Out of the Past: The Month In Film, July 2013

Top 10:


10. Songs From the Second Floor (2000) Dir. Roy Andersson – Sweden
9. A Swedish Love Story (1977) Dir. Roy Andersson – Sweden
8. Vanishing Waves (2012) Dir. Kristina Buozyte – Lithuania
7. The Hairdresser (2010) Dir. Doris Dorrie – Germany
6. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Dir. Sergio Leone – US
5. Life of Jesus (1997) Dir. Bruno Dumont - France
4. Pitfall (1962) Dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara – Japan
3. Eureka (2000) Dir. Shinji Aoyama – Japan
2. The Seed of Man (1969) Dir. Marco Ferrerri – Italy
1. The Life of Oharu (1952) Dir. Kenji Mizoguchi – Japan

Of Interest:
Merci La Vie (1991) Dir. Bertrand Blier – France
Movie 43 (2013) Dir. Various – US
Another Country (1984) Dir. Marek Kanievska – UK
Carrie (1952) Dir. William Wyler – US
The War at Home (1996) Dir. Emilio Estevez – US

Banal:
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) Dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber – US
Orca (1977) Dir. Michael Anderson – US
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) Dir. Robert Wise – US
I Saw What You Did (1965) Dir. William Castle – US
The Collectress (2008) Dir. Kristina Buozyte – Lithuania
21 & Over (2013) Dir. Jon Lucas & Scott Moore – US

Theatrical Screenings:
Blue Jasmine (2013) Dir. Woody Allen – US 10/10
Blackfish (2013) Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite – US 10/10
Pacific Rim (2013) Dir. Guillermo Del Toro – US 9/10
Child’s Pose (2013) Dir. Calin Peter Netzer – Romania 8/10
The Frozen Ground (2012) Dir. Scott Walker – US 8/10
Beneath (2013) Dir. Larry Fessenden – US 8/10
Computer Chess (2013) Dir. Andrew Bujalski – US 8/10
Viola (2012) Dir. Matias Pineiro – Argentina 7/10
The Colony (2013) Dir. Jeff Renfroe – Canada 7/10
Drinking Buddies (2013) Dir. Joe Swanberg – US 7/10
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) Dir. James Wan – US 7/10
Jug Face (2013) Dir. Chad Crawford Kinkle – US 6/10
Broken (2012) Dir. Rufus Norris – UK 6/10
The Artist and the Model (2013) Dir. Fernando Trueba – France/Spain 5/10
The Purge (2013) Dir. James DeMonaco – US 4/10
The Complex (2013) Dir. Hideo Nakata – Japan 4/10
Still Mine (2012) Dir. Michael McGowan – Canada 4/10
The Time Being (2012) Dir. Nenad Cicin-Sain – US 3/10
Girl Most Likely (2012) Dir. Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini – US 3/10
I Give It a Year (2013) Dir. Dan Mazer – 2/10
Killing Season (2012) Dir. Mark Steven Johnson – US 1/10
Ritual: A Psychomagic Story (2012) Dir. Giulia Brazzale & Luca Immesi – Italy 1/10

Rewatched:
Jawbreaker (1999) Dir. Darren Stein – US
Pieta (2012) Dir. Kim Ki-duk – South Korea
Oldboy (2003) Dir. Park Chan-wook – South Korea
Female on the Beach (1955) Dir. Joseph Pevney – US
Border Run (2013) Dir. Gabriela Tagliavini – US
Drug War (2012) Dir. Johnnie To – Japan

Cess Pool:
The Lonely Lady (1983) Dir. Peter Sasdy – US
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013) Dir. Tyler Perry – US
Liz and Dick (2013) Dir. Lloyd Kramer – US
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) Dir. Jon Chu – US
Butterfly (1982) Dir. Matt Cimber – US
The Cloth (2013) Dir. Justin Price – US

Best of Fest: Outfest 2013

Best of Fest:

1. In the Name Of… - Dir. Malgorzara Szuowska (Poland)
2. The Happy Sad - Dir. Rodney Evans (US)
3. The Last Match - Dir. Antonio Hens (Spain/Cuba)
4. Reaching for the Moon - Dir. Bruno Barreto (Brazil)
5. Bridegroom - Dir. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (US)
6. Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf? - Dir. Anna Margarita Albelo (US)
7. G.B.F. - Dir. Darren Stein (US)
8. Igloo - Dir. Diego Ruiz (Chile)
9. Animals - Dir. Marcal Fores (Spain)
10. In Bloom - Dir. Chris Michael Birkmeier (US)


Recommended:
1. Bwakaw - Dir. Jun Robles Lana (Philippines)
2. Suddenly Last Summer/Going South - Dir. Leesong Hee-il (South Korea)
3. Big Gay Love - Dir. Ringo Le (US)
4. Born This Way - Dir. Shaun Kadlec & Deb Tullman (US/Cameroon)

Pass:
1. Breaking the Girls - Dir. Jamies Babbit (US)
2. Hot Guys With Guns - Dir. Doug Spearman (US)
3. Valencia - Dir. Various (US)
4. Southern Baptist Sissies - Dir. Del Shores (US)

Best of Fest: LA Film Fest 2013

Best of Fest:

1. The Fifth Season - Dir. Peter Brosens & Jessica Woodworth (Belgium)
2. Drug War - Dir. Johnnie To (Japan)
3. Two Men in Manhattan (1959) - Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville (France)
4. Lesson of the Evil - Dir. Takashi Miike (Japan)
5. Venus Vs. - Dir. Ava DuVernay (US)
6. The Act of Killing - Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer (Denmark/UK)
7. Wadjda - Dir. Haifaa Al-Mansour (Saudi Arabia)
8. The Conjuring - Dir. James Wan (US)
9. I’m So Excited - Dir. Pedro Almodovar (Spain)
10. Nobody’s Daughter - Dir. Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)

Best of the Rest:
1. Delivery - Dir. Brian Netto (US)
2. Short Term 12 - Dir. Destin Cretton (US)
3. In a World… - Dir. Lake Bell (US)
4. Boxing Day - Dir. Bernard Rose (UK/US)
5. Between Two Worlds (2009) - Dir. Vimukthi Jayasundara (Indonesia)
6. House with a Turret - Dir. Eva Neymann (Ukraine)

Of Interest:
1. The House That Jack Built - Dir. Henry Barrial (US)
2. Europa Report - Dir. Sebastian Cordero (US)
3. Pollywogs - Dir. Karl Jacob (US)

Pass:
1. The Patience Stone - Dir. Atiq Rahimi (Afghanistan)
2. Goodbye World - Dir. Denis Hennelly (US)
3. All Together Now - Dir. Alexander Mirecki (US)

Out of the Past: The Month in Film, June 2013

Top 10:

10. Outside the Law (2010) Dir. Rachid Bouchareb – France/Algeria
9. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (2010) Dir. Andrei Ujica – Romania
8. My God My God Why Have You Forsaken Me? (2005) Dir. Shinju Aoyama – Japan
7. A Lake (2008) Dir. Philippe Grandrieux – France
6. The World (2004) Dir. Jia Zhang-ke – Japan
5. Calmos (1976) Dir. Bertrand Blier – France
4. The Visit (1964) Dir. Bernhard Wicki – US/France/Italy
3. Planet of the Apes (1968) Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner – US
2. Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978) Dir. Bertrand Blier – France
1. Marketa Lazarova (1967) Dir. Frantisek Vlacil - Czechoslovakia


Of Interest:
Colors (1988) Dir. Dennis Hopper – US
Avida (2006) Dir. Gustave de Kervern & Benoit Delepine – Belgium
Seed of Chucky (2004) Dir. Don Mancini – US
Tormented (2011) Dir. Takashi Shimizu – Japan
Betty and Coretta (2013) Dir. Yves Simoneau – US
Buffet Froid (1978) Dir. Bertrand Blier – France
Housesitter (1991) Dir. Frank Oz – US



