004, UK/USA, Sally Potter)
3. L’Enfant (Belgium/France, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)
4. Sepet (2004, Malaysia, Yasmin Ahmad)
5. Cache (France co-production, Michael Haneke)
6. Mountain Patrol/Kekexili (2004, China/Hong Kong, Chuan Lu)
7. Head-On (2004, Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin)
8. Brokeback Mountain (USA/Canada, Ang Lee)
9. Good Night, and Good Luck (USA/France/UK/Japan, George Clooney)
10. Turtles Can Fly (2004, Iran/France/Iraq, Bahman Ghobadi)

Top 10 films of 2006

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)
2. Dosar (2006, India, Rituparno Ghosh)
3. El Violín (2005, Mexico, Francisco Vargas Quevedo)
4. Tzameti (2005, France/Georgia, Géla Babluani)
5. The Bet Collector (Philippines, Jeffrey Jeturian)
6. Khosla Ka Ghosla (India, Dibakar Banerjee)
7. The Descent (2005, UK, Neil Marshall)
8. The Lives of Others (Germany, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck)
9. Election 2 (Hong Kong, Johnny To)
10. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)

Top 10 films of 2007

1. Foster Child (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
2. Dans la ville de Sylvia (Spain, José Luis Guerin)
3. Slingshot (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
4. Children of Men (2006, USA/UK, Alfonso Cuarón)
5. Black Friday (2004, India, Anurag Kashyap)
6. The Bourne Ultimatum (USA, Paul Greengrass)
7. Zodiac (USA, David Fincher)
8. Rendition (USA, Gavin Hood)
9. Ratatouille (USA, Brad Bird)
10. Drained (2006, Brazil, Heitor Dhalia)

Top 10 films of 2008

1. Rachel Getting Married (USA, Jonathan Demme)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (UK, Mike Leigh)
3. Wonderful Town (2007, Thailand, Aditya Assarat)
4. The Fall (2006, USA/India, Tarsem)
5. Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (India, Dibakar Banerjee)
6. Gomorra (Italy, Matteo Garrone)
7. Silent Light (2007, Mexico, Carlos Reygadas)
8. Tell No One (2006, France, Guillaume Canet)
9. Rock On (India, Abhishek Kapoor)
10. WALL·E (USA, Andrew Stanton)

Top 10 films of 2009

1. Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008, Iran, Ramtin Lavafipour)
2. Breathless (2008, South Korea, Yang Ik-June)
3. Wendy and Lucy (2008, USA, Kelly Reichardt)
4. Police, Adjective (Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
5. Buick Riviera (Croatia, Goran Rusinovic)
6. Call If You Need Me (Malaysia, James Lee)
7. Karaoke (Malaysia, Chris Chong Chan Fui)
8. Birdsong (2008, Spain, Albert Serra)
9. Everyone Else (Germany, Maren Ade)
10. Milk (2008, Turkey, Semih Kaplanoglu)

Top 10 films of 2010

1. Kill the Referee (2009, Belgium, Y. Hinant/E. Cardot/L. Delphine)
2. Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
3. El Pasante (Argentina, Clara Picasso)
4. The American (USA, Anton Corbijn)
5. R (Denmark, Tobias Lindholm/Michael Noer)
6. Manuel De Ribera (Chile, Pablo Carrera/Christopher Murray)
7. The Robber (Austria/Germany, Benjamin Heisenberg)
8. Carlos (France, Olivier Assayas)
9. Shutter Island (USA, Martin Scorsese)
10. The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (2009, Serbia, Mladen Djordjevic)

Top 10 films of 2011

1. Le Quattro Volte (2010, Italy co-production, Michelangelo Frammartino)
2. Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal)
3. Drive (USA, Nicolas Winding Refn)
4. A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhadi)
5. Dhobi Ghat (India, Kiran Rao)
6. Another Year (2010, UK, Mike Leigh)
7. Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Chile co-production, Patricio Guzmán)
8. Aurora (2010, Romania co-production, Cristi Puiu)
9. The Kid With a Bike (Belgium co-production, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)
10. Melancholia (Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier)

Top 10 films of 2012

1. Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax)
2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
3. This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)
4. The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin)
6. The World Before Her (2012, Canada, Nisha Pahuja)
7. Found Memories (2011, Brazil co-production, Lucia Murat)
8. The Bright Day (2012, India, Mohit Takalkar)
9. Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)
10. Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler)

Best overall year

All the years contain many strong films but 2009 has the best overall selection with 10 outstanding entries. On top of that, there are 13 other worthy selections in 2009 that would have made an adequate top 10 substitute.

The Storm (Turkey, Kazim Öz)
Border (Armenia/Holland, Harutyun Khachatryan)
In the Loop (UK, Armando Iannucci)
The Limits of Control (USA, Jim Jarmusch)
Zidane (France, Douglas Gordon/Philippe Parreno)
Ain’t No Tomorrows (Japan, Yuki Tanada)
The Happiest Girl in the World (Romania co-production, Radu Jude)
The Hurt Locker (USA, Kathryn Bigelow)
The Class (France, Laurent Cantet)
District 9 (South Africa/New Zealand, Neill Blomkamp)
Katalin Varga (Romania co-production, Peter Strickland)
I Killed My Mother (Canada, Xavier Dolan)
The Prophet (France, Jacques Audiard)

2010 and 2011 are the next two best years with the highest number of personal favourites.

Top 10 from 100 films

In order to pick 10 titles from these quality 100 films, I ignored the previous year’s ranking and threw all 100 films into one big pot so that all entries were on equal footing. Even though the final list consists of films from 10 different directors and 9 countries, all the films either feature a journey or are shot in a verite style.

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is called a dark comedy but it is entirely possible to view it as a bloodless horror film where the audience is given a front row seat in witnessing the slow disintegration of the title character. Even though Mr. Lazarescu is slowly edging towards his death, no one around him seems to notice because they are all weighed down by a bureaucratic system and can’t look up to see the obvious.

2. Foster Child (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)

In 2007, Brillante Mendoza pulled off a unique feat by making two powerful films, Slingshot and Foster Child, in the same year. The two works share many production similarities as both are shot in roughly the same amount of time (10 and 11 days respectively) in locations next to each other and utilize a verite style where actors are integrated with the slum residents to create a unique mixture of fiction and reality. However, the two film differ by their focus on the resident’s lives. Slingshot looks at how corruption and politics mixes with poverty while Foster Child looks at foster care in Philippines and individuals who adopt children and look after them. Foster Child smartly balances both the macro and microscopic view by depicting the larger hierarchal structure of adoption and the tender individual relationships that form between the children and those that care for them. As a result, the film is heart-wrenching and leaves a lasting emotional impact.

3. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005, Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)

Johann is a traveling salesman who cleverly uses cinema to sell aspirin. As engaging as his encounters are, what elevates this work is the director’s decision to overexpose the film negative. This gives each frame a yellowish tint which perfectly conveys the heat and brutality of the almost endless Brazilian landscape. The overexposed film shatters the fourth wall and ensures the audience gets a sense of Johann’s struggles thereby making them a passenger on his journey. The film also smartly shows how people’s idea of freedom varies and what makes one person happy can be torture for another.

4. Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)

Farrel, a lonely man, leaves a ship’s confined space and heads off into the vast open land in order to seek closure from his past. Alonso’s flexible camera film allows one to breathe in the environment and take in all the sights and sounds while observing the weight drop from Farrel’s shoulders as he makes his way through snow covered paths to his goal.

5. Exiles (2004, France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)

Exiles follows two characters who leave Paris and head to Algeria to find their roots. Since this is a Tony Gatlif movie, flamenco musical sequences are present but this time a touch of Rai music is added to the mix. The music, which consists of a hypnotic 11 minute trance segment near the finale, heightens the emotions thereby ensuring an immersive work.

6. Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)

A beautiful soulful film that explores the philosophical question "How do you prevent a drop of water from drying up?". A Buddhist monk renounces his religious life for the worldly pleasures of sex and love. But despite getting married, he begins to realize that satisfying one desire always leads to more desires. The movie highlights his spiritual journey but more importantly, it tackles the spiritual question from a woman's point of view as well. It is always men who are willing to get up and leave for the mountains. But what about the women they leave behind? Did anyone ask what happened to Buddha's wife?

7. Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008, Iran, Ramtin Lavafipour)

This stunning poetic film opens with fast boats landing on a beach, followed immediately by burqa covered women hurriedly unloading goods off the boats and disappearing into mud houses. The contents of those bags are revealed later on in the film but both the contents and act of smuggling are minor details. The most important aspect of this film is observing the way of life on a tiny beautiful island in the Persian Gulf. If the character’s didn’t speak Farsi, then one would imagine the fishing village setting was Yemen or North Africa . But the film is Iranian and shows a rarely seen side of the Persian country.

8. Holy Motors (2012, France, Leos Carax)

Leos Carax creatively captures the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while paying homage to key genres throughout.

9. Dans la ville de Sylvia (2007, Spain, José Luis Guerin)

Guerin beautifully strips cinema down to its bare essence capturing every sound found in a vibrant European city, right down to a bottle rolling down a cobblestone street, in following a man's return to the city where he met the lovely Sylvia 6 years ago. It is clear that the man is haunted by memories of Sylvia and seems to encounter her ghost in every female he crosses.

10. Breathless (2008, South Korea, Yang Ik-June)

Breathless draws a direct line from domestic abuse to a gangster life. In doing so, the film clearly depicts the dangers of a violent life, both in a household or in a gang, and demonstrates that there is a consequence to every violent action even if sometimes that consequence takes two generations to manifest itself. Yang Ik-June’s debut film is a rare film that has a purpose for every brutal violent scene and as a result film makes a strong case for leading an anti-violent life.

Children of Men and Once Upon a Time in Anatoalia were very close to making the top 10 and are worthy runners-up.

Countries represented

There are 30 countries represented but 3 nations make up 43% of all films, with USA having 21 films, India with 14 and France 8. Here is the list of nations arranged by inclusions:

USA: 21
India: 14
France: 8

Brazil, Germany, Iran, UK: 4

Argentina, Belgium, Malaysia, Philippines, Romania, South Korea: 3

Chile, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Turkey: 2

Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Serbia, Sweden, Thailand: 1

Note: in the case of co-productions, the primary country is selected.

