I'm stumbling in the dark, groping for the light switch. I drank some terrible port, and my balance is questionable. I fall to the ground with a noisy crash.
We have plenty of movies about the trials of being a teenager, and you would think that the film-going population would be weary of it by now. Do we need another Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Dazed and Confused?
I suppose the answer is an emphatical, unequivocal 'yes' - these movies have all found success and popularity not only for the subject matter, but for the sense that they accurately portrayed that period in time. That is, the 80s for Fast Times and the 90s for Dazed and Confused.
Well, where are we for the 00s? The lost decade? The ten years of no economic growth, but a time where technology pushed us to the limit of how much information we could possibly have?
I would argue, truthfully, that Lisa Azuelo's LOL (Laughing out loud) is a defining movie of this decade, a rousing, volatile ball of parties, angry lust, spurned love and ferocious music.
Christa Theret plays Lola, a striking teenaged girl who is on the cusp of adulthood, who longs to rush into the adult world of independence, freedom and sexual exploits, but is tenaciously held back by her mother, played by Sophie Marceau.
Azuelo's film is fast moving and frenetically cut, a movie to please a younger generation. Where are my long takes, I gnashed in grumpy misanthropy, but was placated by an excellent story, slow-building, giving the audience insight into the world of mother and daughter.
Marceau holds the camera effortlessly when she's onscreen (glorious, sparkling Sophie Marceau!), and her role seems to culminate in her exasperation to her friends, where she admits that, while she sought sexual liberation and the freedom to make her own decisions,she couldn't bear the same for her daughter.
LOL makes great use of this hypocrisy, which runs rampant today - my parent's generation were Boomers, they who ingested, inhaled and became; my generation tried even harder to get on the good foot and raise a little hell. I sympathize with the yet-to-materialize plight of our kids, who, as teenagers, will roll their eyes at two generations of adults, scoffing at them as we snuff martinis.
I say: An excellent, moving film, one definitely worth seeing at the French Film Festival. These kids these days, they're alright.
See it for: In the latter half of the film, this class of French students goes on a trip to England; the director has a fabulous time poking a little fun of the English and their quirks.
Not for the fact that he writes, directs and stars in his own movies. Not for his bumbling character that seems unable to function normally in the world.
No - perhaps the most direct link from Mouret to Woody is that both directors are beside themselves with glee, packing their movies with beautiful, unobtainable women, as if this was normal, everyday life.
As you can clearly see from the series of stills from the movie, "Please Please Me" is two hours of Mouret looking dumfounded (or flabbergasted) while cute French women pout and make passes at him.
Ah, I jest, I jest - but not by much. Emmanuel Mouret plays a hapless fool that is haziliy given permission by his night-shift working wife to find sexual comfort outside of their relationship. She goes off to work, and he receives a call from a woman he met in a cafe - can he come to party that night?
The series of events that unfold put Mouret through a harrowing experience, inspired, perhaps, by Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut", but with Mouret fumbling through the night like Charlie Chaplin in a bordello.
While Mouret will probably never be applauded for his comic genius, his acting abilities, or his skillful pen, his comedies are pleasing to watch and stress-relieving. He falls short of towering giants like Woody Allen or Claude Chabrol, who make comedies seem effortless while still weighing as much as a ton of bauxite.
Nevertheless, "Please Please Me" is a perfect entry for the French Film Festival - a film that you can invite your not-so-close friends to, just to catch up, putting everyone in a mood that invites a post-cinema coffee and animated discussions.
I say: Cheerful, pleasant and the perfect antidote to the incessant rain in Sydney this week - catch it at the Festival and you'll be whisked away.
See it for: While most of the physical gags fall flat, there's one with a curtain that made me sputter.
You're a survivor in a barren world after a devastating undisclosed apocalypse has destroyed all vegetation, leaving the soil infertile. Nothing will grow. And the earth is cold, and the sun is an echo in your mind. The weather is at best, overcast and cloudy, with a chance of precipitation. You're hungry for a nice juicy steak. But all the cows have been slaughtered for food, long ago. There are hungry cannibals chasing after you. What do you do?
Welcome to 'The Road', a movie based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Cormac McCarthy.
Viggo Mortensen plays the hardened everyman who survives in a barren world, protecting his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) that was born post-apocalypse, never knowing about playgrounds or the sunshine. They are just alien concepts in a world where the father has just two bullets in his gun: one for his son, and one for himself. Names are irrelevant in a movie like this, where the main characters are suitable called The Man and The Boy. Charlize Theron has a smaller role as The Wife with little hope, in flashbacks seen throughout the movie.