Theatrical Screenings:
Beyond the Walls (2012) Dir. David Lambert – France 9/10
2 Autumns, 3 Winters (2013) Dir. Sebastien Betbeder – France 9/10
Maniac (2012) Dir. Franck Khalfoun – US/France 8/10
You and the Night (2013) Dir. Yann Gonzalez – France 8/10
Just Like a Woman (2012) Dir. Rachid Bouchareb – US 8/10
I’m So Excited (2013) Dir. Pedro Almodovar – Spain 8/10
Nancy, Please (2013) Dir. Andrew Semans – US 8/10
The Heat (2013) Dir. Paul Feig – US 7/10
Museum Hours (2012) Dir. Jem Cohen – Austria 7/10
Some Girl(s) (2013) Dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer – US 7/10
The Prey (2011) Dir. Eric Vallette – France 7/10
Man of Steel (2013) Dir. Zach Snyder – US 7/10
This is the End (2013) Dir. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg – US 6/10
Much Ado About Nothing (2012) Dir. Joss Whedon – US 6/10
Now You See Me (2013) Dir. Louis Leterrier – US 4/10
Unfinished Song (2012) Dir. Paul Andrew Williams – US 4/10
Inverse (2013) Dir. Matt Duggan – US 3/10
The Stroller Strategy (2012) Dir. Clement Michel – France 3/10
100 Bloody Acres (2012) Dir. Cameron & Colin Cairnes – Australia 3/10
Absence (2013) Dir. Jimmy Loweree – US 3/10
Hello Herman (2012) Dir. Michelle Danner – US 0/10


Banal:
Mama (2013) Dir. Andres Muschietti – US
The Giants (2011) Dir. Bouli Lanners – France
Hell’s House (1932) Dir. Howard Higgin – US
Glitter (2001) Dir. Vondie Curtis-Hall – US
Beautiful Creatures (2013) Dir. Richard LaGravenese – US
Giallo (2009) Dir. Dario Argento – US/UK/Italy
Revenge for Jolly! (2012) Dir. Chadd Harbold – US


Cess Pool:
The Collection (2012) Dir. Marcus Dunstan – US
Taken 2 (2012) Dir. Olivier Megaton
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) Dir. Tommy Wirkola
Parker (2013) Dir. Taylor Hackford – US
Friday the 3th: Part III (1982) Dir. Steve Miner – US


Rewatched:
Stoker (2013) Dir. Park Chan-wook – US
The Room (2003) Dir. Tommy Wisseau – US
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Dir. Jonathan Demme – US

2013 LA Film Fest Rundown

Best of Fest:

1. The Fifth Season
2. Drug War
3. Two Men in Manhattan
4. Lesson of the Evil
5. Venus Vs.
6. The Act of Killing
7. Wadjda
8. The Conjuring
9. I’m So Excited
10. Nobody’s Daughter

Best of the Rest:
1. Delivery
2. Short Term 12
3. In a World…
4. Boxing Day
5. Between Two Worlds
6. House with a Turret

Of Interest:
1. The House That Jack Built
2. Europa Report
3. Pollywogs

Pass:

1. The Patience Stone
2. Goodbye World
3. All Together Now

Cannes 2013 Rundown: Nicholas Bell Best of Fest

1. Blue is the Warmest Color – Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche (France) Main Competition

2. Stranger By the Lake – Dir. Alain Guiraudie (France) Un Certain Regard

3. The Great Beauty –Dir. Paolo Sorrentino (Italy) Main Competition

4. A Touch of Sin Bazin – Dir. Jia Zhangke (China) Main Competition

5. The Bastards – Dir. Claire Denis (France) Un Certain Regard

6. Venus In Fur – Dir. Roman Polanski (France) Main Competition

7. Grand Central Bazin  - Dir. Rebecca Zlotowski (France) Un Certain Regard

8. Tip Top – Theatre Croisette – Dir. Serge Bozon (France) Directors’ Fortnight 

9. The Congress – Arcades  - Dir. Ari Folman (US/Israel) Directors’ Fortnight

10. Only Lovers Left Alive – Bazin – Dir. Jim Jarmusch (US) Main Competition

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman’s locked lips haunted the Croisette at the 66^th Cannes Film Festival in what I’m told has been one of the wettest festivals in recent memory. A lineup that consisted of strange happenings and violent punctuations had little periods of reprieve in what was (mostly) a heady and exciting cluster of world cinema. In what happened to be this critic’s first Cannes experience, the surprises, both positive and negative, were aplenty. Nothing can quite prepare you for the rampant rudeness and consistent selfishness of fellow cinema lovers, those that are in and outside of the industry. Line cutting, chattering during screenings, and chronic texting happened at nearly every of the 40+ screenings I attended. And many seem to figure that when in France, why not smoke endlessly while captive in lengthy lines? But despite the setbacks involving self-centered individuals, luckily many of this year’s cinematic offerings were good enough to dispel the misanthropy brought about by such actions.

