What makes Icelandic music so beautiful? That’s the question Screaming Masterpiece answers while offering us a portrait of a burgeoning music scene, which broke through internationally thanks to The Sugarcubes, Björk & lately, Sigur Rós. From pagan music to rock, punk and hip-hop, this small country doesn’t lack talent and this documentary successfully brings its chilly harmonious beauty to the screen. A Q&A with the director followed the screening. Fred Thom
From reading the program and listening to the programmers, The Gigolos, a British comedy about a couple of average looking guys selling their services to old women, promised to be fresh and funny. Featuring a series of dull characters and a frigid narrative, this vaguely amusing film didn’t go anywhere and made me regret not having seen the Desperate Housewives posing next door. Fred Thom
Originally, I wasn’t planning to go see Ripley Underground with Barry Pepper -- of Battlefield Earth fame -- in the title role. While quite fun, the result looks more like the kind of film you would watch on a plane – or video -- than a production made for the big screen; which brings me to the point: “what were the programmers thinking by proudly premiering this film at AFI?” That’s certainly not the kind of entry that increases your credibility on the festival scene. Actors Alan Cumming and Claire Forlani introduced the screening. Fred Thom
Canadian entry Life With My Father started off my Sunday with a meditation on family, the battle between brothers fighting for their father's love, and the loss of dignity that death inevitably brings. Like Barbarian Invasions, director Sebastien Rose shows the Canadian health system in the worst light possible. Though it dragged on a bit, there were some tender scenes of familial love. Also, 3 men living in a dilapidated house with a beautiful woman inevitably brings jealousy and humor. Anji Milanovic
The super- quirky Czech film Wrong Side Up proved to be a lot of fun, from footage of Fidel in Cuba to life in a post-Socialist Czech Republic where men dress up mannequins in their wive's clothes and neighbors pay you to watch them have sex. Actor Ivan Trojan showed his eclectic humor in the face of adversity in a way that makes him totally sympathetic and not totally idiotic--even when he ships himself off to Cuba and not to his girlfriend's house.
Pablo- The Poet's Lives proved tedious. Footage of abandoned mines in Chile coupled with interviews of those who knew him (along with a lot of interviews with people who did not know him but were influenced by him) didn't create a compelling documentary of one of the world's best-loved poets. Some re-created scenes of Pablo's young life just seem out of place. The ultimate goal of filmmaker Dario Baldi is never made clear.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment