Mark's MIFF Blog

Nine films

2010-08-08T04:55:00.001-07:00

Only got to nine films this year, and was so busy that I didn't do any reviews as I have done previously. So, here's a short and sweet rating (out of five stars) and summary:

FOUR LIONS - ★★☆
It was a politically incorrect premise, having a comedy about a bunch of would be terrorists trying to blow themselves (and others up) in the UK, but putting that aside, it just didn't really tickle me enough. Could have been a short film, or perhaps a series of progressive sketches on a comedy series. If you watch the trailer you've seen most of what there is already.

KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, THE - ★★★☆
Overall enjoyable film, though at times it felt a little bit like a 'zany US sitcom' because the mom was a mom and, wait for it, the dad was a mom too!, and it seemed to play that up a little too much at times.

LOURDE-No Rating
Fell asleep about five minutes in, and dozed through about an hour of it before I walked out, since I knew I wouldn't be able to pick up from there.

MONSTERS - ★★★☆
Pretty good sci-fi flick based around an idea where alien mutations/lifeforms exist in an 'infected zone' between the US and Mexico. A photojournalist must try and escort the daughter of his paper through this zone from Mexico to the US. Worthwhile if you enjoyed District 9 and Cloverfield, but not really as enjoyable for either. The biggest let down for me was probably the 'monster design'. While the effects were good,the look of them seemed a little uninspired.

THEY ALL LIE - ★
I don't know if it was just me but I didn't get what this was about. It felt as if they forgot to show us the first reel or something to set out the plot. I have really liked a lot of Argentinian films at previous MIFFs, so was looking forward to this one. I didn't walk out, but I may as well have.

TROTSKY, THE - ★★★☆
Pretty good Canadian comedy - would probably appeal to those who like the humour of Rushmore.

WEDDING PARTY, THE - ★★
I wish I could say I liked it more, but the best thing about it was spotting the shoot locations around Melbourne. The story just didn't sell me and the characters weren't believable. Some good performances by the actors, though. It felt like there was some confusion about who/what the story was really about - possibly was either undercooked or overcooked in the scripting.

WILD TARGET - ★★★
Comedy about an assassin who is hired to kill a young gal, but instead ends up not doing it, then protecting her from the would be killers. It was enjoyable enough, but I had a hard time buying into the level of 'bumbling fool' that the assassin's character was, given he was meant to be one of the world's best. Worth seeing.

SEX&DRUGS&ROCK&ROLL - ★★★
Another year, another film about a musical artist, this time Ian Dury & The Blockheads. It was very very well made, and the acting was top notch. I just can't work out why the story had to be told, because there didn't seem to be much of a differentiator here amongst all the other films featuring an artist who is self absorbed, takes drugs, mistreats their family, but are famous, so it must be okay since they wrote some hits. I don't mind the music, but am not a massive fan. It's an ok film either way, but probably far better if you're really into them. One day they'll start doing late 80's early 90s bands and I'll probably be a lot more interested. How about one about Primal Scream, or the Stone Roses, or Happy Mondays?

'Twas the night before MIFF

2010-07-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's almost Christmas in July. MIFF 2010 is almost upon us. In previous years I've posted all the films I plan to see on a sidebar, but it's really not very future-proof, so I'll list my recommended films below. Note that I'm going to list all the films I'd intend to see if I were on a passport this year. I'll see a few of them and hope that I can find the rest at the video store on on SBS in coming months...

1981
ALAMAR
AU REVOIR TAIPEI
BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO
BOY
CATFISH
CELL 211
COLLAPSE
DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED, THE
FOUR LIONS
IN THE ATTIC: WHO HAS A BIRTHDAY TODAY?
KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, THE
LE DONK & SCOR-ZAY-ZEE
LIKE A DREAM
LOVE IN A PUFF
MAKING IT HANDMADE!
MATINEE
MONSTERS
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD
SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN, A
SPACE TOURISTS
STRANGE POWERS: STEPHIN MERRIT AND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS
TETRO
THE ALL LIE
TROTSKY, THE
WEDDING PARTY, THE
WILD TARGET
WIND JOURNEYS, THE
WORLD'S GREATEST DAD

If you see any of the above, feel free to add a comment on what you thought!

MIFF Preparation

2010-07-15T19:24:00.001-07:00

I've written about this in previous years, but thought I'd revise my steps in preparing for MIFF each year.