Film distribution breakdown of all 100 films

Total number of films seen due to film festivals: 53
Multiplexes: 20
DVDs: 18
Arthouses/indie cinemas: 8
online streaming: 1

The high percentage of titles from USA, India and France is not surprizing as these three countries have a prolific film industry and an established distribution scheme which ensures their works are easily available around the world. This is especially true in Canada where American, Indian and French films are quite accessible via cinemas and DVD/online streams. In fact, for a better part of the last decade, French films were more easily available than Canadian films which were mostly found only at film festivals.

However, the difficulty of seeing films from other countries becomes an issue if film festivals are taken out of the equation. For example, all three Filipino titles came from attending VIFF for two years. So now that I am not attending VIFF, my access to quality Filipino titles has declined drastically. Another decline has come from the closure of a local indie DVD store that specialized in carrying classic and contemporary Asian films of all genres. Therefore, many titles from Hong Kong, China, Japan and South Korea have fallen completely out of my regular viewing schedule. Plus, the shutdown of some mail rental stores such as Videomatica in Vancouver has also hurt in getting access to foreign films. The online film streaming sites in Canada do not have a fraction of the collection that worthy arthouse/indie DVD stores carried previously.

It seems that every year I am forced to repeat similar words about the difficulty of seeing global cinema but the truth is the foreign film distribution model in North America is broken, unless one lives in New York. Foreign film distribution is similarly in bad shape around the world but no such distribution problems exist for substandard Hollywood productions which are available in every part of the world.

A few other observations

2012 is the only year when all 10 films came from 10 different countries.
2003 contains the lowest number of countries represented with 4.
2009: 9 of the 10 films were made available due to film festivals.

Best Films of 2003

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 03:57:00 +0000

Another end of the year list put together from scribbled notes written a decade ago. A quick glance at my 2003 viewing notes confirmed that I once used to have much better options to view foreign films locally through the different arthouse cinemas and a selection of independent DVD stores. For example, I could always catch the newest Johnny To film a few months after its release unlike waiting 1-2 years now. Still despite a rich selection of films to choose from in 2003, I managed to miss many high profile releases which would have altered this end of the year list. Films such as Mystic River (likely to take #1 spot), The Barbarian Invasions, Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan), The Son (Dardenne brothers), Dogville, Kill Bill vol.1 and Oldboy would have featured prominently in this list.

Top 10 films of 2003

1. Lost in Translation (USA/Japan, Sofia Coppola)

2. And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen (2002, France/UK, Claude Lelouch)

Patricia Kaas’s soothing vocals coupled with the Moroccan visuals made this a very seductive cinematic experience. On top of that, And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen has one of the best film soundtracks solely due to Kaas’ jazzy notes.

3. Mr & Mrs. Iyer (2002, India, Aparna Sen)

Aparna Sen smartly uses a bus to highlight the cultural diversity of India and show how simple differences can constantly divide the nation or can sometimes bring people together. Konkana Sen Sharma, Aparna Sen’s daughter, steals the show with one of the most memorable acting performances seen in Indian cinema over the last decade.

4. Teen Deewarein (India, Nagesh Kukunoor)

Despite the prison setting and a murder case, Teen Deewarein has a peaceful flow and is packed with poetic words. At first, the three completely different characters appear to have nothing in common but a few clues tucked along the way create enough doubt and ensure that the ending does not appear as a complete surprize.

5. Adaptation (2002, USA, Spike Jonze)

6. 21 Grams (USA, Alejandro González Iñárritu)

7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)

8. Gangaajal (India, Prakash Jha)

A simmering film set in India’s political hotbed of Bihar against the background of corruption. After being constantly frustrated at seeing their hard-work go down the drain, the local police force take matters into their own hands and dish out their own holy justice.

9. Haasil (India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)

Tigmanshu Dhulia makes an impressive feature film debut with a thoughtful work that shows how the grassroots of political battles is lit early in the college years.

10. Saathiya (2002, India, Shaad Ali)

Top 10 Canadian Films of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 05:04:00 +0000

2012 was a really good year in Canadian cinema as demonstrated by the titles below but also by a few that narrowly failed to make the list such as Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle (War Witch). Any other year, Rebelle would have been in this list. Also, there are quite a few attention worthy films that I missed seeing last year such as Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways, Peter Mettler’s The End of Time & Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell.

Top 10 Canadian Films of 2012

1) The World Before Her (Nisha Pahuja)

An absolutely juicy debut film that one can sink their teeth into. Antiviral looks at a not too distance future where society’s obsession with celebrity culture results in people lining up to buy meat grown from celebrity cells and happily injecting themselves with a celebrity’s virus. Given current addiction to anything celebrity related, such a scenario is not entirely unbelievable so full credit to Brandon Cronenberg for extrapolating the present in such a thoughtful film.

9) Mars et Avril (Martin Villeneuve)

Martin Villeneuve adapted his own graphic novel for the poetic and meditative Mars et Avril. The film is a labor of love and demonstrates that beautiful visuals can be made on a tight budget and a sci-fi film can be made without any horror or mindless action scenes.

10) Bestiaire (Denis Côté)

At first, this Denis Cote documentary looks like a peaceful observation of animals in a zoo. However, that perception is quickly shattered when the first agonizing sounds of animals wanting to break free from their cages are heard. The camera angles also emphasize the struggles most animals have in coping with a harsh winter which restricts their roaming space. Once summer arrives, Cote smartly frames his camera to give the appearance that it is the humans who are in cages and are observed by the animals. This shift of just who is the real observer coupled with the indoor winter shots raise plenty of burning points about caging of animals.

Interestingly, Antiviral & Mars et Avril also extended the cinematic family tree of two famous Canadian names. Brandon is David Cronenberg’s son while Martin is Denis Villeneuve’s brother. However, it is good to see that both Brandon and Martin have successfully made their own mark with their debut feature films.

Best Films of 2004

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 03:54:00 +0000

I started publishing my end of the year list from 2005 onwards but I compiled a list for 2004, which I am now putting up in order to gather some stats.

Top 10 films of 2004

1) Exiles (France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)

An emotional journey packed with mesmerizing music including an 11 minute trance segment near the end. The story involves two characters who leave Paris and head to Algeria to find their roots. Their journey consists of heading through Spain and finally sneaking into Algeria as the Algerian border is closed. Since this is a Tony Gatlif movie, flamenco musical sequences are present but this time a touch of Rai music is added to the mix.

2) Monsieur Ibrahim (2003, France, Francois Dupeyron)

It is refreshing to see Omar Sharif (who plays a Turkish shop owner) given a charming role which he plays to perfection. But the real gem of this movie is the young actor, Pierre Boulanger, who gives a virtuoso performance as the 14 year old Momo. Boulanger’s expressions are priceless, feisty when they have to be and innocent when needed.

3) Kontroll (2003, Hungary, Nimrod Antal)

The movie follows the lives of the underground subway metro staff on their daily routines which involves dealing with insanity, inner turmoils, strange passengers and playing male power games. The first half is hilarious but the second half explores shades of darkness lurking beneath the surface.

4) Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)

A beautiful soulful film that explores the philosophical question 'How do you prevent a drop of water from drying up?'. A Buddhist monk renounces his religious life for the worldly pleasures of sex and love. But despite getting married, he begins to realize that satisfying one desire always leads to more desires. The movie highlights his journey but more importantly, it tackles the spiritual question from a woman's point of view as well. It is always men who are willing to get up and leave for the mountains. But what about the women they leave behind? Did anyone ask what happened to Buddha's wife?

5) Carandiru (2003, Brazil co-production, Hector Babenco)

A ruthless film based on a real life incident in a Brazilian prison where riot squad massacred unarmed prisoners for purely political reasons. The movie is divided into two segments with majority of the first segment looking at the prisoners and their lives from the point of view of the prison doctor. The second segment outlines the prison massacre.

6) Kopps (2003, Sweden/Denmark, Josef Fares)

A small peaceful Swedish town is about to have its only police station shut down due to lack of crime. Faced with the prospect of losing their jobs, the local Kopps decide to boost the crime rate themselves. A hilarious film with memorable characters.

7) Control Room (USA, Jehane Noujaim)

This eye-opening documentary shows that despite all the negative media coverage, Al Jazeera might be the only remaining democratic media outlet on the planet which has tried to show stories objectively. In doing so, it has drawn criticism both from the Arab and Western world. A channel that manages to get all sides upset at the same time must be doing something right.

8) About Baghdad (USA, Sinan Antoon & 4 other directors)

A rare film that gives Iraqi people a true voice. Sinan Antoon left Iraq after the first Gulf war and returned in 2003 to see what was left of his country. He wanders the streets of Baghdad and captures the feelings and thoughts of everyday people, taxi drivers, café owners, students, writers, poets, artists, librarians, tortured victims, government employees, etc. Along with Control Room, one of the most relevant docs of the year.

9) Checkpoint (2003, Israel, Yoav Shamir)

This must-see Israeli documentary looks at the everyday drama that takes place at some of checkpoints between Palestinian and Israeli zones. Shamir simply places his camera on the side and watches the activities objectively. What at first seems like a dark satire is the harsh everyday reality for these people.

10) Before Sunset (USA, Richard Linklater)

Before Sunset starts off 9 years after Before Sunrise and catches up with Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy’s memorable characters. Like the first film, Delpy’s character is far more interesting and some of the camera work that follows her is a delight.

Honorable Mentions roughly in order of preference

Nathalie (2003, France/Spain, Anne Fontaine)

The Passion of the Christ (USA, Mel Gibson)

Memories of Murder (2003, South Korea, Joon-ho Bong)

Primer (2004, USA, Shane Carruth)

Kill Bill Volume 2 (USA, Quentin Tarantino)

Saw (USA, James Wan)

Close Your Eyes (2002, UK,Nick Willing)

Best Films of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:47:00 +0000

It goes without saying that an end of the year list depends on access to quality films from around the world. And my access to those quality global titles is getting harder each year with closure of arthouse/independent cinemas thereby delaying seeing foreign films in a timely manner. For example, only 4 of the 25 films (16%) listed below had a theatrical run of one week or more. The rest only played once or twice via a film festival/cinematheque screening. Since all film festivals don’t have access to the same films, that forces a wait of 1-2 years to see certain foreign titles. That is why this list, like all previous years, contains older titles.

Top 10 Films

1. Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax)

Leos Carax creatively captures the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while paying homage to key genres throughout. Pure Cinema!

2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

A stylistic film that is packed with dry wit while depicting characters in the hunt for a murdered body over the course of a night. Also, the best shot film of the year which manages to use light and shadows to great effect. For example, the scene where the mayor’s daughter makes an appearance is pure cinematic bliss.

