Month: May 2012

LFM Reviews Kore-eda’s I Wish

By Joe Bendel. Never dismiss the characters of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film just because they are elementary school children. Unlike the parade of hipster man-children audiences see in indie after indie, many of these youngsters will amount to something in life. They are also facing some very real drama at a relatively early age in Kore-eda’s unusually wise and gentle I Wish, which opens this Friday in New York.

When their parents split up, Koichi decided to go with his mother to live with his grandparents in Southern Kyushu. His younger brother Ryunosuke opted to stay with their irresponsible garage-rocker father in the north. Always close, it is a difficult separation for the brothers, but they think their respective parents need them more. Still, it seems to weigh more heavily on Koichi, troubled to find himself not regularly fulfilling his duties as a big brother.

Koichi sees potential deliverance in the imminent opening of the new bullet train linking north and south Kyushu (completed in a mere fraction of the time needed for the still unfinished Second Avenue subway). Word has it that anyone standing on the exact spot where the maiden north and south bound trains cross will have their wish granted. Koichi convinces Ryunosuke to meet him there so they can both wish for their family to be reunited. (Finally, a real world application for those “two trains” math problems.) Of course, it is easier said than done. Arranging train tickets and school absences without the knowledge or consent of their parents will require caper-like planning.

As a result, both brothers bring along their co-conspirator friends, each of whom has a wish of their own. The way Kore-eda draws out their distinct personalities and captures their subtle interaction is a joy to behold. Likening Kore-eda to Ozu is a danger critics often succumb to, but I Wish particularly lends itself to such comparisons. He coaxes some remarkably rich and grounded performances from his youthful cast, placing them in situations of conflict with one another, but harboring malice for none.

Real life brother-performers Koki and Ohshiro Maeda clearly had an intuitive sense of how to distill the essence of their own fraternal relationship and infuse it into their on-screen roles. They are smart, resourceful, and sensitive, but never in an overly cloying way. Frankly, I Wish has a wealth of talented young actors, including the particularly noteworthy Kyara Uchida as Megumi, one of the older girls Ryunosuke befriends (remember, his dad is in a band). If, like her character, her driving ambition is to become an actress, she should be well on her way to a brilliant career.

As with Still Walking, Kore-eda’s last film to have significant American distribution, I Wish depicts serious family issues with a remarkably light touch, but it is the spirit of forgiveness and the acceptance of fate that make the films so special. Yet, the earnest young cast represents a potentially far greater crossover appeal for I Wish. Highly recommended, it opens this Friday (5/11) in New York at the Lincoln Plaza and Angelika Film Center.

LFM GRADE: A

Posted on May 8th, 2012 at 12:27pm.

The Banality of Evil: LFM Reviews Angst

By Joe Bendel. Austria might summon images of famous composers, but it has also had its share of psychopaths. Ignoring the rather obvious historical examples, the recent case of Josef Fritzl horrified all of Europe in 2008. The case of Werner Kniesek similarly scandalized Austrians in 1980. Unrepentantly sadistic, the notorious Kniesek served as a model for the twisted protagonist of Gerald Kargl’s Angst. A rare Austrian foray into the serial killer genre, Angst featured the inventive cinematography of future Academy Award winner Zbigniew Rybczyński, who found Austria more hospitable after the Jaruzelski regime imposed Martial Law because of his vocal support for Polish Solidarity. A film indelibly marked by Rybczyński’s contributions, Kargl’s Angst (trailer here) screens this week as part of Shot by Rybczyński, a two film retrospective of the Polish filmmaker’s work as a cinematographer at the Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn.

Kargl’s unnamed POV character-narrator is about to make a good case for capital punishment. Twice convicted of murder, he can only think of one thing during his release from prison—finding new victims. The café he stumbles into is a little too public and the female cab-driver he eyes is a little too resourceful. However, she summarily ejects him near a secluded McMansion that should serve his needs well. It looks like their nearest neighbor is Dr. Heiter from Human Centipede.

Skulking about, the freshly released murderer begins stalking the residents: an apparently developmentally disabled man in a wheel chair, his younger sister, and their ailing mother. Though undeniably vicious, none of his attacks goes exactly according to plan, which further stokes his rage.

From "Angst."

Angst has quite a reputation in its own right. Though tagged with X ratings or the equivalent in several countries, it might seem relatively restrained to a generation weaned on Saw and Hostel movies, at least until the narrator’s third kill. Then all bets are off. Consider yourself warned.