Mortensen has played this role before: a character hardened by circumstances beyond his control, struggling to maintain his humanity. And he does a great job at it, as always. The boy is really good, too, as he struggles to grow up as a lonely, friendless child in a grim, grim world.
Both the director John Hillcoat and cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe paint a bleak landscape full of dirty grey and foreboding, where hope is almost non-existent and compassion will get you killed. They are hauntingly effective. I felt myself drawn into this movie, and found myself wondering, what would I do in a world like this? Some scenes can be quite suspenseful, especially as The Man descends into the darkness down a flight of stairs in different parts of the movie, in search of something---- anything useful to survive.
If there's a movie that will make you question whether your fellow humans will eat you, this is it. If there's a movie that will leave a sick stench of decay in your mouth, this is it. If you like to watch really depressing movies, this is it.
Watch The Road! You'll hate it and love it at the same time. Youll want to wash your dirty hands afterwards, to wash off the dirt that doesnt exist.
The Road raises a great question: What do you do in a post-apocalyptic world, where humanity has no future, and extinction is inevitable? Do you resort to cannibalism, suicide, or live a difficult, moral life, based on society that no longer exists?
I know one thing for sure: I'll have to stockpile some canned food in my basement.
Jack Charles was a familiar face on the Australian film and theatre scene in the 60s and 70s - a distinctive Indiginous actor, he appeared in over a hundred productions, on stage, on celluloid and on television. Now, at the age of 60, as he wanders homeless through the Melbourne suburbs, he seems to have blossomed, even as he finds despair and hardship in his old age, comforted by the cold nails of heroin
Maria Sole Tognazzi's latest drama awakened the interest of many dormant film enthusiasts, looking forward to a rich, heavy atmosphere, led by the stellar cast of Monica Bellucci, Ksenia Rappoport and Pierfrancesco Favino.
"The Man Who Loves (L'uomo che ama)" gives us a dark story, encased in shadows and pain; Roberto is a pharmacist who is unable to sleep despite his luscious silk sheets and neatly trimmed apartment; his life a pale reflection of misery, despite the fact that everything looks right on paper
Without having read the novel written by Melania Mazzucco, I felt hesitant watching "A Perfect Day (Un giorno perfetto)", as if I was surrounded by one hundred laughing jackals, sneering at my confusion. Who were these characters, and why did they watch glumly from the shadows?
At night, a crumbling museum guarded by well-meaning, but hapless security guards, stands alone on a deserted street in Chongqing, China. It's the perfect target for thieves, as the flimsy defenses stand to protect an unbelievably rare jade stone on display at the museum.
While most media about the perils of love focus on the trials of being young, I've come to realize that the most dangerous time in your life is this time, when you're 30.
Sure, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Dazed and Confused" correctly identified the uncertainty and insecurity of high school as being a major defining moment in life, but those are problems quickly left behind. My social issues in high school dissolved the moment I left for University, where the new environment meant that I could shape myself anyway I'd like
An interesting comment thread on Reddit asks the question: what is the worst casting that you've seen in a movie?
One user immediately identifies Halle Berry as Storm in the X-Men movies, and I think we can all agree on that. While Berry may be one of the most attractive actresses plying her perfect skin in Hollywood, the original character of Storm had this heavy edge, with a personality that could turn from understanding to commanding
I've been so used to using my underpowered, simple mobile phone that I've never realized how much power can be contained in these little devices. It's easy enough to fill your pockets with gadgets - music players, pocket computers and mobiles - but that's just weighing me down. And I'm only holding up my pants with a length of electrical tape
It's not a compelling film at all, unfortunately, but I appreciate what Herzog was trying to accomplish...
...I read an interview with Herzog that said that he screened the movie with an audience that underwent hypnosis and it went very, very well. He wanted to make a link between the actors that were hypnotized on film and the audience that would hypnotize themselves... I wonder if that would work?
JD, thanks... good to see you're around... this is a very interesting film, surprisingly touching without being manipulative.
Fog, you're definitely right... seems like the director was more than an observer. Charles also used the director for access to legal representation and dealing with the police. Not sure how it'll all turn out...
Matt, no voice over, thankfully... dubbing into English is the most heinous crime of all... was Red Cliff dubbed? Ah... go out of your way to see the original two-part movie!
Rusty - Infernal Affairs is definitely worth buying, and even "The Departed" is fun watching...
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...I read an interview with Herzog that said that he screened the movie with an audience that underwent hypnosis and it went very, very well. He wanted to make a link between the actors that were hypnotized on film and the audience that would hypnotize themselves... I wonder if that would work?