3. This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)

The film shows that in the hands of a talented filmmaker even a tiny confined space can be a liberating cinematic experience. The final moments capture those magical moments that Werner Herzog has claimed happen only when the camera is left recording just a little bit longer.

4. The Master (USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)

5. Gone Fishing (Argentina, Carlos Sorin)

A charming and relaxed film that contains plenty of contemplative moments in following a father’s (Marco played by Alejandro Awada) attempts to patch-up with his daughter. Such a story could have gotten a serious treatment in the hands of another director but Sorin smartly uses the visuals and pleasant score (composed by his son) to release any tension before it forms on the screen. When things are about to get serious Sorin ensures that the audience gets a nice reprieve either with a moment of humor or breathtaking beauty.

6. The World Before Her (Canada, Nisha Pahuja)

A perfectly balanced and insightful film that examines two very different camps of thought in India. The two camps, beauty pageants vs fundamentalism, contain the essence of issues that are dividing and ruining India. Given the recent brutal crime in Delhi, The World Before Her is one of the year’s most relevant films which should kick-start a debate about improving women’s rights in India.

7. Found Memories (2011, Brazil co-production, Lucia Murat)

A mesmerizing film that deceptively appears as a contemplative piece but contains another layer beneath the surface. The ending, which puts a completely different spin on the overall film perception, haunts long in the memory because it forces one to rethink the lives of the residents and why they have continued to stay in a place cut-off from the rest of the world. One could easily classify this as an artful horror film!

8. The Bright Day (India, Mohit Takalkar)

Mohit Takalkar makes his cinematic debut with a beautiful, poetic and hypnotic film. The visuals are striking as is the use of background music to enhance the film’s mythical tale. Plus, there are some smart touches such as using the same actor (Mohan Agashe) to play different characters that highlights how the main character Shiv perceives people around him.

9. Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)

This smart Greek film shows how two cops’ efforts to save an innocent person leads to murder thereby forcing them to cover their tracks. Each frame is packed with absurd comedic moments which are slowly revealed as the camera movements act like a drawn out punch line. The film’s comedic style is reminiscent of Aki Kaurismäki, Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective) and the recent wave of Greek films directed by Giorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, Alps) & Athina Rachel Tsangari’s (Attenberg).

10. Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler)

15 Honorable Mentions roughly in order of preference:

Teddy Bear (Denmark, Mads Matthiesen)

An award winning body builder who not only lives with his mother but is afraid of her. Despite his hulk like appearance, he has no luck with love. So he decides to fly to Thailand to find a bride. This setup brings plenty of humor and credit to the director to allow events to flow naturally without any extra drama.

The Queen of Versailles (USA co-production, Lauren Greenfield)

Even though Lauren Greenfield’s documentary looks at a single American family, the Seigels, the film is a case study of the excess spending that played a part in the American Economic crisis of 2008. The Siegels clearly spent beyond their means but they were not alone in doing so. After 2008, when easy access to money was shut down, the previously wealthy Siegels suffered the same fate as the average American of having to cut back and making drastic changes in their lives. Essential viewing!

Polisse (2011, France, Maïwenn)

An unflinching look at a French police division dealing with children and juvenile crime cases. The verite style heightens the tension and shows that even the police officers dealing with the cases are not immune to losing control.

Reality (Italy, Matteo Garrone)

A devastating case study of a man who is so blinded by his quest for fame that he starts to lose grip on reality and starts to throw his life away.

Killing Them Softly (USA, Andrew Dominik)

Andrew Dominik makes a very good decision to adapt George V. Higgins’ 1974 novel Cogan's Trade to the 2008 American economic crisis. The original book is devoid of any political or economic elements but the film depicts the effects of financial strain on the characters in every frame. The opening shots of abandoned houses plus the non-stop sound bites of presidential debates highlight that even assassins and mobsters are feeling financial pressure in cutting back. The grayish look of the film also emphasizes the constant gloom that envelopes all the characters. As good as the film is, two stylistic scenes don’t mesh with the rest of the film’s look. The slow-motion car killing and the drug trip may look good on their own but they have no place in an otherwise tightly constructed film.

Arcadia (USA, Olivia Silver)

A wonderful American film about a father’s road trip with his children to their new home. The strong start sets the tone of the father’s parental methods early on, which makes for a fascinating viewing. John Hawkes puts in a strong performance but the young actors also shine brightly and evoke tender emotions. This film is another one of those that belongs to the Neo-Realist American cinema category which depict genuine stories with a fly on the wall perspective.

Take This Waltz (2011, Canada, Sarah Polley)

Perfectly etched characters depicted in a beautiful fluid manner. Plus, Leonard Cohen's title song elevates the film emotionally.

I’m not a Rockstar (Canada, Bobbi Jo Hart)

Bobbi Jo Hart has edited over 4 years of footage to craft a documentary about the struggles and journey of a young girl, Marika Bournaki, to become a pianist. There are few scenes which show Marika’s natural talent but for the most part, the film shows her relationship with her father and the sacrifices the father makes for her success. This focus on father-daughter is why the film works so well as we get to know both of them better and even listen to things that we should not have access to. The subject matter applies to all arts in general and highlights pitfalls that can trip up young artists.

The Dynamiter (2011, USA, Matthew Gordon)

A visually stunning film that belongs to the same category of New Realist American cinema such as Ballast and Wendy and Lucy, films that show a true slice of American life by focusing on characters completely absent from the big Hollywood productions.

The Student (2011, Argentina, Santiago Mitre)

A razor-sharp political film that examines core issues at the heart of politics: tactics, strategy, managing & manipulating people.

Mallamall (Canada, Lalita Krishna)

A highly relevant Canadian documentary that looks at India's economic rise via the countless malls being constructed there. The film also highlights a Canadian connection crucial in developing these mega stores, something that is hardly ever seen in any newspaper headlines.

Snowtown (2011, Australia, Justin Kurzel)

A chilling work that shows how evil can slowly build up until it explodes with horrific consequences. Based on a true life crime, this Australian film shares some aspects of family & crime shown in 2010’s Animal Kingdom but Snowtown is far darker.

The Color Wheel (2011, USA, Alex Ross Perry)

Alex Ross Perry and Carlen Altman’s vibrant script ensures that The Color Wheel stands apart from other American independent films by including dialogues and jibes that have a purpose in illustrating the character’s insecurities and personalities.

Heleno (2011, Brazil, José Henrique Fonseca)

Jose Henrique Fonseca has created a devastating portrayal that perfectly depicts the self-destructive habits that led to the Brazilian soccer player Heleno de Freitas' decline. At times, it is painful to watch Heleno throw everything away but given his personality, his fall from grace seems inevitable. The music and black and white visuals nicely evoke the 1940’s-50’s and enhance the mood of the film.

Lowlife (Canada, Seth Smith)

And now for something completely different. This unique film follows two characters who get high on slugs. Their repeated usage of slugs blurs the line between reality and their slug induced nightmares. The drug visions are shown in black and white while reality is shown in color but as the film progresses that changes, especially with a jaw dropping ending.

Best Performances & Cinematography of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:19:00 +0000

There have been many worthy films in 2012 but also many more fine performances and great visuals. So I created a separate entry just to highlight actors & cinematographers prior to publishing a best of 2012 film list.

Lead performances (both male & female)

Denis Lavant in Holy Motors

Denis Lavant is the perfect vehicle for allowing Leos Carax to explore various film genres in a unique and mesmerizing manner. Easily the best performance of 2012.

Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master

Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman are an ideal one-two punch that power Paul Thomas Anderson’s devastating film. However, Amy Adams holds the Master’s power (literally) in her hand and in a quiet manner manages to shine through.

Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour

Riva and Trintignant put in gut-wrenching and emotional performances as their characters deteriorate in a confined space.

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

Safe to say Daniel Day-Lewis IS Lincoln, not an actor playing the part. But then again, one expects nothing less from Daniel Day-Lewis who completely takes on the persona of every character he plays. It is still shocking to think that he had once retired from acting altogether.

Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

Waltz is given plenty of juicy dialogues to flesh out his memorable character.

Manoj Bajpai in Gangs of Wasseypur

Manoj Bajpai has performed many worthy roles in his career but he is still best known for portraying the wild Bhiku Mhatre in Satya more than a decade ago. That is why it is refreshing to see him tap into the same energy in Gangs of Wasseypur. The film also highlights that in the hand of the right director, Bajpai is one of the best actors working in the Indian film industry.

Irrfan Khan in Paan Singh Tomar

It is hard to imagine anyone else acting the title role in Paan Singh Tomar other than Irrfan Khan. His relaxed style ensures that his character does not deviate too much in tone when he is happy, angry, sarcastic or just plain innocent.

Nina Hoss in Barbara

Nina Hoss puts in a pitch perfect performance by playing a character required to control her emotions in every instance.

Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe

McConaughey plays slimy variations of a similar character in Killer Joe, Bernie & Magic Mike. But he is truly on the top of his game in Killer Joe where he plays a corrupt cop who oozes evil while delivering precise dialogues.

Aniello Arena in Reality

It is heartbreaking to watch Arena’s character throw his life away in Reality but he has put in performance that has shades of a young Robert De Niro from Scorsese’s The King of Comedy.

Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz

Michelle Williams nicely slips into a character who is easily bored of men and things very quickly. As a result, her character will never be happy in life & Williams’ expressions convey this impending sadness behind every smile.

Matthias Schoenaerts in Rust and Bone, Bullhead
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone

Matthias Schoenaerts plays a different shade of a tough character in Bullhead & Rust and Bone. In Bullhead, Schoenaerts is a physical force of nature but one who has trouble finding love because of a past which has scarred him for life. His character is still physically imposing in Rust and Bone but he has no trouble getting love and can pick up a woman at the drop of a hat. The Dardennes' style used by Jacques Audiard ensures that Schoenaerts and Cotillard’s characters are properly showcased thereby finding beauty in moments of brutality & pain. Also, the visual style is definite proof that Marion Cotillard is gorgeous without any make-up.

Rodrigo Santoro in Heleno

Santoro plays a footballer prone to self-destruction. Just like Reality, it is painful to watch someone throw their live away but Santoro shines in every moment of joy, misery and anger.

Vidya Balan in Kahaani

For the last few years, Balan has outperformed her male co-stars so it was appropriate that she finally got a film where she was the main lead. And she nicely carries Kahaani on her shoulders.

Best Supporting Actor (Male & Female)

Rishi Kapoor in Agneepath

Rishi Kapoor’s ruthless portrayal of Rauf Lala comes as a real surprize given the warm loving characters that Kapoor has played in the past. Yet, Rishi Kapoor is able to extract enough charm from his past characters and transform it into the sinister Rauf Lala who appears to be trustworthy when needed and is ruthless when he wants to eliminate his enemies.

