Monday, April 30, 2012

The Indescribable Beauty of Andrzej Zulawski: Complete Works

Even the most avid cinephile often takes considerable time to work their way through an entire master's filmography. Often, there are several titles of every great director that are out of print or inaccessible. Until 2012, this was true for a few titles from master filmmaker Andrzej Zulawski, the Polish genius, director of 12 remarkable titles unlike anything ever done by any other filmmaker. He's still alive and well, though he hasn't directed anything since his divorce from French actress Sophie Marceau. In March of 2012, the first US retrospectives of his work concurrently took place in Los Angeles in NYC. Hopefully, he will be able to secure funding due to a renewed interest in his work, and, if wishes come true, he will be to direct at least one more beautiful monster for us.

I first discovered Zulawski in 2003 through his most infamous and well known title, the schizo/horror/divorce allegory, Possession (1981), featuring one of the most visceral performances ever committed to film by the beautiful Isabelle Adjani (who won Best Actress at Cannes that year). Denounced as one of the nefarious video nasties of the early 80's, I was able to rent a weatherworn VHS copy after ravaging the stacks of a Hollywood Video in Minneapolis, MN. Unfortunately, the quality of the tape was a definite impediment to the film, with a terrible audio track and murky visials. Then, in 2007, I purchased a Region 2 copy of the film from Spain, the artwork featuring the voluptuously stunning French artwork of a Medusa with a snake strand biting the woman's bosom, a stunningly sensual, serpentine, and cannibalistic image. Finally, I was able to witness this utterly strange and fascinating film, hosting a memorable movie night in celebration.

While the rest of Zulawski's titles were equally as hard to track down, the retrospective afforded me the opportunity to watch two of his rarest titles, The Blue Note (1991), and his film version of a Hungarian opera, Boris Godunov (1989), which had never been screened before in the US. Divisive, intelligent, confoundingly emotional, undoubtedly impressive, Andrzej Zulawski may very well stand as my favorite director of all time. There isn't a filmmaker that comes close to capturing such consuming emotion on screen. Here's my list of his films, from best to least favorite (not including two shorts he directed in the late 1960s), but all are extraordinary pieces of filmmaking and worth your time.

12. Boris Godunov (1989)
11. The Public Woman (1984)
10. La Fidelite (2000)
9. The Devil (1972)
8. L'amour Braque (1985)
7. My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days (1989)
6. On the Silver Globe (1988)
5. The Blue Note (1991)
4. The Third Part of the Night (1971)
3. Szamanka (1996)
2. The Important Thing Is To Love (1975)
1. Possession (1981)





Thursday, April 19, 2012

Yes you Cannes! 2012 Lineup






One year, I'll be there! Until then, my Top 15 most anticipated titles just announced this morning:



15. In the Fog - Dir. Sergei Loznitsa (Russia)
14. Like Someone In Love - Dir. Abbas Kiarostami (France/Japan)
13. Holly Motors - Dir. Leos Caraz (France)
12. Antiviral - Dir. Brandon Cronenberg (Canada)
11. The Hunt - Dir. Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)
10. Mud - Dir. Jeff Nicholas (US)
9. Three Worlds - Dir. Catherine Corsini (France)
8. The Paperboy - Dir. Lee Daniels (US)
7. Post Tenebras Lux - Dir. Carlos Reygadas (Mexico)
6. Rust and Bone - Dir. Jacques Audiard (France)
5. Cosmopolis - Dir. David Cronenberg (US)
4. In Another Country - Dir. Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)
3. Laurence Anyways - Dir. Xavier Dolan (France)
2. Paradise: Love - Dir. Ulrich Seidl (Austria
1. Amour - Dir. Michael Haneke (France)

And, yes, I am excited for some new docs directed by Fatih Akin and Sebastien Lifshitz, Mekong Hotel (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), Killing Them Softly (Andrew Dominik), Beyond the Hills (Cristian Mungiu), and Elefante Blanco (Pablo Trapero).

Monday, April 2, 2012

Out of the Past: The Month In Film, March 2012


Top 10:
10. The Prowler (1951) Dir. Joseph Losey – US
9. The Devil (1972) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – Poland
8. Project Nim (2011) Dir. James Marsh – US/UK
7. Whity (1971) Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder – West Germany
6. L’amour Braque (Mad Love) (1985) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski - France
5. My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days (1989) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – France
4. Domain (2009) Dir. Patric Chiha – France
3. The Third Part of the Night (1971) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – Poland
2. The Blue Note (1991) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – France/Germany
1. Szamanka (1996) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – Poland

Recommended:
Fidelity (2000) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – France
Aurora (2010) Dir. Cristi Puiu – Romania
Bullitt (1968) Dir. Peter Yates – US
I Only Want You To Love Me (1976) Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder – West Germany
Lola (1961) Dir. Jacques Demy – France
Retreat (2011) Dir. Carl Tibbets – UK
Bedevilled (2010) Dir. Jang Chul-soo – South Korea
Night Warning (1983) Dir. William Asher – US
Boris Godunov (1989) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – France/Spain

Of Interest:
Flesh and Fantasy (1943) Dir. Julien Duvivier – US
Get Real (1998) Dir. Simon Shore – UK
In Time (2011) Dir. Andrew Niccol – US
MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) Dir. Bernard L. Kowalski – US

Theatrical Screenings:
Szamanka (1996) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – Poland
The Blue Note (1991) Dir. Andrzej Zulawski – France/Germany 10/10
Sound of My Voice (2011) Dir. Zal Batmanglij – US 10/10
Living (2012) Dir. Vasili Sigarev – Russia 10/10
Monsieur Lazhar (2011) Dir. Philippe Falardeau – Canada 10/10
Perfect Sense (2011) Dir. David Mackenzie – UK/Ireland 10/10
Headhunters (2011) Dir. Morten Tyldum – Norway 9/10
Americano (2011) Dir. Mathieu Demy – France 9/10
Detachment (2011) Dir. Tony Kaye – US 8/10
Footnote (2011) Dir. Joseph Cedar – Israel 8/10
The Hunger Games (2012) Dir. Gary Ross – US 7/10
Bully (2011) Dir. Lee Hirsch & Alicia Dwyer – US 7/10
Turn Me On, Dammit! (2011) Dir. Jannicke Systad Jacobsen – Norway 7/10
This Is Not A Film (2011) Dir. Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtamasb – Iran 7/10
Avalon (2011) Dir. Axel Peterson – Sweden 7/10
4:44 – Last Day On Earth (2011) Dir. Abel Ferrara – US 6/10
Friends With Kids (2011) Dir. Jennifer Westfeldt – US 6/10
The Raid: Redemption (2011) Dir. Gareth Evans – Indonesia 4/10
Girl In Progress (2012) Dir. Patricia Riggens – US 4/10
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2011) Dir. Lasse Hallstrom – UK 3/10
Darling Companion (2012) Dir. Lawrence Kasdan – US 3/10

Rewatched:
MST3K: PARTS – The Clonus Horror (1979) Dir. Robert Fiveson – US 9/10

The Banal:
Tower Heist (2011) Dir. Brett Ratner – US
The Thing (2011) Dir. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. – US/Canada
Jailbait (2004) Dir. Brett C. Leonard
What’s Your Number? (2011) Dir. Mark Mylod – US
The Oregonian (2011) Dir. Calvin Reeder – US
What? (1972) Dir. Roman Polanski – Italy/France
Real Steel (2011) Dir. Shawn Levy – US

Cess Pool Cinema:
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part One (2011) Dir. Bill Condon – US
Hostel Part III (2011) Dir. Scott Spiegel – US