Mister Lonely

I haven't heard much about Harmony Korine in years. He's been living on through Julien Donkey Boy, a fantastic dogma film, Kids and Gummo, but I was convinced that he had been swallowed up by the New York art scene, doomed to be a producer or worse - a snotty backstage loafer. I was wrong. Korine has a new film titled Mister Lonely, that tells the quaint little story about a commune of impersonators. It stars Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien) as Michael Jackson, Samantha Morton (Minority Report, In America) as Marilyn Monroe and Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre - Wrath of God) as a pilot working with nuns in third world countries. I about fell out of my chair when I saw the trailer. Whomever puts this stuff together (I'm positive it's not Korine) has it packaged as a feel good indie flick. Have we learned nothing from Little Miss Sunshine and Juno? Nothing against these films, but I am no longer falling for the indie ploy. Trust no one. As a fan of his work I'll watch anything that Korine puts together - if only to walk away from it disgusted, confused or manipulated. The reviews are poor for Mister Lonely, nothing new for Korine. Filmcritic.com called Julien Donkey Boy 'a nihilistic bit of crap that wants to be oh-so-cool but is really just a low-budget exploration of nothing'. I don't want anyone going to see this movie and complaining that it wasn't what they thought it would be. See something, anything, that Korine had his hands in before you open that mouth of yours. This goes for me as well.

Mister Lonely
Cinematical Review
Time Out London Review
Julien Donkey Boy
Dogme 95

The Fall

Apologies to those who find fantasy to be a dying genre. The Fall, directed by Tarsem Singh, is scheduled for release on May 9th, but the reviews are mixed (and missing). Tarsem is the director of The Cell, and although he travels short distances to come up with film titles, his imagination more than makes up for it. Jennifer Lopez is not the best of actresses, yet her performance in The Cell is watchable, as is Vincent Donofrio and Vince Vaughn's (pre comedy). The structure of The Fall is predictable - man tells young girl stories that weave characters from reality into fairy tales. David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) said that this is "what would've happened if Andrei Tarkovsky had made The Wizard of Oz "(firstshowing). The acting doesn't seem particularly strong but no one loved Terry Gilliam for eliciting strong performances. Tarsem's gift lies in the visual, and after films like 300, which left me feeling two-toned, I am more than excited to partake in any colorful adventure. The Fall received mixed reviews when it premiered at Toronto in 2006 but two directors saw something that the critics didn't. Aforementioned David Fincher and Spike Jones (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) are titled as presenters in the trailer, which could mean anything from money to marketing. Tarsem independently financed the film, using a large percentage of his own purse, and part of me wants to reach out to the film for its sans-studio qualities. This doesn't always produce great results but its better than giving 20th Century Fox ten dollars.

The Fall
First Showing
The Cell
Andrei Tarkovsky

In Bruges

Is it worth ten dollars? Yes. Is it perfect? No. This is Martin McDonagh's first film (his short Six Shooter won an Oscar in 2007), and I'll admit that I am more excited about what he'll make in the future than I was about In Bruges. I left this film thinking about the directors who have amazed us with their perfected first features. Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko, Christopher Nolan's Memento and David Gordon Green's George Washington. Considering what these gentlemen are up to presently (Southland Tales, Batman Begins and Snow Angels), peaking early doesn't fair well for audiences. In Bruges is not a masterpiece. It's mis-matched at points and although the writing, acting and plot structure are strong they are weaved together in a sloppy way. The trailers for this film made me think it was kin to an MTV production or a terrible Guy Richie knockoff. Mr. McDonagh's work is different. His characters are flushed out, there is genuine interaction and plenty of witty dialogue. The structure is uniform, you know whats coming, but not exactly when. Unfortunately, In Bruges is a little sloppy. I found myself wondering what kind of movie Mr. McDonagh was trying to make. It's too sentimental to be entirely bad ass. It's also to violent to be taken seriously. I think that he did a great job of blending conventions, but I got a clear sense that he wasn't quite sure of why he was was doing it. This makes sense. It's his first feature. I am convinced that his next project will be more refined, nuanced. He is extremely talented -- Colin Farrel's performance (yes, performance) is as strong as it is because Mr. McDonagh gave him an amazing character. Public Service Announcement : This movie is gory and not in the way you would expect. It's almost entirely manipulative (one of the traits that didn't fit in with the rest of the film) so you can, thankfully, imagine your way out if it. This movie was certainly a ride and I highly recommend it. In Bruges provides at least an hour of talk time so have your dinner afterwards.

In Bruges
George Washington
Snow Angels
Southland Tales

Call for Curators

For those of you who live in New York -- Film Forum is hosting a United Artists retrospective. This was one of the first studios back in the good old days and they're celebrating 90 years. For those of you who live else where - create your own film festival. Movies range from Annie Hall and Midnight Cowboy to Dr. No and The Great Escape. I highly recommend Night of the Hunter; Robert Mitchum plays a chilling con man. Catch up with some old favorites or branch out into Chaplin or Keaton. There isn't a movie on this list that will disappoint, you simply need to chose.

Film Forum
Night of the Hunter
United Artists

Background Check

Documentaries were the bread and butter of many film festivals this year. Standard Operating Procedure, the newest installment from director Errol Morris, is a film about Abu Ghraib and the scandal that surrounded the photo leaks. It’ s scheduled to hit theaters soon and in preparation for it’s release, here are a few informational and critical responses. Film Comment reviewed Standard Operating Procedure and makes some great connections between Saw, Hostel and how we watch violence on the big screen in America. The New Yorker’s feature in it’s March 24th edition, Exposure - The woman behind the camera at Abu Ghraib, was co-written by Errol Morris and it sets up some great questions to approach the film with. More and more people will be talking about this movie; for it’s cinematic attributes as well as it’s topical subject matter. Be prepared.

Standard Operating Procedure
Film Comment
The New Yorker

When in Romania

The time to catch 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days has passed, but there is still plenty of Romanian Cinema to discover. The Harvard Film Archive had a series on Romanian directors and although we wont be able to get our hands on much -- unless you live in New York or Chicago -- their list is very comprehensive. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 12:08 to Bucharest are both available through Netflix. Most of these films have a realistic and washed out look, don’t approach them with glossy desires. They are strong character pieces that center around conversation and movement rather than plot. Regardless of how you feel – in 4 months you’re headed for a breakdown of emotion – you will feel something. If you don’t, I apologize. It’s not my fault you have no soul.

4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
The Harvard Film Archive