Tigmanshu Dhulia in Gangs of Wasseypur

It was a real surprize when Anurag Kashyap gave director Tigmanshu Dhulia an acting role but the move has paid off incredibly. If one has to see what is wrong with India and its politicians, then one need not look further than Dhulia’s corrupt and manipulative character of Ramadhir Singh.

Gina Gershon in Killer Joe

Gershon puts in a raw performance for a character forced to take the blows, both emotional and physical.

Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained

DiCaprio’s smooth yet wickedly evil plantation owner is a masterful performance.

Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly

The only thing negative about Brad Pitt’s character of Jackie is that he is not given enough screen time.

Carlen Altman in The Color Wheel

Altman’s character of JR delivers a non-stop flurry of dialogues from the get go and is a delight to watch.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Gangs of Wasseypur

Nawazuddin Siddiqui had quite a year by starring in many big named films such as Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani and Talaash. But he gets the meatiest role in Gangs of Wasseypur and he excels in playing a drug addicted gangster thrust into seeking revenge for his family.

Best Cinematography

Gökhan Tiryaki, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Caroline Champetier, Holy Motors
Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master
Rui Poças, Tabu
Julián Apezteguia, Gone Fishing
Amol Gole, The Bright Day
Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roger Deakins, Skyfall
Stéphane Fontaine in Rust and Bone
Lucio Bonelli, Found Memories
Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi

The Master

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 03:49:00 +0000

The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)

"Nothing frightens those in authority so much as criticism. Whether democrats or dictators, they are unable to accept that criticism is the most constructive tool available to any society because it is the best way to prevent error. The weakness of rationally based power can be seen in the way it views criticism as an even more negative force than a medieval king might have done. After all, even the fool has been banished from the castles of modern power. What is it which so frightens these elites?"-- Voltaire’s Bastards by John Ralston Saul.

The above words from John Ralston Saul came to my mind when viewing a scene in The Master when Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets quite upset when someone questions his methods. Dodd starts attacking the questioner even though the person raised a question in order to have a rational debate. However, it is clear that any form of questioning of Dodd’s methods will be met with such hostility. In fact, Dodd appears as a person who would not entertain any rational analysis of his work. He wants everyone to follow his words as gospel, which is why he surrounds himself with those who blindly follow his words/writing. The only exception to this blind follower rule is Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) who does not believe in Dodd’s methods. But Freddie is fiercely loyal to Dodd and acts like a bodyguard willing to rough up anyone who troubles Dodd. As useful as his muscle is, Dodd keeps Freddie around for his alcoholic creations.

Paul Thomas Anderson brilliantly reveals that Dodd is a fake who makes up things as he goes along. In order to come up with new ideas and visions, Dodd needs alcohol. As it turns out, the only thing that Freddie can maintain focus for is mixing alcohol. Otherwise, Freddie is constantly haunted by sexual desires which prevent him from maintaining any form of focus. So Freddie's strange brews help in soothing Dodd. In return, Dodd is willing to liberate Freddie’s soul by training him in his methods. The two share a master-pupil relationship but even though Lancaster Dodd is shown be the master, it turns out his control is an illusion. One example of a scene where this illusion is shattered takes place when Dodd needs his wife Peggy’s (Amy Adams) assistance to masturbate. As Peddy holds Dodd’s member in her hand, it is clear that she exerts a lot more power than previously shown in the film.

In debunking Lancaster Dodd’s methods, The Master shares some sentiments with Todd Haynes’ Safe which also shows a fake teacher willing to profit from others. While Safe is a bit subtle in exposing a fraud, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is far more savage and does not leave any doubts as to Dodd’s identity. In exposing Dodd, The Master is also a devastating case study of how some people could easily be manipulated by impressive speakers. In this regard, The Master is a film whose message is much more universal and not grounded to just a single religion or ideology. The core message about manipulating people could easily be applied to political parties who try to seduce voters by telling them what they want to hear.

Film Log: 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 00:29:00 +0000

I expected a slow down in film viewing this year and was certain I would finally drop below 300 films per year. It turns out that I ended up with 340 films for 2012, which is just one more than my previous lowest total of 339 in the last 6 years. Still, 340 films is too much. Although, I expect things to dip in coming years as more theaters close down and my choices are even more limited. Still, it was a good year of cinematic viewing.

Total number of features (fiction and docs) seen: 340

The above total includes about a dozen features that won't be released until 2013. Those 2013 titles are removed from the list below.

Film (Year, Country, Director): [optional rating out of 10]

The Hero (2004, Angola/France/Portugal, Zézé Gamboa): 7
Le Grand Voyage (2004, Morocco co-production, Ismaël Ferroukhi): 7.5
Kalyug (1982, India, Shyam Benegal): 10
Breakaway (2011, Canada/India, Robert Lieberman)
L’Appolinde (2011, France, Bertrand Bonello): 9
Rocket Singh (2009, India, Shimit Amin): 9
The Devil’s Double (2011, Belgium/Holland, Lee Tamahori)
The Strange Case of Angelica (2010, Portugal co-production, Manoel de Oliveira): 10
Dreams of Dust (2008, Burkina Faso/France/Canada, Laurent Salgues)
Jackie Brown (1997, USA, Quentin Tarantino)
Winter in Wartime (2008, Holland/Belgium, Martin Koolhoven)
Junoon (1979, India, Shyam Benegal)
Storm (2009, Germany co-production, Hans-Christian Schmid)
Terribly Happy (2008, Denmark, Henrik Ruben Genz)
Mammoth (2009, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, Lukas Moodysson)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nuri Bilge Ceylan): 10
Redbelt (2008, USA, David Mamet): 8.5
Green Street Hooligans (2005, USA/UK, Lexi Alexander)
The Guard (2011, Ireland, John Michael McDonagh)
Silent Souls (2010, Russia, Aleksei Fedorchenko): 9
Miss Bala (2011, Mexico, Gerardo Naranjo): 8.5
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo (2011, USA/Sweden/Norway, David Fincher)
The Future (2011, USA/Germany, Miranda July): 4

Helvetica (2007, UK, Gary Hustwit)
Madame Brouette (2002, Senegal co-production, Moussa Sene Absa)
Take Shelter (2011, USA, Jeff Nichols)
American Psycho (2000, USA, Mary Harron)
Objectified (2009, USA, Gary Hustwit)
Adanggaman (2000, Ivory Coast co-production, Roger Gnoan M'Bala)
The Blacks (2009, Croatia, Goran Devic/Zvonimir Juric)
Agneepath (2012, India, Karan Malhotra): 8.5
Gambler (2006, Denmark, Phie Ambo)
Mysteries of Lisbon (2010, Portugal/France, Raoul Ruiz): 9
The Salt of Life (2011, Italy, Gianni Di Gregorio): 8.5
Husbands (1970, USA, John Cassavetes): 9
Badmaash Company (2010, India, Parmeet Sethi): 6
Kisses (2008, Ireland, Lance Daly): 8
The Gods Must be Crazy II (1989, Botswana/South Africa/USA, Jamie Uys)
Den Muso (1975, Mali, Souleymane Cissé)
The Mill and the Cross (2011, Poland/Sweden, Lech Majewski): 8.5
A Fistful of Dollars (1964, Italy co-production, Sergio Leone): 9
Life in a Day (2011, USA/UK, multiple)

In Time (2011, USA, Andrew Niccol): 7.5
Mildred Pierce (2011, USA, Todd Haynes): 9.5
Puss in Boots (2011, USA, Chris Miller)
Ratatouille (2007, USA, Brad Bird/Jan Pinkava): 9
Karen Cries on a Bus (2011, Colombia, Gabriel Rojas Vera): 6
The Man From the Future (2011, Brazil, Cláudio Torres)
Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (2011, India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
The Tree (2010, Australia co-production, Julie Bertuccelli)
Everlasting Moments (2008, Sweden co-production, Jan Troell)
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (2009, China/Hong Kong, Yimou Zhang)
Polisse (2011, France, Maïwenn): 9
High Tension (2003, France, Alexandre Aja)
Le Havre (2011, Finland co-production, Aki Kaurismäki): 7
The Pink Panther 2 (2009, USA, Harald Zwart)
Life and Living it (2008, Ghana, Shirley Frimpong Manso)
Khorma (2002, Tunisia co-production, Jilani Saadi)
These Amazing Shadows (2011, USA, Paul Mariano/Kurt Norton)
Cafe de Flore (2011, Canada/France, Jean-Marc Vallée): 8.5
Snow & Ashes (2010, Canada, Charles-Olivier Michaud): 7.5
Kahaani (2012, India, Sujoy Ghosh): 8
Manhunter (1986, USA, Michael Mann)
Rapt (2009, France/Belgium, Lucas Belvaux)
The Message (1977, co-production, Moustapha Akkad)
Crank (2006, USA, Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor)
Crank 2 (2009, USA, Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor)
Parking (2008, Taiwan, Mong-Hong Chung)
Manila (2009, Philippines, Raya Martin/Adolf Alix, Jr.)
In Darkness (2011, Poland/Germany/Canada, Agnieszka Holland)
I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You (2009, Brazil, Karim Ainouz/Marcelo Gomes)

This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)
Detachment (2011, USA, Tony Kaye)
Devil’s Town (2009, Serbia, Vladimir Paskaljevic)
The Lorax (2012, USA, Chris Renaud/Kyle Balda)
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943, USA, William A. Wellman): 10
Agent Vinod (2012, India, Sriram Raghavan): 8
Eyes without a Face (1960, France/Italy, Georges Franju)
Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy (2011, UK co-production, Tomas Alfredson): 9
A Dog’s Day (2001, India, Murali Nair)
Rockstar (2011, India, Imtiaz Ali)
Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012, India, Shakun Batra)
Starbuck (2011, Canada, Ken Scott): 7.5
God Bless America (2012, USA, Bobcat Goldthwait)
Klovn (2010, Denmark, Mikkel Nørgaard): 8
The Rum Diary (2011, USA, Bruce Robinson): 6.5
Turn me on, Dammit (2011, Norway, Jannicke Systad Jacobsen): 8
Immortals (2011, USA, Tarsem Singh): 7.5
The Color Wheel (2011, USA, Alex Ross Perry): 8.5
Inbred (2011, UK/Germany, Alex Chandon)
Snowtown (2011, Australia, Justin Kurzel)
Monsieur Lazhar (2011, Canada, Philippe Falardeau): 8
Shame (2011, UK, Steve McQueen)
The Last Circus (2010, Spain/France, Álex de la Iglesia)
Applause (2009, Denmark, Martin Zandvliet)
They Came to Rob Las Vegas (1968, Spain co-production, Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi)
My Joy (2010, Ukraine co-production, Sergei Loznitsa)
How I Ended This Summer (2010, Russia, Aleksey Popogrebskiy)