So, how does one choose what films to see at MIFF? There are many different ways - some people I know turn up on the day and wander into whatever takes their fancy. Others pick a theatre and stick to that venue for a stretch to avoid the uphill sprint to a new venue between films.

I don't really do either. I plan, plan and then do more planning. It's not very wild or exciting, I know, but my time is limited, and I don't want to miss a gem due to lack of proper analysis. This especially is the case this year, as due to family commitments, this year I'll have much less than time to be sitting in the cinema.

So, here's what I do, in case you're looking for a system yourself.

1. Get a copy of the Melbourne International Film Festival program guide. These can be found all around the place at the moment - my local VideoEzy and cafe both have a pile of them. If nothing else, you can find one at any of the cinemas showing MIFF films, or at the MIFF box office at the Forum Theatre.

2. In the middle is a Film & Screening Index. I tear this out as it will be with me for the entire festival

3. In the Index, I hunt down all the lower-case titles and cross them off. They're short films, and I don't dislike them, but I'm not going to go and see a main feature based on what short film is showing before it.

4. Now comes the long and arduous task of ranking the films on offer. For each film, I look at the description to get a sense of whether I'd like it or not. If it looks potentially interesting I will also search the film on any combination of imdb.com, apple.com/trailers and rottentomatos.com. If I've seen something by the director that I enjoyed at a previous MIFF it's more likely to rank highly. There are also some things I keep an eye out for, which I went into more detail in a post from my 2005 MIFF blog, but in essense:
* ACMI only session means it may be a low quality film (very low budget, or shot on video)
* I am wary of words like 'experimental', 'dream-like', and 'visual code'. There are definitely people into these types of films, but I still like to have some kind of plot (even if not excessive).
* If it's a South Korean film, it may well be brilliant (some of my fave films in previous year are from there), but if it's some kind of futuristic police drama where the guide's entry is a confused outline of the plot points rather than a description of the film, it probably means it is not worth the time.
* If the film is a documentary, I recognise that many were (or should have been) filmed for TV rather than the big screen, and most of the best usually are shown on SBS within the 12 months following MIFF. Therefore, I tend to only watch the most interesting (sounding) documentaries, or those where the large screen add to the experience.

5. I rank each film from 1 to 4. '1' means 'must see, can't miss, no matter what'. There are usually around 4-10 of these each year for me. '2' means 'definitely want to see it'. '3' is 'won't see it unless someone persuades me that it's worthwhile'. And, '4' is a very special rating to signify a film that I won't see. I try to keep an open mind about films, so avoid a '4' where possible. But, I've seen enough (two) of Andrew Bujalski's films to know that I should avoid them, so he'll get a '4', and not liking horrors, I'll usually cross them off, unless it's a funny/dark humour one (like last year's Dead Snow). I mark the rating I give next to every film in the Film & Screening Index so that I can quickly tell what I suspected a film might be like when I'm trooping around the city and talking to others about their highlights.

6. Once I've ranked all the films, it's time to start planning the timetable. I fill in timeslots for the '1's first, and then the '2's. This is a fine art, as there are usually only two sessions for each film, and there are always some conflicts. Sometimes a film needs to be dropped. I'll give a preference to seeing films on weekdays at the 1pm or 3pm session where possible, since the cinemas are a little quieter then. In previous years I would choose the nicer cinemas over the worse ones, but now I'm less fussy. That said, I'll avoid too many Kino -> Forum -> Kino type runs. I used to often book a session prior to a popular/sold out one to get a good seat, as you can stay in the cinema between films. However, with the special queue for MIFF members, that's not so important now. If your time is worth anything at all, the MIFF membership is worth it just to avoid long queues and worse seats.

7. I try and be mindful to give a couple of breaks during the festival to avoid burning out in week two. And, I try to plan any social/family commitments before this step to avoid conflicts. Oh, and I consult with my wife and my friends who are going to see if any of us have chosen the same films, so we can try and see them together. A great way to track the films you and your friends plan to see is to use Daniel Shepard's awesome Film Festival Programmer - it lets you see what others are seeing, as well as offering an easy way to bulk add your films to the MIFF online ticket shopping cart.

8. Finally, when the grid looks like it's in place, I book all the tickets using MIFF's fantastic (and it really is!) online booking system.

