I had heard recently that The Kite Runner was very disappointing and not anywhere as good as the book. But maybe because I haven' t read the book, I really enjoyed it. I learned at the end that much of it was filmed in China Afghanistan ' s somehow still quite beautiful. And also, spanning from 1978-2000, it showed the terrible plight of that country which was, before the Soviets invaded, quite sophisticated and vibrant, at least in the cities. As well as the cinematography, the music was also wonderful (and nominated for an Oscar), and the story compelling. Not a totally great film but one well worth becoming immersed in.
What a performance and what a riveting film! There Will Be Blood in my view completely deserves all the Oscar nominations it' s received. The only mystery to me is why the musical score wasn' t also nominated, as it was unlike any score I' ve ever heard before. I can see how some might have found the music intrusive, but I experienced it as pure genius and almost like another character in the story. At times there was no music at all and no dialogue either, and the visuals told the whole story. Cinematography was amazing and of course Daniel Day-Lewis totally disappeared into the evil and fascinating man he played; I can' t imagine any other actor’s performance this year being better, though I haven' t seen three of the best-actor nominations. There’s some violence, to be expected with a title like that, but it' s not overly gory and certainly not gratuitous. Vivid scenes from this film continue to replay in my mind.
Two films I’d been wanting to see are Into the Wild and Things We Lost in the Fire, and I know they’re both out on DVD. Into the wild has gotten mixed reviews but I thought it was an excellent and compelling film, beautifully shot and an interesting story about a very naïve and idealistic but still sympathetic young man who decides to give away all his money and live in nature in Alaska, based on a book about a real person.
Things we lost in the fire is directed by Susanne Bier, the Danish woman who also directed the amazing After the wedding from last year. This film (in English this time) doesn’t measure up to that one but I still thought it was excellent, especially the performance by Benecio Del Toro; Halle Berry was also very good, a much better role than she’s had for a number of films. It has some of the same themes and tone, about family issues and relationships, is quite emotional in spots.
The last one I saw as a DVD is called Vitus and is Swiss from 2006, about a young boy who’s brilliant and also a piano prodigy. Not too much I can say about the plot, but the story is sweet and funny and thoroughly entertaining.
Yesterday afternoon I went to see The Band’s Visit, along with only about six other people in the theatre. This is such a totally lovely film that I hope no one misses it - perhaps it was the unusually springlike weather that kept other Halagonians away. In this joint Egyptian-Israeli film a group of eight Egyptian musicians who are members of a police band arrive in Israel to play at the opening of an Arabic cultural centre, but they get the name of the city they' re supposed to be going to wrong and end up in a very small town instead, where pretty much nothing ever happens. And in the rest of the film nothing much happens either, except for the everyday often awkward but also sweet comings together of the various characters. This is a beautifully shot and acted film, the connections, joys and sorrows of the people often displayed on their marvellous faces rather than through much dialogue. It so perfectly captures the unassuming tenderness of being alive in mundane but also very meaningful situations. For me, one aspect that especially resonated was the haunting Arabic music that seemed to express the characters’ emotions better than they were able to do.
No, this is not a recommendation for the new Indiana ' re someone who has gone to all of them, by all means go to this one, though in my view almost 100 percent of all movie sequels made shouldn' t have been made and the only Indiana Jones movie I remember at all is the first one.
But I do recommend another film that opened, The Stone Angel, which was the best film I saw at last year’s Atlantic Film Festival. I thought it was an excellent rendering of the Canadian classic, well acted and effectively going back and forth between Hagar’s youth and old age, and with an excellent depiction of old Hagar by Ellen Burstyn.
In the Shadow of the Moon is a documentary about the Apollo space program between 1968-1972 that I really wanted to see but missed at last year’s Atlantic Film Festival. It includes beautiful footage from space and the moon and current interviews with a number of the astronauts who went on these moon shots. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and found it quite exhilarating, especially as I recall that vivid night in July 1969, along with much of the rest of the world, watching the first moon landing on TV with a group of friends and then running outside to stare in wonder at the actual moon. It was particularly interesting to hear these right-stuff, all-American guys talking about their experiences; a number had truly transcendent reactions and all were awestruck.