Warrior (2011, USA, Gavin O'Connor)
The Whistleblower (2010, Canada co-production, Larysa Kondracki)
38 Witnesses (2012, France, Lucas Belvaux)
Come As You Are (2011, Belgium, Geoffrey Enthoven)
Coming Home (2012, France, Frédéric Videau)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011, USA/UAE/Czech Republic, Brad Bird): 4
Play (2011, Sweden co-production, Ruben Östlund)
Some Like It Hot (1959, USA, Billy Wilder)
The Apartment (1960, USA, Billy Wilder)
Calcutta Mail (2003, India, Sudhir Mishra)
Bliss (2012, Germany, Doris Dörrie)
Skylab (2011, France, Julie Delpy)
Bullhead (2011, Belgium, Michael R. Roskam)
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967, USA/UK, Roman Polanski)
The Double Steps (2011, Spain, Isaki Lacuesta)
Freaky Deaky (2012, USA, Charles Matthau)
Terreferma (2011, Italy/France, Emanuele Crialese)
My Father and the Man in Black (2012, Canada, Jonathan Holiff)
Mallamall (2012, Canada, Lalita Krishna)
Found Memories (2011, Brazil/Argentina/France, Lucia Murat)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, UK, Robert Hamer)
Bringing up Baby (1938, USA, Howard Hawks)
Teddy Bear (2012, Denmark, Mads Matthiesen)
Off-White Lies (2011, Israel/France, Maya Kenig)
Meherjaan (2011, Bangladesh, Rubaiyat Hossain)
Bestiaire (2012, Canada/France, Denis Côté)
The General (1926, USA, Clyde Bruckman/Buster Keaton)
Trafic (1971, France/Italy, Jacques Tati): 10
This is Spinal Tap (1984, USA, Rob Reiner)
Trouble in Paradise (1932, USA, Ernst Lubitsch)
The Man in the White Suit (1951, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
Annie Hall (1977, USA, Woody Allen)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
Madagascar 3 (2012, USA, Eric Darnell/Tom McGrath/Conrad Vernon)
Arsenic and the Old Lace (1944, USA, Frank Capra)
The Lady Eve (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
Jaane Bhi do Yaaro (1983, USA, Kundan Shah)
Chhoti Si Baat (1975, India, Basu Chatterjee)
Blazing Saddles (1974, USA, Mel Brooks)
The King of Comedy (1983, USA, Martin Scorsese)
Being There (1979, USA, Hal Ashby)
The Great Dictator (1940, USA, Charles Chaplin)
The Thin Man (1934, USA, W.S. Van Dyke)
Gol Maal (1979, India, Hrishikesh Mukherjee)
Angoor (1982, India, Gulzar)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, UK, Charles Crichton)
The Captain’s Paradise (1953, UK, Anthony Kimmins)
The Ladykillers (1955, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
Duck Soup (1933, USA, Leo McCarey)
Dollhouse (2012, Ireland, Kirsten Sheridan)
I Am Not a Rockstar (2012, Canada co-production, Bobbi Jo Hart)
First Position (2011, USA, Bess Kargman)
Sons of Norway (2011, Norway co-production, Jens Lien)
California Solo (2012, USA, Marshall Lewy)
The Circus (1928, USA, Charles Chaplin)
Juan of the Dead (2011, Spain/Cuba, Alejandro Brugués)
Paris Under Watch (2012, France, Cédric Jimenez/Arnaud Duprey)
Happy Family (2010, Italy, Gabriele Salvatores)
Scialla! (2011, Italy, Francesco Bruni)
La kryptonite nella borsa (2011, Italy, Ivan Cotroneo)
The Dynamiter (2011, USA, Matthew Gordon)
The Bottle in the Gaza Sea (2011, France co-production, Thierry Binisti)

For a Few Dollars More (1965, Italy co-production, Sergio Leone)
Ferrari ki Sawaari (2012, India, Rajesh Mapuskar)
I Wish (2011, Japan, Hirokazu Koreeda)
A Bullet for the General (1966, Italy, Damiano Damiani)
The Great Silence (1968, Italy/France, Sergio Corbucci)
Teri Meri Kahaani (2012, India, Kunal Kohli)
Sabata (1969, Italy, Gianfranco Parolini)
Keoma (1976, Italy, Enzo G. Castellari)
Django (1966, Italy/Spain, Sergio Corbucci)
Shanghai (2012, India, Dibakar Banerjee)
Paan Singh Tomar (2012, India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
The Bright Day (2012, India, Mohit Takalkar)
Lowlife (2012, Canada, Seth Smith)
Zombie (1979, Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Four of the Apocalpse (1975, Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Contraband (1980, Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Contraband (2012, USA/UK/France, Baltasar Kormákur)
Tabu (2012, Portugal co-production, Miguel Gomes)
Barbara (2012, Germany, Christian Petzold)
Generation P (2011, Russia/USA, Victor Ginzburg)

Duck, You Sucker (1971, Italy, Sergio Leone)
Ice Age 4 (2012, USA, Steve Martino/Mike Thurmeier)
Man from Nowhere/Arizona Colt (1966, Italy/France, Michele Lupo)
White Zombie (1932, USA, Victor Halperin)
Revolt of the Zombies (1936, USA, Victor Halperin)
Pablo (2012, USA, Richard Goldgewicht)
Arcadia (2012, USA, Olivia Silver)
Night of the Living Dead (1968, USA, George A. Romero)
Dawn of the Dead (1978, USA, George A. Romero)
Friends with Kids (2011, USA, Jennifer Westfeldt): 4
Cemetery Man (1994, Italy/France/Germany, Michele Soavi)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012, USA/UK, Christopher Nolan)
Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)
King Curling (2011, Norway, Ole Endresen)
Holidays by the Sea (2011, France, Pascal Rabaté)
Keep the Lights On (2012, USA, Ira Sachs)

Mandi (1983, India, Shyam Benegal): 9
Ankur (1973, India, Shyam Benegal): 10
The Watch (2012, USA, Akiva Schaffer): 6
Total Recall (2012, USA, Len Wiseman): 5
Kondura (India, Shyam Benegal): 8
Nishant (1975, India, Shyam Benegal): 9
Manthan (1976, India, Shyam Benegal): 10
Cocktail (2012, India, Homi Adajania): 6
Oslo 31 August (2011, Norway, Joachim Trier): 8
Las Acacias (2011, Argentina/Spain, Pablo Giorgelli): 7.5
Hysteria (2011, UK co-production, Tanya Wexler): 6
The Raid (2012, Indonesia/USA, Gareth Evans): 6
The Intouchables (2012, France, Olivier Nakache/Eric Toledano)
A Dangerous Method (2011, Canada co-production, David Cronenberg)
Chronicle (2012, USA, Josh Trank)
Domino (2005, USA, Tony Scott)
Man on Fire (2004, USA, Tony Scott)
The Hunger (1983, USA, Tony Scott)
Taken (2009, France/USA/UK, Pierre Morel)
Revenge (1990, USA, Tony Scott)
Days of Thunder (1990, USA, Tony Scott)
Bondu Saved from Drowning (1932, France, Jean Renoir)
The River (1951, France/India/USA, Jean Renoir)
Unstoppable (2010, USA, Tony Scott)
Deja Vu (2006, USA, Tony Scott)
True Romance (1993, USA, Tony Scott)

La fille de l’eau (1925, France, Jean Renoir)
Nana (1926, France, Jean Renoir)
Headhunters (2012, Norway/Germany, Morten Tyldum): 5
Elena (2011, Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Ruby Sparks (2012, USA, Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris)
Ekdin Achanak (1989, India, Mrinal Sen)
Ekdin Pratidin (1979, India, Mrinal Sen)
Gangs of Wasseypur Part I (2012, India, Anurag Kashyap)
The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment (1959, France, Jean Renoir)
The Elusive Corporal (1962, France, Jean Renoir)
La Marseillaise (1938, France, Jean Renoir)
The Dictator (2012, USA, Larry Charles): 3
La Grande Illusion (1937, France, Jean Renoir)
Patlabor (1989, Japan, Mamoru Oshii)
Samurai 1 (1954, Japan, Hiroshi Inagaki)
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955, Japan, Hiroshi Inagaki)
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956, Japan, Hiroshi Inagaki)
The Cabin in the Woods (2011, USA, Drew Goddard): 6

Wrong (2012, USA, Quentin Dupieux)
The Day I Saw Your Heart (2011, France, Jennifer Devoldère)
See Girl Run (2012, USA, Nate Meyer)
Fat Kid Rules The World (2012, USA, Matthew Lillard)
Amour (2012, Austria/France/Germany, Michael Haneke)
Rust and Bone (2012, France/Belgium, Jacques Audiard)
The Misfits (2011, Mexico, Javier Colinas/Marco Polo Constandse/Jorge Ramírez Suárez/Sergio Tovar Velarde)
Reality (2012, Italy/France, Matteo Garrone)
Holy Motors (2012, France/Germany, Leos Carax): 10
As Luck Would Have It (2011, Spain/France/USA, Álex de la Iglesia)
NO (2012, Chile/France/USA, Pablo Larraín)
Rebelle (2012, Canada, Kim Nguyen)
The Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011, Poland, Jerzy Hoffman)
Margarita (2012, Canada, Dominique Cardona/Laurie Colbert)
The World Before Her (2012, Canada/India, Nisha Pahuja): 10
Antiviral (2012, Canada, Brandon Cronenberg)
I’m Flash (2012, Japan, Toshiaki Toyoda)
Mars et Avril (2012, Canada, Martin Villeneuve)
All In Good Time (2012, UK, Nigel Cole)
The Ambassador (2012, Denmark, Mads Brügger)

