Day: May 2, 2014

A Novitiate Nun in Communist Poland: LFM Reviews Ida

By Joe Bendel. In Communist Poland, a vow of poverty hardly mattered. For one nun in training, the most challenging part of her novitiate will be meeting her sole living relative. It leads to some profound soul searching in Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, which opens today in New York.

Convent life is all Anna has ever known. Orphaned as an infant, the young woman will soon take her vows, but the mother superior insists she first visit her aunt Wanda. Neither has been pining to meet the other, in part because of what they represent. While Anna identifies with Poland’s strong Catholic tradition, Wanda is a notorious Stalinist era prosecutor and judge. “Red Wanda” as she is known, now lives a boozy, solitary existence, only occasionally relieved by brief “carnal” distractions. When Anna arrives unannounced, Red Wanda reveals the young woman’s true identity, almost as an act of hostility. Anna was actually born Ida Lebenstern to Jewish parents who perished during the war.

Despite her abrasive welcome, Red Wanda quickly warms to her niece, agreeing to set out with her in search of her parents’ remains. It will be a rather tricky task, given their sketchy information. Simultaneously, Red Wanda does her best to play Anna’s devil-on-the-shoulder, trying to convince her to sample some of life’s more adult pleasures before she completely renounces the secular world.

Ida might be opening May 2nd (the day after May Day), but audience members should take a heavy coat to the theater, because it is one of the chilliest films you will ever see. 1962 was a relatively stable period for Communist Poland (compared to the subsequent anti-Semitic campaign and imposition of martial law), but it was still a time of scarcity and drabness. Nonetheless, jazz was on the upswing with the smart set and not yet explicitly on the outs with the authorities. It just so happens, Lis, a talented saxophonist gigging at their provincial hotel, attracts Wanda’s leering stare and the awkwardly demur notice of her niece.

From "Ida."

Arriving on the heels of Władsław Pasikowski’s more confrontational Aftermath, Ida is clearly part of Poland’s continuing effort to process the national WWII experience, long deferred during the Communist era. However, this is a more personal meditation on identity and family. It is also unusually beautiful, in a severe, ascetic way. Ryszard Lenczewski & Lukasz Zal’s black-and-white cinematography is absolutely arresting, while Pawlikowski strikingly composes each shot, dwarfing his figures against imposing backdrops.

Acting within such a frame is quite a challenge, but newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska seems to grow along with her character, Anna/Ida, as the film progresses. Without question though, Agata Kulesza’s Red Wanda is the most successful breaking out of Pawlikowski’s frozen tableaux with her sharp elbows and razor-like tongue. Dawid Orognik also shows flashes of presence as Lis, while Joanna Kulig briefly catches the eye and ear as Lis’s band singer.

The British-based Pawlikowski makes a bold statement with his first Polish production, aesthetically and thematically. His deliberate pace and dark vision will limit Ida’s appeal even within arthouse circles, but it is an ambitious work of auteur level cinema. Recommended for disciplined cineastes, Ida opens this Friday (5/2) in New York at Film Forum.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 11:50pm.

LFM Reviews Soul Food Stories @ The 2014 SFIFF

By Joe Bendel. It is not about collard greens or any of the staples we consider delicious Soul Food. It is about the local cuisine that transcends religious and ethnic differences in a provincial Bulgarian hamlet, as well as the spiritual fuel that sustains the Muslim population during fasts. The villagers’ customs, foibles, prejudices, and culinary arts are quietly captured in Tonislav Hristov’s Soul Food Stories, which screens during the 2014 San Francisco International Film Festival.

The population of tiny Satovcha barely tops two thousand, but it is far from homogenous. Pomacs (long-established Bulgarian Muslims), Orthodox Christians, increasingly evangelical Roma, and unreconstructed atheist Marxists all make up a considerable percentage of the village. Despite religious and ideological differences, Satovcha remains peaceful (so far), held together by shared meals (and arguably a common sexism).

If you like savory pastries than Bulgarian cuisine will look delicious. The women of Satovcha seem to spend all their days cooking, so they have had time to hone their skills. In contrast, the men specialize in looking so rustic and eccentric we almost overlook how appalling some of their assertions truly are. The local Communist Party hack is a case in point. He takes great pains to explain that religion was not oppressed during the old regime, but it would get you fired if you were caught attending a house of worship. Okay, thanks for clearing that up.

Sadly, the Roma are (once again) the only demographic group not given a real chance to speak for themselves in Food. Instead, Hristov shows them looking understandably confused as the local Korean missionary gives a sermon in halting English that his translator only occasionally bothers to interpret for the flock. You start to wonder who is kidding whom.

From "Soul Food Stories."

Yet, by and large, Food is a hopeful film. Satovcha stands in marked contrast to the  experience of the former Yugoslavia. Notwithstanding the frustrations of minor apparatchiks, the fall of Communism also comes across as a good thing on balance, allowing our kind-of, sort-of POV couple to return to their traditional Pomac names and to freely practice their religion.