Finally, something to recommend! First is a documentary called After Innocence focusing on the stories of several men who were finally exonerated of the crimes for which they had been incarcerated from 6-22 years, usually because of DNA evidence. This is a powerful and moving film. One of the interesting things I learned is that about 80% of those later found to be innocent had been positively ID-ed by witnesses, often by rape victims. Another example of why believing so strongly in what we' re certain we see can be a mistake!
The second one is also a documentary, 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama, which some of you may have heard of. It’s a beautiful film, with great visuals of the landscape and people, and is much more than just an interview between the film maker and the Dalai Lama. It includes historical information about his life and includes some interesting archival footage, as well as many current day news items of him giving talks, greeting people, etc. Even though some is quite familiar, it' s wonderfully inspiring to watch.
I went to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona last night and really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t call it a great film but all the performances were really good, of course it was witty, the scenery was beautiful and Spanish music also lovely and added to the mood. Though just about all the relationships were neurotic or confused in some way, as were most of the people, I felt it was a more mature and less gimmicky look at the general struggle with love, dissatisfaction, and life in general than is often found in Woody Allen films.
At this year’s AFF I saw two excellent feature films and a program of four short films on the last day that were all wonderful. So even though I don' t know if any of these will ever show up here, I wanted to send this out.
Man on Wire is one of the most amazing films I’ve ever seen. I know that sounds like hyperbole but it’s true. As I wrote before the festival, this is a documentary about the high-wire walk of French tightrope artist Phillipe Petit in 1974 between the World Trade Centre towers. There’s no way that that description can convey why this film is so incredible. It’s visually stunning, includes music that matches the scenes perfectly, and is an amazing story involving passionate and unusually artistic people, and I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the audience was completely drawn in and shared the emotions and passions of the people in the film, as though we were there with them.
Waltz with Bashir is an excellent Israeli film described as an animated documentary, meaning that it’s done with animation but is presented as interviews and conversations in documentary style, though it also includes dream/vision sequences. I' m not a huge fan of animation but in this film it was very innovative, artistic and emotionally effective and I thought served the subject matter very well. It’s about the 1982 invasion of Lebanon Israel
The four films on the last day were The Trap, the shortest of the four, about Gampo Abbey’s annual lobster release and the fishermen in that area. Beautiful visually and lovely interviews with the fishermen and abbey residents. Then there was Lost and Found about Jane Kansas, a rather eccentric Halagonian who’s also very funny and endearing. Then The Book Lady about Dolly Parton’s project that distributes books to young children, for free, all over the US and now Canada, including all the Native reservations in Nova Scotia. This film clearly shows her as a very open, compassionate, down-home woman who knows exactly who she is and, despite media caricatures of her, continues to do wonderful work in helping others. And finally, Chasing Wild Horses is a stunning film about the horses of Sable Island Sable Island
I had been wanting to see the 2005 documentary Commune for a while and finally the DVD was available. Perhaps because I’m about the same age as many in the film, grew up in the US California
I found Deepa Mehta’s latest film, Heaven on Earth, very satisfying though probably not quite as excellent as her previous ones. As with all her films, the theme is the appalling treatment of women, this time that of a young woman in an arranged marriage that takes place the day after her arrival in Canada ' s sudden and almost immediate physical violence against her. So yes, the film is somewhat disturbing but also really well-done, great acting and as usual with her films, is quite haunting. For those reluctant to go to a film with this theme, I’ll reassure you that it doesn’t end horribly.