Vengeance (2009, Hong Kong/France, Johnny To): 5
Ek Tha Tiger (2012, India, Kabir Khan): 2
The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson): 9
The Avengers (2012, USA, Joss Whedon): 6
Where Do We Go Now? (2011, France/Lebanon/Egypt/Italy, Nadine Labaki): 8.5
Cosmopolis (2012, Canada co-production, David Cronenberg)
Fightville (2011, USA, Petra Epperlein/Michael Tucker)
Looper (2012, USA, Rian Johnson): 7.5
Moonrise Kingdom (2012, USA, Wes Andersen): 6.5
Kauwboy (2012, Holland, Boudewijn Koole)
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012, USA, Colin Trevorrow): 7.5
Mirror, Mirror (2012, USA, Tarsem Singh): 4
The Deep Blue Sea (2011, UK, Terrence Davies): 6
Argo (2012, US, Ben Affleck) : 7
To Rome With Love (2012, USA, Woody Allen): 6
Evangelion 1.11 (2007, Japan, Masayuki/Kazuya Tsurumaki/Hideaki Anno)
They Live (1988, USA, John Carpenter)
Escape from New York (1981, USA, John Carpenter)
The Wasp Woman (1959, Roger Corman/Jack Hill)
Rodan (1956, Japan, Ishirô Honda)
Shock Corridor (1963, USA, Samuel Fuller)

Heleno (2011, Brazil, José Henrique Fonseca): 8.5
Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin): 10
La Sirga (2012, Colombia/France/Mexico, William Vega)
The Student (2011, Argentina, Santiago Mitre): 9
Skyfall (2012, UK/USA, Sam Mendes): 9
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012, India, Yash Chopra): 4
Son of Sardaar (2012, India, Ashwani Dhir): 2
El Bulli (2011, Germany, Gereon Wetzel)
Take This Waltz (2011, Canada, Sarah Polley): 9
Cloud Atlas (2012, USA co-production, Andy & Lana Wachowski/Tom Tykwer): 6.5
Our Idiot Brother (2011, USA, Jesse Peretz): 6
The Palm Beach Story (1942, USA, Preston Sturges): 8.5
2 Days in New York (2012, USA, Julie Delpy): 7.5
Midnight's Children (2012, Canada/UK, Deepa Mehta): 8.5
Savages (2012, USA, Oliver Stone): 4
Prometheus (2012, USA, Ridley Scott): 6
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012, USA, Timur Bekmambetov): 5

Killing Them Softly (2012, USA, Andrew Dominik): 9
Life of Pi (2012, USA/China, Ang Lee): 7
Zero Bridge (2008, India/USA, Tariq Tapa): 8
Starship Troopers (1997, USA, Paul Verhoven)
Talaash (2012, India, Reema Kagti)
Lincoln (2012, USA, Steven Spielberg): 8
Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler): 9
4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011, USA/Switzerland/France, Abel Ferrara): 6
The Forgiveness of Blood (2011, USA/Albania/Denmark/Italy, Joshua Marston)
Total Recall (1990, USA, Paul Verhoeven)
The Queen of Versailles (2012, USA co-production, Lauren Greenfield): 9
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012, USA, Benh Zeitlin)
Gangs of Wasseypur Part II (2012, India, Anurag Kashyap)
The Loneliest Planet (2011, USA/Germany, Julia Loktev)
Bernie (2011, USA, Richard Linklater)
Magic Mike (2012, USA, Steven Soderbergh): 8
Margaret (2011, USA, Kenneth Lonergan)
Pandorum (2009, Germany/UK, Christian Alvart)
This is 40 (2012, USA, Judd Apatow): 4
Django Unchained (2012, USA, Quentin Tarantino): 8.5
Post Mortem (2010, Chile/Germany/Mexico, Pablo Larraín)
Footnote (2011, Israel, Joseph Cedar): 8

Arbitrage (2012, USA, Nicholas Jarecki): 6
The Lady (2011, France/UK, Luc Besson)
Barfi! (2012, India, Anurag Basu)
Heroine (2012, India, Madhur Bhandarkar)
Uski Roti (1970, India, Mani Kaul)

And that's a wrap for 2012!

Comedy Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Back in the summer, Wonders in the Dark invited people to be part of a comedy countdown. The rules required voters to send a ballot of their top 60 comedic films of all time. Each person was given freedom to pick any form of comedy or even define what constituted a comedy. This resulted in a diverse selection of films from all corners of the world. The incredible project, now complete with the #1 film revealed on Dec 21, featured many excellent and in-depth essays on films. I personally enjoyed revisiting many classic comedies to come up with a list of 60 films ranked below in order of preference:

1) Modern Times (1936, USA, Charles Chaplin)
2) Play Time (1967, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
3) The Gold Rush (1925, USA, Charles Chaplin)
4) Angoor (1982, India, Gulzar)
5) Dr. Strangelove (1964, UK, Stanley Kubrick)
6) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, UK, Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones)
7) The Circus (1928, USA, Charles Chaplin)
8) Duck Soup (1933, USA, Leo McCarey)
9) Gol Maal (1979, India, Hrishikesh Mukherjee)

10) Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, UK, Robert Hamer)
11) Chhoti Si Baat (1975, India, Basu Chatterjee)
12) Being There (1979, USA, Hal Ashby)
13) Sullivan’s Travels (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
14) In the Loop (2009, UK, Armando Iannucci)
15) City Lights (1931, USA, Charles Chaplin)
16) Trafic (1971, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
17) Annie Hall (1977, USA, Woody Allen)
18) The Big Lebowski (1998, USA/UK, Joel Coen/Ethan Coen)
19) Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal)

20) The Apartment (1960, USA, Billy Wilder)
21) Bringing up Baby (1938, USA, Howard Hawks)
22) The Man in the White Suit (1951, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
23) The General (1926, USA, Buster Keaton/Clyde Bruckman)
24) The Lady Eve (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
25) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944, USA, Frank Capra)
26) Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006, India, Dibakar Banerjee)
27) The Great Dictator (1940, USA, Charlie Chaplin)
28) 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
29) Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008, India, Dibakar Banerjee)

30) Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983, India, Kundan Shah)
31) Groundhog Day (1993, USA, Harold Ramis)
32) The Graduate (1967, USA, Mike Nichols)
33) The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, UK, Charles Crichton)
34) Songs from the Second Floor (2000, Sweden co-production, Roy Andersson)
35) The Ladykillers (1955, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
36) Mon Uncle (1958, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
37) Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001, France/Germany, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
38) Ed Wood (1994, USA, Tim Burton)
39) The Man Without a Past (2002, Finland co-production, Aki Kaurismäki)

40) My Cousin Vinny (1992, USA, Jonathan Lynn)
41) The Captain’s Paradise (1953, UK, Anthony Kimmins)
42) Smiles of a Summer Night (1955, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
43) Trouble in Paradise (1932, USA, Ernst Lubitsch)
44) The Dinner Game (1998, France, Francis Veber)
45) Hera Pheri (2000, India, Priyadarshan)
46) Andaz Apna Apna (1994, India, Rajkumar Santoshi)
47) Borat (2006, USA, Larry Charles)
48) Delicatessen (1991, France, Marc Caro/Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
49) You, The Living (2007, Sweden co-production, Roy Andersson)

50) Coming to America (1988, USA, John Landis)
51) The Princess Bride (1987, USA, Rob Reiner)
52) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, USA, Wes Anderson)
53) Best in Show (2000, USA, Christopher Guest)
54) The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, Spain co-production, Luis Buñuel)
55) Whisky (2004, Uruguay co-production, Juan Pablo Rebella/Pablo Stoll)
56) Being John Malkovich (1999, USA, Spike Jonze)
57) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, USA, John Hughes)
58) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989, USA, Jeremiah S. Chechik)
59) The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales (1960, Mexico, Rogelio A. González)
60) Blazing Saddles (1974, USA, Mel Brooks)

Sleeping Sickness

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 04:51:00 +0000

Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Köhler)

Ulrich Köhler's film was my first choice for a German film entry for the Euro 2012 Book & Film Spotlight. However, the film only got a limited theatrical release in Canada (Toronto & Vancouver) and was not available for viewing prior to the Euro deadline of June 2012. Therefore, I had to leave the film out of the spotlight. Thankfully, the film is now available across Canada via Films We Like & iTunes and I am glad to have seen the film in 2012. Sleeping Sickness is indeed a mesmerizing film and it is easy to see why this film was #9 in Cinema Scope's Best of 2011 list. Cinema Scope's editor, Mark Peranson, has an excellent essay which outlines the film's beauty and charm. The entire essay is worth reading but I want to focus on the following:

Though there is a slight mirroring of Ebbo and Alex, there’s nothing simple about it, and this structural looseness is perhaps the closest that Köhler’s version of the cinema of the opaque comes to Apichatpong; to make this comparison due to the mere presence of a jungle is indicative of lazy thinking, akin to bringing up Claire Denis because she’s also a European filmmaker shooting in Africa. Indeed, I suspect most people who will watch Sleeping Sickness, like myself, will have formed their views of Africa through fiction, literature or film made by Europeans—hence the many comparisons of Sleeping Sickness to Joseph Conrad or Graham Greene (Köhler says the film was sparked by Sudanese author Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North, and indeed the main characters are richly novelistic and complex—they jump off the page).

I had not read his essay prior to seeing the film but surprisingly found myself thinking of both Claire Denis & Apichatpong while watching Sleeping Sickness. Peranson attributes this comparison as "lazy thinking" but atleast qualifies it with the following words that are true in my case: "most people who will watch Sleeping Sickness,...,will have formed their view of African through fiction, literature or film made by Europeans". It is not true that any film shot in Cameroon by a European brings Claire Denis to mind. In my case, the comparison to Denis' White Material came about by seeing Ebbo's isolation. In the first part of the film, it is shown that the sleeping sickness disease is almost cured and no longer an epidemic. That means there is no need for further funding and Ebbo can conclude his work & return to Germany. Yet, he does not return home like his wife. He stays behind for a further three years and becomes as isolated like Isabelle Huppert's Maria in White Material. Both Ebbo & Maria appear to be clinging on desperately so as to avoid returning back to Europe. It is clear that it will take a lot of effort to force both Maria & Ebbo to leave Africa. In Maria's case, Africa is her home and she has a business to protect while Ebbo seems to have developed a deeper connection with his surroundings. One part of Ebbo wants to return back but another part wants to live in the jungle. This inner struggle causes him to appear on the edge, one step away from ending it all. The Apichatpong reference also jumps out not only because of the jungle but the presence of a key transformation that occurs near the end of a film divided in two parts. Like Tropical Malady, there is a connection between the two parts shown in the film and the hippo transformation that takes place near the film's end is mentioned in the first part.

Overall, Sleeping Sickness is unique and manages to haunt one's memory long after the film's final image.