The productive Hristov (whose subsequent doc just premiered at Tribeca) catches some telling moments, but he is too content to amble through the bucolic town rather than setting a rigorous agenda. Wry but slight, Soul Food Stories will narrowly appeal to those who appreciate quietly quirky slice-of-life documentaries when it screens again Saturday (5/3) and Tuesday (5/6) as part of this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival.

LFM GRADE: C+

Posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 11:44pm.

LFM Reviews Finding Family @ The 2014 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival

By Joe Bendel. In a cruel twist of fate, Oggi Tomić’s Sarajevo orphanage may very well have been shelled by his Bosnian Serb relatives he had never had a chance to meet. It could have been an ironic tragedy worthy of Sophocles, but somehow Tomić survived the Siege. In collaboration with fellow filmmaker Chris Leslie, Tomić documents his bittersweet Bosnian homecoming and a somewhat reluctant journey into Srpska in search of his roots in Finding Family, which screens during the 2014 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival in New York.

Born with excess cranial flood, Tomić is arguably lucky to be alive. However, the infant came through emergency surgery with no long term damage, except for a bit of scar tissue on his scalp. The question of how much his birth-mother knew of his prognosis before abandoning him will understandably nag at the British based filmmaker.

Despite his Serbian name, Tomić always identified as Bosnian. After all, he was just as vulnerable to Serb shells as his fellow orphans. Without question, enduring the Siege instilled profound feelings of Bosnian solidarity in Tomić, undiminished by his new life in the United Kingdom.  As a result, he has serious misgivings about meeting his blood relatives, well beyond mere abandonment issues.

Given its structure (including an opening teaser), the hour-long Finding Family was clearly produced with the European television market in mind. Obviously Leslie & Tomić’s film addresses deep issues of identity and family, but its emotional impact is considerable nonetheless. Tomić is remarkably honest and direct expressing his lingering pain and resentments to Leslie and his camera. He also vividly recreates a sense of what it was like to come of age during a time of war.

There are moments in Finding Family that are raw and very definitely unscripted. Yet, it is a surprisingly optimistic film, capturing Tomić’s reunion with his early protector and his reawakened love for the city of Sarajevo. While several of Tomić’s encounters are indeed quite moving, the film never relies on cheap sentiment. Recommended for general doc watching audiences as well as loyal festival patrons, Finding Family screens this Saturday (5/3) as part of programming Block #6 at this year’s BHFF in New York.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 11:35pm.

LFM Reviews Supermensch @ Tribeca/SFIFF

By Joe Bendel. You have to have a real Zen-like attitude to successfully manage Alice Cooper. The drugs did not hurt either, at least in the early years. Starting with Alice Cooper (the band), Gordon expanded his roster to include clients like Anne Murray. You could call that a career. It certainly provides plenty of anecdotal grist for friend-of-Shep Mike Myers’ affectionate portrait Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, which had a special Tribeca Talks screening at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.

In true 1960s fashion, Gordon started managing Alice Cooper as a cover for his causal but considerable drug-dealing income. When law enforcement started getting nosy, he decided to make management a full time gig. The early years were tough, but Cooper (the man) gives Gordon credit for eventually making good on all the motel bills they skipped out on.

Eventually, Gordon’s long-term strategy—make parents hate Alice Cooper—paid off handsomely. Gordon would subsequently manage Murray, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, and Groucho Marx (the latter more as a fan’s act of devotion than as a money-making concern). Perhaps the most eye-opening sequence explains Gordon’s role in kicking off the celebrity chef phenomenon, making Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck rich and famous in the process. Of course, Cooper plays a central role in Myers’ profile, which makes sense both from a biographical standpoint and as an endless source of good material.

From "Supermensch."

As it happens, Supermensch is one of three interconnecting docs that played at this year’s Tribeca. Obviously, Gordon appears in Super Duper Alice Cooper and vice versa, but Cooper also briefly appears An Honest Liar, explaining the Amazing Randi’s role devising the guillotine routine for his stage show. All three are entertaining, but Super Duper’s rock & roll attitude combined with its Jekyll & Hyde psychoanalysis is ultimately more compelling than the breezy show biz vibe of Supermensch. By the way, if Gordon and Cooper had a connection to Bob Weir it did not come up in The Other One.

Regardless, the first-time director clearly had no trouble getting his fellow FOS’s to talk. Just about all of it is pretty funny stuff. Occasionally, Gordon gets serious, but Myers never lets that last, keeping things snappy throughout. For the post-screening discussion, Michael Douglas (another FOS) interviewed Gordon, eliciting more reminiscences. Frankly, a good number were repeats from the film, but you could say they were observing rock & roll’s “greatest hits” tradition. A pleasant source of bubbly, low calorie laughs and nostalgia, Supermensch is recommended for Boomer rock fans and aspiring talent managers. A crowd-pleaser at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon also screens tonight (5/2) during the San Francisco International Film Festival.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 11:28pm.