Typically, psychological analysis in film is reserved for directors, screenwriters, and occasionally actors. However, it seems worth noting that this cinematic expression of extreme alienation was lensed by Rybczyński, the exile. Similarly, as a dissident from Communist Poland, he would be uniquely qualified to understand the evil that small banal men do.

Indeed, the nameless murderer of Angst is exceptionally unexceptional. Kargl’s refusal to glamorize or in any way build him up distinguishes the film from nearly every subsequent serial killer movie. Rybczyński’s work on the other hand is quite distinctive. Cool and severe, but rife with foreboding, the closest comparison would be Bruno Nuytten’s icily polished work on Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession. Shot from odd angles employing improvised slings, Angst is a restlessly kinetic, visually dramatic tour-de-force example of how a cinematographer can put their stamp on a film.

Angst is a bold and stylish depiction of human nature at its worst. If you are wondering whether it is for you, then the answer is probably no. However, it should be required viewing for adventurous fans of cult cinema. Highly recommended for those confident they won’t be scarred by the horrors found within, Angst kicks off the Spectacle’s Shot by Rybczyński tribute this Thursday (5/10) and screens again Sunday (5/13) and Friday (5/25).

Posted on May 8th, 2012 at 12:26pm.

Midnight Madness: LFM Reviews Asylum Blackout

By Joe Bendel. If the Beatles had worked as cooks in a maximum security mental hospital, they still would have been vastly more talented than George and his slacker bandmates. Yet, for a day job, the pay is pretty good and supposedly they are completely out of harm’s way. Of course, when the power goes out, all bets are off in Alexandre Courtès’ Asylum Blackout, which opened a week of midnight screenings last week at the IFC Center in New York and is also now available on IFC Film’s VOD platforms.

It is 1989, so nobody will spoil the fun by calling for help on their cell-phones. We will be rooting for George to live, because he is a nice enough guy to care how the patient-inmates’ food tastes. He also has a hot girlfriend, so he has something to live for. Regardless, it is going to be a long night when the blackout hits.

The chief guard, J.B., sounds totally cool, but he is actually an abusive hardnose, which makes the opportunity for some score-settling even more attractive. In something of a perfect storm for loony bins, George suspects the scariest prisoner, Harry Green, has convinced the rest of the inmates to stop taking their meds. From there, things descend into bedlam, so to speak, with hints of further eeriness lurking in the margins.

From "Asylum Breakout."

Just to recap, the descriptively titled Asylum Blackout (a.k.a. The Incident) combines a fully stocked nuthouse with a power outage. As long as the execution is serviceable, this is a bullet-proof concept. As it happens, Courtès’ work easily surpasses competent, approaching the outright stylish. The audience never gets any backstory on the loonies, but many at least have weird distinguishing tics. While Courtès eventually meets the gore quota for midnight movies, he takes his time setting the scene and building the tension—what might be considered horror movie foreplay.

Okay, Asylum Blackout is not The Shining, but it will still creep you out from time to time. Paul Rouschop’s design team makes the sanitarium feel like a very real and very ominous place to be, even with the lights on. Rupert Evans is a decent lead and Richard Brake is all kinds of sinister looking as the nefarious Green. Not nearly the gross-out fest you might expect, Asylum Blackout is a pretty good time at the midnight movies. It screens late nights this week at the IFC Center and is also available nationwide through IFC’s VOD services.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on May 8th, 2012 at 11:04am.

Tribeca 2012: LFM Reviews Wagner’s Dream; Film Screens Nationwide on Tuesday (5/8)

By Joe Bendel. It is the epic tale of a powerful ring that brings misfortune to all who seek it. Sound familiar? After technology advanced to the point that Peter Jackson could finally do justice to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, it is not surprising that the opera world might hatch some new ideas for Wagner’s Ring cycle. However, mounting a production on stage is a totally different proposition than making a film with extensive post-production effects, as renowned director Robert Lepage demonstrates with the Metropolitan Opera’s ambitious new production of the Ring. Director Susan Froemke (with editor Bob Eisenhardt) captures the ensuing flirting-with-disaster exhilaration of live opera in Wagner’s Dream, which had its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, in advance of a special-event nationwide screening this coming Tuesday.

Reportedly, Wagner was not at all satisfied with the initial 1876 staging of his Ring cycle, but he died before he could implement any of the mysterious changes he promised. As a result, the questions of what Wagner would do and what is feasible have bedeviled opera companies ever since. Charged with developing something bold, Lepage did just that.