As a late correction to the Euro 2012 Spotlight, I decided to plug Sleeping Sickness into the game 1 results to see how the final group standings would get impacted. Currently, game 1 results show Portugal's Mysteries of Lisbon defeating Germany's Storm by a 5-1 margin. With Sleeping Sickness taking part instead of Storm, this is how things would turn out:

Germany (Sleeping Sickness) vs Portugal (Mysteries of Lisbon)

Acting: Portugal
Story: Both Portugal & Germany
Direction: Germany
Cinematography: Germany
Production: Both Portugal & Germany

Final result would see Germany prevail 4-3 over Portugal. As a result, Germany would get 3 points and Portugal 0. Therefore, the final group standings would look like this:

Team Points Goal Difference

Portugal 6 5 - 3
Holland 6 5 - 3
Germany 4 5 - 5
Denmark 1 3 - 6

Portugal & Holland would end up with the same number of points and goal difference. But Portugal would still take first place due to their 1-0 win over Holland which will be used as a head-to-head tie-breaker. Therefore, the top 2 spots in the group won't get altered which means all the results from the quarter-finals onwards would remain the same.

The Lady Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:52:00 +0000

My piece on Preston Sturges' perfect comedy The Lady Eve is published on Wonders in the Dark's comedy countdown.

Ship of Theseus

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 09:08:00 +0000

Anand Gandhi's debut feature Ship of Theseus has been getting some stunning reviews since its world premier at TIFF a few months ago. The tantalizing and thought provoking trailers have only increased my desire to see the film. Although, I have a feeling I won't get to see the film until atleast mid-2013. Of course, I hope it gets wider distribution soon...

Trailer 1:

Trailer 2:

Trailer 3:

Calgary Latin Wave Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 05:57:00 +0000

The Third Annual Calgary Latin Wave Film Festival ran from Nov 2 - 4, 2012 and featured an excellent line-up of films. The following nine were shown this year:

The Delay (2012, Uruguay, Rodrigo Plá)
Distance (2011, Guatemala, Sergio Ramirez)
Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin)
Habanastation (2011, Cuba, Ian Padrón)
Heleno (2011, Brazil, José Henrique Fonseca)
Juan of the Dead (2011, Cuba, Alejandro Brugués)
The Student (2011, Argentina, Santiago Mitre)
The Towrope (2012, Colombia, William Vega)
Violeta Went to Heaven (2011, Chile/Argentina/Brazil, Andrés Wood)

I had originally planned to see atleast six films but I could only make it out to four. Here are some brief comments on the films in order of preference.

1. Gone Fishing / Días de pesca

Marco (Alejandro Awada) heads to stunning Patagonia to find and patch-up with his daughter. With a little bit of work, he manages to find her but she is not in the mood to forgive him. The film doesn’t give anything away about his past but it is implied that his alcoholism and marriage break-up played a part in him not being there for his daughter when she was growing up. So naturally the daughter has scars that won’t heal overnight. Such a story could have gotten a completely different and more serious treatment in the hands of another director but Sorin smartly uses the visuals and pleasant score (composed by his son) to release any tension before it forms on the screen. When things are about to get serious Sorin ensures that the audience gets a nice reprieve either with a moment of humor or breathtaking beauty. Gone Fishing has a pleasant relaxed tone throughout even though there are some strained issues beneath the surface. However, those troubled issues never bubble to the surface but enough is depicted about the issues to allow audience to fill in their own version of events. Overall, Gone Fishing is a charming and thoughtful film that allows for plenty of contemplative moments.

2. Heleno

The name of Heleno de Freitas is not that well known in international soccer mostly because he didn’t play in a World Cup but also since his goals came in an era before television. But in his time, Heleno was a star who scored goals freely for his beloved Botafogo club. Those goals brought him fame, money, alcohol and women. Such a combination of temptations is never a healthy thing especially for a man whose career depended on being in top physical and mental shape. Also, Heleno had other characteristics, such as his ego, which also played a part in alienating him from those around him.

Jose Henrique Fonseca has created a devastating portrayal that perfectly depicts the self-destructive habits that led to Heleno de Freitas' decline. At times, it is painful to watch Heleno throw everything away but given his personality, his fall from grace was inevitable. Rodrigo Santoro has put in an incredible performance and plays the arrogant and fragile sides of Heleno perfectly. Also, a lot of credit goes to Angie Cepeda and Aline Moraes who light up with the screen with their presence. The music combined with the black and white visuals nicely evoke the 1940’s-50’s and enhance the mood of the film.

Heleno’s story also contains shades of Garrincha who was truly a great soccer player. Like Heleno, Garrincha also played for Botafogo. In fact, both played roughly the same amount of games for Botafogo, Heleno with 235 & Garrincha with 236. Both were stars in their own time but alcohol and women sped their decline. At the height of their powers, both players were rich but were completely broke near the end of their careers. The one difference between the two is that Garrincha played in 3 World Cups and won 2 while Heleno could never fulfill his dream of playing in the World cup.

3. The Student / El estudiante

Santiago Mitre, writer for Pablo Trapero’s Carancho and Lion’s Den, makes a stunning directorial debut with The Student, a razor-sharp film that examines core issues at the heart of politics: tactics, strategy, managing & manipulating people. Even though The Student is set in Argentina (University of Buenos Aires), it is universal in showing negotiations & backroom deals part of any political process. Mitre’s films also shares some sentiments with The Storm (Kazim Öz) & Haasil (Tigmanshu Dhulia) in depicting political fires lit in universities.

4. The Towrope / La Sirga

At first, the isolated house in La Sirga appears as a peaceful retreat far from the chaos of the cities. But as the film progresses, that isolation appears less as an escape but more as a trap. In this regard, Vega’s film like Crab Trap depicts how an isolated picturesque part of Colombia is not immune to strains of conflict taking place elsewhere.

CIFF 2012 Wrap-up

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 19:18:00 +0000

The 13th Annual Calgary International Film Festival featured a mouth watering line-up of films from all corners of the world and excelled in both quality and quantity. Continuing the trend from last year, CIFF had encores of most films and added extra screening slots making it more convenient than ever before to catch the films. CIFF scheduled two weekday matinee screenings (2-2:30 pm, 4-5 pm) in addition to the two traditional weekday evening shows and also had a midnight film for all 10 days. These extra time slots opened the door for a dedicated cinephile to take in more than 50 films and at the same time made it a lot easier to see 40 films than previous years. I mention 40 films because this was a goal for a lot of friends in the past but they always fell short, sometimes ending up at either 36 or 39 films. I briefly played with the idea of making it to 40 films this year but I remembered the painful aftermath of seeing 30 films over 10 days a few years ago. So, I instead opted for a comfortable target of 20 films which allowed me to enjoy all the films with enough time for socializing and discussing films with fellow cinephiles.

Here are the 20 films seen in order:

Wrong (2012, USA, Quentin Dupieux)
The Day I Saw Your Heart (2011, France, Jennifer Devoldère)
See Girl Run (2012, USA, Nate Meyer)
Fat Kid Rules The World (2012, USA, Matthew Lillard)
Amour (2012, Austria/France/Germany, Michael Haneke)
Rust and Bone (2012, France/Belgium, Jacques Audiard)
The Misfits (2011, Mexico, Javier Colinas/Marco Polo Constandse/Jorge Ramírez Suárez/Sergio Tovar Velarde)

Reality (2012, Italy/France, Matteo Garrone)
Holy Motors (2012, France/Germany, Leos Carax)
As Luck Would Have It (2011, Spain/France/USA, Álex de la Iglesia)
No (2012, Chile/France/USA, Pablo Larraín)
Rebelle (2012, Canada, Kim Nguyen)
Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011, Poland, Jerzy Hoffman)
Margarita (2012, Canada, Dominique Cardona/Laurie Colbert)

The World Before Her (2012, Canada, Nisha Pahuja)
Antiviral (2012, Canada/USA, Brandon Cronenberg)
I’m Flash (2012, Japan, Toshiaki Toyoda)
Mars et Avril (2012, Canada, Martin Villeneuve)
All In Good Time (2012, UK, Nigel Cole)
The Ambassador (2012, Denmark, Mads Brügger)

The relaxed schedule allowed me take something memorable from each of the 20 films and I am glad I was able to attend them. I hope to write longer about the films in the future but for now just some quick notes along with my top 5 films.

Top 5 Films in order of preference

1. Holy Motors: An incredibly wild and creative ride that effortlessly glides through all film genres. Leos Carax has managed to capture the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while playing homage to key genres throughout. This is pure cinema and proof for why films hold such sway over people.

2. The World Before Her: Back in 2001, I was lucky enough to see Nisha Pahuja’s debut documentary feature Bollywood Bound at CIFF. That lovely film proved Nisha to be a born filmmaker. And she has reaffirmed that with The World Before Her, a perfectly balanced and insightful film that examines two very different camps of thought in India. The two camps, beauty pageants & fundamentalism, contain the essence of issues that are both dividing and driving India. On one hand, western capitalist ideas are flowing through India while on the other hand, traditional religious and cultural values are trying to block the western tide. Nisha Pahuja examines these issues with an objective eye and treats her subjects respectfully thereby allowing them space to bare their souls. The end result is one of the best documentary films of the year, cleverly edited and infused with a refreshing soundtrack.

3. No: Pablo Larraín’s gripping account of the 1988 plebiscite that put an end to Pinochet’s dictatorship may be rooted in Chilean history but the political issues at the core of the film are relevant to any nation trying to break free from an oppressive regime. The film also wonderfully recreates the grainy video look of the 1980’s and surprizingly contains one of the most catchy songs of the year.

4. Reality: Matteo Garrone’s film starts with a mesmerizing wide shot of Naples which depicts the vast beauty of the city and proceeds to follow a few different characters and does not settle in on one particular person. This creates the illusion that the film plans to chart the lives of multiple people. However, that illusion is shattered when the camera sets its focus on Luciano (Aniello Arena) and shuts the rest of the world out. This microscopic examination of Luciano results in a devastating case study of a man who is so blinded by his quest for fame that he starts to lose grip on reality.

Luciano bears a close resemblance to a young Robert De Niro which coupled with the film’s topic echoes De Niro’s performance in The King of Comedy. However, Martin Scorsese’s film heads into darker territory while Garrone’s film maintains an air of fantasy about it due to a dreamy musical score combined with a few Felliniesque moments. Reality is not on the same wavelength as Gomorra but it is a remarkable film about society’s obsession with celebrities and how that can cause some individuals to throw their life away.