Despite several questionable entries, the main competition this year was impressive, including the much revered Palme D’or winning Blue Is the Warmest Color, which, despite its sexually explicit content, was awarded the respect it deserves. It stands at the forefront of a decidedly Queer year at Cannes. While Tunisian born actor turned director Abdellatif Kechiche should finally get the international attention he deserves, a variety of other auteurs switched it up a bit. The Coens, who took home the Grand Prix for Inside Llewyn Davisbrought a melancholic, understated tone to their latest, set in the folk music world of the early 60’s and featuring a nice lead performance from Oscar Isaac (some of the more distracting performances from Timberlake and a grating Cary Mulligan felt unnecessary), though I would have much preferred to see Paolo Sorrentino’s delightful The Great Beauty to have taken this prize, a magnificently intoxicationfilm that’s the closest anyone’s ever come to a Fellini homage as great as this. The Prix du Jury went to Hirokazu Koreeda’s elegant Like Father, Like Son, which is as good as everyone’s saying it is, but also feels a bit too similar to other fare from the director. Jia Zhangke’s excellent A Touch of Sin was my choice for this prize, though the filmtook home the Best Screenplay award, which usually goes to challenging material the jury can’t make room for in the top three. Likewise, Best Director usually goes to divisive material and this year is no exception, with Amat Escalante’s wonderfully flawed and utterly unforgettable Heli taking home that prize. If only its second half hadn’t left me so cold.

There were plenty of solid entries that are neither the best nor worst in their directors’ filmographies like Behind the Candelabra, Only God Forgives, The Past, and The Immigrant---all had one or more standout performances or striking stylistic flourishes that made them worthy of entry. However, some entries, such as Takashi Miike’s Shield of Straw or Michael Kolhaas, while not necessarily terrible, are done a disservice by being included in the Main Competition, forced to be judged not on the basis of their individual merit but also on why or how they were unnecessarily programmed here. Sadly, Mahamet-Saleh Haroun’s Grisgris felt like an ill executed project as well. On the lower end of the spectrum was the ridiculous inclusion of Valerie Bruni-Tedeschi’s A Castle In Italy, the only female in the main comp this year. Upon seeing Claire Denis’ The Bastards, one of her darkest, most brilliantly difficult films in years, one can only assume she’s being punished for some reason to explain why she’s been relegated to Un Certain Regard while Tedeschi’s pedestrian effort, which is basically a glossy re-do of her own feature debut from 2003, takes up space here. While it’s hard to imagine where else Desplechin’s Jimmy P. would have played, the auteur’s significant misstep has to be the worst thing I saw in the entire festival this year, completely wrong headed, an artistic stink bomb that’s devoid of drama, conflict, and enthusiasm of any kind.

Three other world class auteurs each brought fantastic new films to the fest, including Ozon’s Young & Beautiful, Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, Polanski’s Venus In Furs, and Alex Van Warmerdam’sBorgman.

The sidebars had some thrillingly good entries this year, most notably a fantastic film from Alain Guiraudie, Stranger By the Lake, which won Best Director. Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring opened this section to some strong reactions, but while I found her film a bit narrow and trite, its nevertheless a fascinating social commentary that unfortunately comes about a year late as Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers beats her to the punch. Denis’ The Bastards and Rebecca Zlotowski’s Grand Central were the other fantastic entries here in a sidebar heavily populated by female filmmakers. Lucia Puenzo’sWakolda is interesting, if lukewarm, while German filmmaker Katrin Gebbe (the only German entry in the fest) drew boos and cheers, a veritable torture-porn entry made for audiences with a masochistic streak. Equally difficult to watch was Mohammad Rasoulof’sManuscripts Don’t Burn, a grueling, soul deadening true story filmedsecretly in Iran.

