Week in Film #1: 1/1/16-1/3/16

Week in Film #1: 1/1/16-1/3/16

Film of the Week: Holy Motors

 Year: 2012

 Director: Leos Carax

       Holy Motors is one hell of a convoluted, messy, confused, and brilliant piece of cinema. It pushes boundaries: both in coherency and in art. Its at once incredibly frustrating and possibly a masterpiece, maybe not even a flawed one, although maybe a deeply flawed one. What is it about? I really don't know. What I do know is that its captivating, beautiful, grotesque, uneasy, transcendent, and original, which are some of the most important things one looks for in great art.

       As far as I can draw from it, thats what the film is really about: art. Art, and specifically the art of performance. A man travels around Paris dressing up in different elaborate outfits, meeting "appointments", which usually involve him participating in some bizarre scenario or situation, sometimes erotic, sometimes musical, sometimes deadly, sometimes lots of things. The film is commentating on the absurdity of art, and the limits of it, or how far you can push it in other words. It might also be about the absurdity of life in general. The silly ways we behave, the seemingly random acts of violence, love, and other things that are committed everyday, all conveyed through performances echoing and enhancing the struggles of the real world.

       These "performances" range from biting peoples fingers off at fashion shoots to acting out the death of a loved one to someone the actor doesn't even know, in fact, another person who shares the same odd profession. Some of these scenes work beautifully, like for example the part where the protagonist (if you can call him that) dresses all in green and rampages through a graveyard eating flowers, the accordion/band sequence, or the "who were we" song sequence. Others do not, such as the cold blood murder of Theo, or the odd ending with chimpanzees that doesn't seem to make any sort of sense (not that any of it does). It's a mixed bag, but every individual item in said bag as it the very least interesting. I was never bored during it.

       When it comes down to it, it doesn't add up to any sort of conclusion or answer to the giant question mark that this film is, but I don't think that that's the point anyway. Maybe I just haven't thought it through all the way, or maybe I need to see it again, but I'm not entirely convinced there is a point at all. It could be that it's creating art for the sake of art, and thats why the actors, I guess you might call them in the story, perform the seemingly random acts of... well, randomness. For the sake of creating something, even if that something is nonsensical, and more than a little deranged.

   Rating: B+

The Rest:

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
   Year: 1975
   Director: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

       Quite simply one of the greatest comedies ever made. In that style of silliness that only Monty Python can perform, the film goes from hilarious scene to hilarious scene with disjointed narrative somehow brought together with fluid pacing and great direction and visual style. Absurdity and truly unique sense of comedy run through this, using bold and somehow magically effective techniques that seem like they should derail the film, but somehow just make it that much more funny and entertaining. There is not one joke that falls flat here, and the entirety of it is essentially quotable from beginning to end. This is one of the truly great comedic masterpieces, a rare broad comedy that transcends its genre and becomes a great movie in and of itself.

   Rating: A

Love and Mercy
   Year: 2015
   Director: Bill Pohlad

       More than just your ordinary bog standard biopic, this film captures Brian Wilson's painful and brilliant life with a more interesting viewpoint, and real artistic style, as opposed to the usual formulaic route these films tend to take. Pohlad wisely decides to focus on Wilson's story instead of the Beach Boys story, and therefore is able to bring into understanding the mans vision and musical genius, as well as create a powerful and effective character study of a deeply troubled man. Dano does a good job portraying Wilson as a troubled, sensitive, tender human being, as does Cusack, although it must be said not as deeply or as effectively as his younger form. While not quite a revolution, definitely a breath of fresh air for biopics.

   Rating: B

The Times of Harvey Milk
   Year: 1984
   Director: Rob Epstein

       A classic documentary that brings profound feeling to the life and impact of Harvey Milk. Using insightful interviews and archival footage, this film takes us into the politics and atmosphere of the time. The most surprising thing about the film is the emotional heft that the film is able to conjure, and the impact it has on the viewer. It is also interesting to draw parallels to today, and how much better things are as well has how little change there has been in some regards. A thoughtful and well made documentary.

   Rating: B

Dope
   Year: 2015
   Director: Rick Famuyiwa

       With an electricity and vibrancy that is hard to capture, Dope is another take on that classic archetypal story: the coming of age tale. This, however, is also a commentary on race and class in modern America, as well as an honest look at youth culture and what it's like growing up in poverty stricken conditions. I was surprised to see things such as regular searches of schools and a metal detector at the front door of them as well. The young cast in this does a good job, and all three main leads show promise. Well done new take on the genre.

   Rating: C+

The Double Life of Veronique
   Year: 1991
   Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski

       Kieslowski is a filmmaker obsessed with chance and fate, and it has never taken more center stage than in this film. Shrouded in mystery and surrounded by an air of magical surrealism, it holds a fairy tale aura about it, or maybe more like one of a dream. It's beautiful in many ways, and the most notable is the gorgeous green and gold tinted cinematography. Kieslowski's films, especially the later ones, have rich color pallets, and utilize bold, stand out hues to express emotion and give an amazing look to his films. The shot compositions too are often simply amazing and frame things in such a way that it tells the story itself, and helps fill in the many blanks this film has (not a criticism). Finally, there is Irene Jacob, who is just as good in this as she was in another Kieslowski film, Red, possibly even better. Deep in mystery and full of beauty.

   Rating: A-

The Tale of Zatoichi
   Year: 1962
   Director: Kenji Misumi

       An exciting and surprisingly emotional first chapter in the 20 plus entry long filmic saga of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman. I had seen this before, but revisiting it to kick off a marathon of every film in the series, I was reminded of just how well made and especially well shot and performed this was. The black and white cinematography is often stunning, with more than a couple of great shots. The action is well thought out too, all fast and explosive. What really took me off guard though was the emotional power of some scenes, particularly the final sword fight on the bridge. Shintaro Katsu is very good as the titular character, and leaves you anticipating seeing more from him as the series continues.

   Rating: B+

Following
   Year: 1998
   Director: Christopher Nolan

       I guess that's why you shouldn't follow people. A neo-noir that is very clearly influenced by it's predecessors with all the usual trapping: femme fatale, black and white photography, etc. I found this enjoyable and well made, but not particularly new or too inventive, apart from the interesting use of non-linear narrative. Overall middle of the road. Good but nothing to write home about. Nolan's best work is still yet to come.

   Rating: C+