5. Rust and Bone: Matthias Schoenaerts plays a different shade of his tough character from Bullhead. In Bullhead, Schoenaerts is a physical force of nature but one who has trouble finding love because of a past which has scarred him for life. His character is still physically imposing in Rust and Bone but he has no trouble getting love and can pick up a woman at the drop of a hat. The Dardennes' style used by Jacques Audiard ensures that Schoenaerts and Cotillard’s characters are properly showcased thereby finding beauty in moments of brutality & pain. Also, the visual style is definite proof that Marion Cotillard is gorgeous without any make-up.

A few quick notes on some other films

I unfortunately missed the opening night gala for Midnight’s Children but thankfully I caught the Black Carpet & Closing Night Gala for two other creative Canadian films. The Black Carpet Gala, Antiviral, marked the fascinating debut of Brandon Cronenberg. The film looks at a not too distance future where society’s obsession with celebrity culture results in people lining up to buy meat grown from celebrity cells and happily injecting themselves with the same virus that a celebrity has. Given current addiction to anything celebrity related, such a scenario is not entirely unbelievable so full credit to Cronenberg for extrapolating the present in such a thoughtful film. Martin Villeneuve adapted his own graphic novels for the poetic and meditative Mars et Avril, CIFF's closing night gala film. The visually beautiful Mars et Avril proves that a sci-fi film can be made without any horror or mindless action scenes. Both Brandon and Martin come from famous Canadian cinematic families as Brandon is David Cronenberg’s son while Martin is Denis Villeneuve’s brother. However, both Brandon and Martin have successfully made their own mark with their debut feature films.

Amour: For the most part, a warm film infused with plenty of humour that is hard to recognize as a Michael Haneke feature. Therefore, Haneke has included a scene or two to jolt the audience to let them know that he is still pulling the strings lest someone get too comfortable with the film.

Wrong: Quentin Dupieux’s follow-up to Rubber is a delightful leap forward and is packed with plenty of witty absurd humor.

Rebelle: This powerful film was joint winner of the CIFF narrative audience award along with My Awkward Sexual Adventure. In the hands of another director, Rebelle could have resulted in a violent film but Nguyen has ensured that the camera is not fixated on blood but instead on the characters and their plight.

My earlier preview post mentioned some of the other stellar films at this year's festival including Found Memories, The Bright Day, Unfair World, Teddy Bear, Barbara and King Curling which are some of the best films of the year.

Overall, it was another vintage year even though I missed some worthy features. Still, I preferred to properly enjoy each film as opposed to running from cinema to cinema to see 3-4 films a day, something which I regularly did in past festival editions.

L'Age D'or

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:02:00 +0000

My review of Luis Buñuel’s L'Age D'or is published on Wonders in the Dark as part of their Top 100 Comedy Countdown.

CIFF 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:14:00 +0000

The Calgary International Film Festival kicks off today, Sept 20, with the much anticipated opening gala of Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children and runs until Sunday, September 30. As usual, the line-up is stellar and contains a healthy dose of worthy International, Canadian & American films. Also, new this year is a spotlight on 3D which contains a dazzling list of titles. I am looking forward to discovering some new gems and will put up a final report at the end of the festival but for now, here are ten favourite films that I have already seen.

Found Memories (Argentina/Brazil/France, Júlia Murat)

A mesmerizing film that deceptively appears as a contemplative piece but contains another layer beneath the surface. The film starts off by capturing daily rituals in a sleepy Brazilian town, routines which are slightly disrupted by the arrival of young Rita. Rita does not attempt to alter the lives of the residents too much and keeps to herself while photographing sites and the town folk. However, she does not realize that her presence is critical to the residents, something which is only apparent by the film’s end. The ending, which puts a completely different spin on the overall film perception, haunts long in the memory because it forces one to rethink the lives of the residents and why they have continued to stay in a place cut-off from the rest of the world.

The Bright Day (India, Mohit Takalkar)

Mohit Takalkar, an experienced theatrical director, makes his cinematic debut with a beautiful, poetic and hypnotic film. The story revolves around Shiv who leaves his home to travel across India in search of his identity. There have been many films made about characters who undergo a self-discovery journey in India but those films were from the perspective of a foreigner arriving in India. On the other hand, The Bright Day shows a born and bred Indian who leaves to travel within his country. This makes a world of difference as the film does not focus on a checklist of items that must be shown in a film about India but instead dives deeply to uncover the torment that the main protagonist experiences. The visuals are striking as is the use of background music to enhance the film’s mythical tale. Plus, there are some smart touches such as using the same actor Mohan Agashe to play different characters that highlights how Shiv perceives people around him.

Unfair World (Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)

This smart Greek film shows how two cops efforts to save an innocent person leads to murder thereby forcing them to cover their tracks. Each frame is packed with absurd comedic moments which are slowly revealed as the camera movements act like a drawn out punch line. The film’s comedic style is reminiscent of Aki Kaurismäki, Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective) and the recent wave of Greek films directed by Giorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, Alps) & Athina Rachel Tsangari’s (Attenberg). Appropriately, Unfair World stars Christos Stergioglou who played the father in Dogtooth. The film swept the top Greek Academy awards this year and is Greece’s foreign film submission to next year’s Academy Awards.

Teddy Bear (Denmark, Mads Matthiesen)

A charming and delightful film that depicts an award winning bodybuilder who not only lives with his mother but is afraid of her. Despite his hulk like appearance, he has no luck with love. So he decides to fly to Thailand to find a bride. This setup brings plenty of humor and credit to the director to allow events to follow naturally without any extra drama.

Mallamall (Canada/India, Lalita Krishna)

An excellent and timely Canadian documentary that looks at India's economic rise via the countless malls being constructed there. The film also highlights a Canadian connection crucial in developing these mega stores, something that is hardly ever seen in any newspaper headlines.

King Curling (Norway, Ole Endresen)

Finally, a well made curling film! This Norwegian film incorporates some of the competitive in your face humor from Dodgeball within a deadpan framework similar to that of fellow Scandinavians Bent Hamer (O’ Horten and Kitchen Stories) and Roy Anderson (Songs from the Second Floor, You, The Living).

Generation P (Russia/USA, Victor Ginzburg)

This Russian film combines the fierce energy found in Night Watch, the Russian film based on Sergey Lukyanenko’s novel, with some of Mad Men’s creative advertising ideas and tops things off with a layer of religion, nationalism, philosophy and mythology. There are plenty of conspiracy ideas presented and even though not all those ideas are tied up at the end, there is plenty to chew on.

Barbara (Germany, Christian Petzold)

Christian Petzold’s pitch perfect film features an incredible performance from Nina Hoss in depicting life in East Germany. Hoss plays the titular character, a doctor, who is sent away from Berlin to the countryside as a punishment for seeking to leave for the West German side. The forced exile does not dampen her plans as she tries to still seek an escape to the West with her lover. However, her presence is closely monitored forcing her not to trust anyone and maintaining a distance from the hospital staff. But with time, she slowly starts to warm up to her job and starts to develop relationships which force her to rethink her situation. Petzold’s cool looking film is completely different to The Lives of Others because of its singular focus on Barbara and using her as a lens to examine others. The film is Germany’s submission to next year’s Academy Awards.

I Wish (Japan, Hirokazu Koreeda)

Hirokazu Koreeda has come up with another masterful work that looks at two young siblings who are forced to live across Japan due to their parent’s separation. It is always amazing to see how Koreeda manages to bring out such rich performances from his child actors. His style ensures that the acting is natural and the film maintains a perfect emotional tone without resorting to melodrama.

The Dynamiter (USA, Matthew Gordon)

The film follows a young teenager Robbie who is forced to fend for himself and his younger brother in a harsh and unforgiving environment after the mother leaves the family. It is a steep learning curve for 14 year old Robbie as he finds himself as man of the house and at first, his actions and behavior land him in some trouble. But his teacher gives Robbie a chance to atone for his stealing and poor grades by asking Robbie to write an essay that will allow him to graduate. Robbie tries his best but his task is made harder by the arrival of an elder brother who is not the role mode that Robbie once thought. Full credit to director Matthew Gordon for maintaining a sense of hope in depicting the kids which makes for a fascinating character study. The Dynamiter is a visually stunning award winning film that belongs to the same category of New Realist American cinema such as Ballast and Wendy and Lucy, films that show a true slice of American life by focusing on characters completely absent from the big Hollywood productions.

The Samurai Trilogy

noreply@blogger.com (Sachin) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:09:00 +0000

Criterion's release of Hiroshi Inagaki's The Samurai Trilogy this past summer is certainly a worthy event. While there have been many Samurai films, Inagaki's films stand out because of Toshiro Mifune's performance and the source material of the films. The films are based on Musashi Miyamoto's highly influential The Book of Five Rings. William Scott Wilson, who has written a biography of Miyamoto Musashi, sums up the interest in the book:

Since Musashi engaged in more than sixty duels during his lifetime and was never defeated, it may not be surprising that The Book of Five Rings is fundamentally a book about conflict and victory. It has long been revered not only by swordsmen but also by practitioners of karate, aikido, and other martial arts. However, The Book of Five Rings has found a much broader readership in recent years. Since its first English translation, its study has been touted as the equivalent of an MBA in Japanese business strategy—a competitive art, to be sure. At least one Japanese major-league pitcher keeps the book by his bedside for constant reference. Anyone whose life involves conflict may benefit from studying the techniques laid out in this slender volume.

Wilson also outlines some of the key principles in the book.

At the end of the first chapter of The Book of Five Rings, Musashi sums up his rules for understanding his style and putting it into practice:

1. Think in honest and direct terms.
2. Forge yourself in the Way.
3. Touch upon all the arts.
4. Know the Ways of all occupations.
5. Know the advantages and disadvantages of everything.
6. Develop a discerning eye in all matters.
7. Understand what cannot be seen by the eye.
8. Pay attention even to small things.
9. Do not involve yourself with the impractical.

Four other key points Musashi emphasizes in the book are as follows.
.....
The Way of Swordsmanship Is to Win
Fluidity of Mind
Psychology
The Everyday Mind

The films shown the spiritual growth in Musashi Miyamoto from a strong fighter to a pure samurai, a warrior who does not merely use his sword as a “murderous weapon” as referred to early in the second film in the trilogy. Along the way, Musashi also sheds some of his arrogance and his violent nature to adopt a more thoughtful approach in life and also towards his opponents. At the start of the trilogy, he would never back down from a fight but by the third film, he has become wiser and even instructs that sometimes it is better to run away so that one can win in the future “Lose today, win tomorrow.” The films do not show any blood but spend more time looking at characters' lives and their preparations leading to a climatic battle, which is over in a flash. As a result, the films don't glorify violence and are instead engaging character studies.