LFM Reviews Bright Days Ahead @ The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival

By Joe Bendel. Caroline looks considerably younger than her husband Philippe, but he still practices dentistry, whereas she has retired. That means she has time on her hands. Much to her surprise, she will find things to do at an upscale senior center that happens to employ a much younger but surprisingly receptive personal computing teacher. Fanny Ardant takes a diva turn in Marion Vernoux’s adultery drama Bright Days Ahead, which screened during the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.

Caroline is not adapting well to retirement. When her grown daughters buy her a trial membership at the Bright Days Ahead senior’s club, she nearly has a fit. You can hardly blame her—a name like that sounds like some sort of rehab clinic. Reluctantly, she starts going to Julien’s computer classes when their home PC goes on the Fritz. Before long, some cougar-himbo hanky-panky commences. Unfortunately, her increasing recklessness leads to inevitable exposure.

Even with the not exactly jaw-dropping age difference between the not-so secret lovers, Bright is a pretty standard exercise in cinematic infidelity. Yes, Ardant still has it, but what distinguishes Vernoux’s otherwise conventional screenplay (co-written with Fanny Chesnel) are a handful of blisteringly honest scenes and a quiet gut-check performance from Patrick Chesnais as the wronged husband.

Philippe is indeed wronged, a fact that Vernoux and Chesnel do nothing to water-down. Refusing to be conveniently submissive, he is a dignified yet emotionally messy rebuke to the of pat empowerment themes often bandied about by adulterous wife movies. Similarly, Caroline goes into the affair remarkably clear-headed, even helping Julien keep up appearances with his younger lovers. However, you might have to be a sixty-some year old French woman to appreciate the charms of Laurent Lafitte’s Julien.

Without question, it is the veterans Ardant and Chesnais who make Bright work to the extent it does, particularly in their scenes together. Rather undistinguished looking, it still has enough incisive moments that pop to make the whole worthwhile. Recommended for Francophiles, Bright Days Ahead has already opened in New York at the Quad Cinema, following its American premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. It also screens this Sunday (5/4) at the Montclair Film Film Festival in Jersey.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 11:21pm.

LFM Reviews The Protector 2

By Joe Bendel. Elephants have long held special cultural significance in Thailand, as symbols of both the royal family and Buddhism. Yet, for Kham, Korhn is no mere pachyderm. He is his spiritual brother. There is no better way to stress him out than kidnapping Korhn. For some strange reason, a shadowy MMA cabal does exactly that—again—in Prachya Pinkaew’s The Protector 2, which opens today in New York.

One afternoon, an elephant dealer’s sketchy lackeys drop by, offering what they consider a ridiculously generous price for Korhn. Naturally, after telling them off, Kham pops down to the market, leaving his elephant home alone. Seriously, that practically constitutes negligence. Launching a frontal on assault on the elephant fence’s villa, Kham finds old Boss Suchart already dead and his purloined elephant nowhere to be found. Not only has he obligingly stepped into the frame-job, Suchart’s martial arts proficient, sailor suit wearing nieces are quite upset with him.

Eventually, Kham will try to forge an alliance with the not-really-twins to bring down the man responsible for both their woes. That would be LC, the leader of a gun-running martial arts cult. Supposedly, he wants Kham to be his new #1 fighter, but we know from the daft in medias res opener, there is a larger scheme afoot.

Whatever. At least it all involves a series of massive throw-downs with the almost super human #2. LC’s loyal lover, #20, is no slouch either. As long as people are fighting, P2 works like a charm. However, there are some ridiculously over-the-top action sequences involving a motorcycle gang clearly intended for 3D that blatantly suffer from an unforgiving 2D rendering.

From "The Protector 2."

In case you forgot, the original Protector featured the awesome, long take tracking Kham fighting his way up a spiral Guggenheim-like vice den. His successive face-offs with #2 almost rank at that level, but collectively they last considerably longer. While Tony Jaa is just kind of okay when it comes to the conventional drama, his fight scenes, choreographed with Panna Rittikrai, are spectacular, as is #20’s wardrobe, rocked by Ratha Phongam, who was just about the only watchable part of Only God Forgives.

As the nieces, Chocolate’s JeeJa Yanin Wismitanan and Teerada Kittisiriprasert also show off some pretty amazing synchronized moves. However, despite all the scenery RZA chews as LC, Marresse Crump upstages his villainy as the lethally cool #2 (an absolute force of nature, worlds away from Robert Wagner’s #2 in the Austin Powers franchise).

There are times when both P2 and its hero are pretty dumb. Fortunately, the film is only really about two things: kicking butt and kicking more butt. Pure escapist meathead fun, The Protector 2 is recommended for fans of Jaa, Wismitanan, and Muay Thai films in general when it opens today (5/2) in New York at the Cinema Village.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on May 2nd, 2014 at 11:15pm.