I saw two films recently, one a DVD and one in the theatre, that I liked but wouldn’t rave about. The DVD was one I heard about quite a while ago and then forgot because I could never find it till now. It’s a Swedish film called Under the Sun and I’d describe it as a very sweet little film, quite beautiful visually as it takes place in the country at mid-summer and is about a middle-aged farmer who hires a young housekeeper. The one I saw in the theatre is The Changeling, one of the big Hollywood films popping up all over the place at this time of year. It was well done and an interesting and rather shocking true story, quite a performance by Angelina Jolie with her amazing huge bright red lips frequently seeming to fill the screen, not a great film in that nothing particularly thought provoking but kept my attention throughout.
I missed both The boy in the striped pajamas and Synecdoche, New York ' m sure many of you have already seen it or are planning to, and I highly recommend it. It’s probably even more evocative to those of you who’ve visited India
Finally, some good films to see! I wish they wouldn' t bunch them all up at this time of year - I went to four films in the past five days, I think that’s a record for me except during the film festival. And there are several more I know of that I want to see that haven’t arrived here yet, so this may continue for a couple of months.
Anyway, these four films are all still here and I recommend all of them. The first three I thought were excellent, the fourth good and worth seeing for the performances but not as interesting and creative as the others. I can’t rate the first three as they are all so different.
The Reader - This film didn’t get great reviews in general but I loved it. Starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, two of my favourite actors, their performances were outstanding and the story really interesting and thought provoking, plus visually stunning. It takes place in Berlin ' s on trial as a former Nazi concentration camp guard. The story goes back and forth between this time period and later when he' s an adult. It touches on many issues including morality, guilt, punishment, love, responsibility, and I' m still haunted by it.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film but I found myself completely immersed and carried away by it. Another favourite actor, Cate Blanchett, is wonderful and Brad Pitt shows much more of his acting talent than he has in many films lately. It’s based on a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, but according to a review I read the writers took only the germ of the idea in that story (a baby is born who is physically extremely old and grows younger rather than older throughout his life) and builds on that. For me it was like reading a really good book about an exotic time and/or place and becoming completely enveloped in its mood and texture.
Milk - I have to say right off that I might be biased about this one as I lived in Berkeley San Francisco
Doubt - As I said, this film was very well done and well performed, but if you’ve seen the previews or read about it, you won’t see or hear anything much more than what you already know in the film itself. As I’ve said before, Meryl Streep is amazing in her versatility.
I’m not sure that I’d recommend The Wrestler. Yes, Mickey Rourke’s acting is to be praised, and I also thought the film in general was well done - I see in today’s Academy Award nominations that Marisa Tomei is also nominated for her part in it, which is deserved though I was very disappointed that Cate Blanchette wasn’t nominated for her role in Benjamin Button, which received 13 nominations!
Anyway, back to The wrestler, first, I was really shocked by the level of violence and graphic bloody injuries in the wrestling scenes - I' ve never watched wrestling on TV but was assured by my film-going partner that it’s not at that level at all. So be warned if you’re thinking of going to this film. Besides that, I continue to be unable to understand how so many people apparently not only enjoy but revel in this kind of spectacle, like the audiences in the film. I found the film to be thought-provoking in a sad way that definitely brings up compassion for people who are stuck thinking there’s only one thing they can do, that thing being very self-destructive while at the same time bringing them the main satisfaction and appreciation they get out of life.
Now that I’ve seen Frost/Nixon, I’ve seen all five of the films nominated for Best Picture Oscar this year, and I think it definitely deserves to be in that category. The acting by Frank Langella is truly amazing, as he doesn’t look like Nixon but somehow embodies him in all his creepiness, bringing back unpleasant memories of that period in US
I saw the DVD of Encounters at the End of the World, the documentary by Werner Herzog about Antarctica and the fascinating creatures and scientists who live there (nominated for best documentary Oscar). As you would expect, it’s quite beautiful visually and also as I would expect, being familiar with his offbeat and sometimes weird sensibility from his previous documentary Grizzly Man, his narration and some scenes veer towards the bizarre. It’s also quite an indictment of the human race and global warming; some of the scientists are quite pessimistic about the future as they watch icebergs the size of Sicily