The Director’s Fortnight opened with Ari Folman’s thrillingly intriguing The Congress, a film filled with exposition and philosophies that surely left many cold but displays a level of intelligence and daring that should have seen this in the Main Comp. And yeah, Robin Wright, right? And Serge Bozon’s very strange and very funny Tip Top is completely owned by a crazy Isabelle Huppert performance. Flawed but interesting new films from Alejandro Jodorowsky with The Dance of Reality and Anurag Kashyap with Ugly are certainly worth a look. And even as it won a prestigious award, Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant is a paltry follow-up to her inventive documentary effort, The Arbor. More exciting was the directorial debut of cinematographer Jeremy Saulner with Blue Ruin.

One of this year’s most hailed film experiences will undoubtedly be J.C. Chandor’s All is Lost, which is certainly grueling and undeniably difficult to sit through. Unfortunately, I missed the Critics’ Week entries, except for the unenthralling and out of competition opener,Suzanne, which is about as exciting as its title would connote.

Out of the Past: The Month in Film, May 2013

Top 10:

10. Mammuth (2010) Dir. Gustave de Kervern & Benoit Delepine – France
9. Abel (1986) Dir. Alex Van Warmerdam – Netherlands
8. Black Venus (2010) Dir. Abdellatif Kechiche – France
7. The Northerners (1992) Dir. Alex Van Warmerdam – Netherlands
6. Il Divo (2008) Dir. Paolo Sorrentino – Italy
5. Down By Law (1986) Dir. Jim Jarmusch – US
4. Dog Days (2001) Dir. Ulrich Seidl – Austria
3. The Woman Next Door (1981) Dir. Francois Truffaut – France
2. About Elly (2008) Dir. Asghar Farhadi – Iran
1. Sex, Lies, & Videotape (1989) Dir. Steven Soderbergh – US


Recommended:
Models (1999) Dir. Ulrich Seidl – Austria
Maborosi (1995) Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda – Japan
Kings & Queen (2004) Dir. Arnaud Desplechin – France
Saint Clara (1996) Dir. Ari Folman & Ori Sivan - Israel
Jesus, You Know (2004) Dir. Ulrich Seidl – Austria
5x2 (2004) Dir. Francois Ozon – France
The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Dir. Alex Van Warmerdam - Netherlands
A Haunted House (2013) Dir. Michael Tiddes – US
That Guy Who Was In That Thing (2010) Dir. Ian Roumain & Michael Schwartz – US
Aaltra (2004) Dir. Gustave de Kervern & Benoit Delepine – France


Of Interest:
Love Like Poison (2010) Dir. Katell Quillevere – France
We Own the Night (2007) Dir. James Gray – US
Summer Things (2002) Dir. Michel Blanc – France
It’s Easier for a Camel…(2003) Dir. Valerie Bruni-Tedeschi – France
The Minister (2011) Dir. Pierre Schoeller – France


Banal:
Child’s Play 2 (1990) Dir. John Lafia – US
Step Brothers (2008) Dir. Adam McKay – US
The Fish Child (2009) Dir. Lucia Puenzo – Argentina


Theatrical Screenings:
Short Term 12 (2013) Dir. Dustin Cretton – US 8/10
The To Do List (2013) Dir. Maggie Carey – US 8/10
He’s Way More Famous Than You (2013) Dir. Michael Urie – US 7/10
Star Trek Into Darkness (2012) Dir. J.J. Abrams – US 6/10
Wish You Were Here (2012) Dir. Kieran Darcy Smith – Australia 6/10
The Great Gatsby (2013) Dir. Baz Luhrman – US 5/10
The English Teacher (2013) Dir. Craig Zisk – US 4/10
Goodbye World (2013) Dir. Denis Hennelly – US 4/10
Stuck in Love (2012) Dir. Josh Boone – US 3/10
Fresh Meat (2012) Dir. Danny Mulheron – New Zealand 3/10
After Earth (2012) Dir. M. Night Shyamalan – US 2/10
Safe Haven (2013) Dir. Lasse Hallstrom – US 1/10


Cess Pool:
Steel Magnolias (2012) Dir. Kenny Leon – US
I Declare War (2012) Dir. Jason Lapeyre & Robert Wilson – Canada
Playing For Keeps (2012) Dir. Gabriele Muccino – US
Parental Guidance (2012) Dir. Andy Fickman – US
Fly Me to the Moon (2012) Dir. Pascal Chaumeil – France
Texas Chainsaw (2013) Dir. Jason Luessenhop – US