His radical concept centers on what will be referred to as “the Machine.” A series of interlocked, swiveling planks, sort of but not really resembling a double helix, the Machine will serve as the minimalist set for all four constituent productions of the Ring cycle. When it works, it facilitates some truly epic grandeur. Unfortunately, it is decidedly buggy.

Frankly, it is quite cool and surprising that the Met is so enthusiastically behind Dream, because it documents some embarrassing moments for the storied company. Complications with the machine put a damper on more than one opening night, which is awkward for the professionals bluffing their way through on-stage – but it makes for dramatic documentary cinema.

Traversing "the Machine."

Arguably, Lepage’s Ring cycle production might be thought of as the Met’s Apocalypse Now, with Wagner’s Dream corresponding to Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. Like screenwriter John Milius sent to retrieve Francis Ford Coppola from the jungle only to be convinced “this would be the first film to win the Nobel Prize,” every cast-member and tech-hand approaching Lepage or Met General Manager Peter Gelb with logistical concerns winds up doubling down on the Machine. Again, just like Coppola’s film, the result is a sometimes flawed, but towering work of genius.

Dream is one of the few behind-the-scenes documentaries completely warranting the big screen treatment. A sense of scale is important here. Yet, it does not ignore the human element, following the challenges faced by the featured performers and sampling the reactions of loyal patrons. Having helmed two previous docs about the Met, including the profile of Maestro James Levine relatively recently broadcast on American Masters, Froemke clearly had the trust and confidence of the opera company. By now, many probably assume she is on staff there.

Even for opera neophytes, Wagner’s Dream is a fascinating film. It is also a highly effective teaser for its special encore screenings of Lepage’s Ring cycle productions. One cannot help wondering whether audiences will see the Machine cooperate or not. Highly recommended beyond the obvious opera and theater audiences, it screens across the country via Fathom Events this coming Tuesday (5/7) and will also be shown at the BAM Cinematek the following Saturday (5/12).

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on May 2nd, 2012 at 10:10pm.

Robert Pattinson to Hunt Down Saddam Hussein in Mission: Black List

Twilight star Robert Pattinson has signed on to play military investigator Eric Maddox — the man who spearheaded the capture of Saddam Hussein — in a new psychological thriller titled Mission: Black List.

Along with co-author Davin Seay, Staff Sergeant Eric Maddox revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the hunt for Saddam in the 2008 book Mission: Black List #1: The Inside Story of the Search for Saddam Hussein — As Told by the Soldier Who Masterminded His Capture. Writer/producer Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers) will be adapting the book for the screen, and Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire is attached to direct.

Pattinson now joins Zac Efron, Gerard Butler, Sam Worthington, and Taylor Kitsch among major young stars attached to Iraq- or Afghanistan-related projects featuring positive depictions of American soldiers (in this case, a military interrogator, no less). Is a sea change finally here?

Here is how the book is described at Amazon:

Everyone has seen the footage: a heavily bearded Saddam Hussein blinking under the bright lights of infantry cameras, dazed to find himself in U.S. Army custody. Yet while the breaking news was broadcast around the world, the story of the remarkable events leading up to that moment on December 13, 2003 has never before been fully told. Mission: Black List #1 offers the full, behind-the-scenes account of the search for Saddam Hussein, as related by the Army interrogator whose individual courage and sheer determination made the capture possible.

In July of 2003, Staff Sergeant Eric Maddox was deployed to Baghdad alongside intelligence analysts and fellow interrogators. Their assignment was clear: gather actionable intelligence – leads that could be used to launch raids on High Value Targets within the insurgency. But, as Maddox recounts, hunting for the hidden links in the terrorist network would require bold and untested tactics, and the ability to never lose sight of the target, often hiding in plain sight. After months of chasing down leads, following hunches and interrogating literally hundreds of detainees, Sergeant Maddox uncovered crucial details about the insurgency. In his final days in Iraq he closed in on the dictator’s inner circle and, within hours of his departure from the country, pinpointed the precise location of Saddam’s Tikrit spider hole. Maddox’s candid and compelling narrative reveals the logic behind the unique interrogation process he developed, and provides an insider’s look at his psychologically subtle, non-violent methods. The result is a gripping, moment-by-moment account of the historic mission that brought down Black List #1.

Posted on May 2nd, 2012 at 10:09pm.