9. Note that while I do plan all of the above, it's not always right. One year I forgot that I had a commitment on a Saturday afternoon/evening, which required lots of rescheduling. I also lose energy at some point during the festival and tend to start skipping days or late sessions. Or, I might get a burst of energy, or hear of a film that is meant to be brilliant, and then add a couple more. So, yeah, I'm not entirely inflexible. :-)

10. Forgot to mention, it's worth following the #MIFF hashtag on twitter to get a sense of what others are seeing and liking. Be careful of spoilers though.

Easy, huh?

Friday August 7 2009

2009-08-11T03:32:00.001-07:00

LOUISE-MICHEL
3/10
The plot to this comedy sounded good - the story of a group of women who pool their redundancy payouts to hire a hitman to kill their ex-boss. However the style of comedy was one that for me just annoyed. I walked out after about 30 minutes, not seeing the humour in it at all.

THE HURT LOCKER
8/10
I was a little unsure about whether this film would be worthwhile. I've seen a couple of films about the Iraq war, and generally never been entirely enthralled with them. However, The Hurt Locker was an excellently made film which was a festival highlight. It's about a unit in Iraq that dedicates itself to investigating potential bombings, and where possible defusing them before they explode. It really sucks you in, and makes you feel like you're there, experiencing the pressure with the characters. Good stuff.

DEAD SNOW
8/10
I'm not really a fan of Zombie films, but I can say of the ones I've seen, this is probably my favourite. Mind you, I've not seen any Romero ones, nor the Evil Deads. I'm not much of a horror film goer. This is a gruesome comedy about a bunch of young Norwegians who go up to an isolated cabin in the mountains for a ski weekend. All the cliches are ticked here, including the old man who frightens them on their first evening and then goes on to tell them about the dark presence in the woods. Turns out that a bunch of Nazis never quite died, and are still pretty upset. Lots of blood splattering and spilling of intestines, but overall a good balance of laughs that leaves you happily entertained.

CHOCOLATE
Review to come

Thursday August 6 2009

2009-08-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

FOOD, INC.
5/10
Sorry Food Inc, but you were the straw that broke this camel's back. During this film, I wanted to yell at the screen, which I suppose is a good thing in that it's inciting a strong reaction in a viewer, but for me, I was doing so in disappointment of an opportunity lost. I think there's a real story to be told here about the food industry, but I'm so tired of having documentaries that effectively come across as a liberal/left wing version of an 'A Current Affair' type story. It shouldn't be necessary to do this in order to get their point across, but in Food Inc they really try and ram it down your throat.

For example, in one part of the film, they show us the story of a hispanic family who apparently can't afford to buy decent food and are forced to eat $1 hamburgers at McDonalds. They show a scene of them wandering like they're lost around a supermarket with comments along the lines of 'Broccoli for $1.19? We can't afford that!'. Are you eff star star kay eye en gee kidding me? Add to this, the father has diabetes at least in part because he eats so much junk food, which then costs the family hundreds of dollars in medicine.

They also found a mother whose son died from ecoli poisoning. As a father, it horrifies me to think of losing my child so I have total sympathy for her and her loss, but it came across as just another desperate measure to convince us in a direction that didn't need such drama. A slight case of overbombing.

Oh yeah, and in the beginning of the film, we're told that four multi-national corporations dominate the US food industy, but this information is presented, as if we're meant to spit, based on those facts alone. Maybe we ought to be, but a) I don't think that being a multinational corporation immediately means you're an organisation with poor ethics, and b) splitting a large industry between four companies sounds a whole lot better than what's been going on with the computer software industry for years...

I'm not a right wing thinker, but this documentary is so biased in its presentation that even I wanted to reject it as overdone. That said, there are points that still stand true - corporations respond to demand. If consumers demand to know where their food comes from, and start making better choices, such as purchasing organic produce and meat from farms that respect the animals (at least prior to slaughter) then we can change things. I know that I'll be doing some research into milk now to see exactly what the difference is between the Puras and the Organic options, and also into the meat I buy when I do. (yeah, sorry, I'd love to be vegetarian, but bacon tastes too good).

BLACK DYNAMITE
9/10
And on the a lighter side of the film, we have Black Dynamite, a brain-resting comedy that is one of my highlights for the festival. Like 'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra' from MIFF 2004, which was a glorious and hilarious tribute to b-grade 1950s sci-fi flicks, Black Dynamite nods towards the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s. I've not seen (m)any blaxploitation films, but you don't need to know the genre inside out to have a ball. It's about a real badass guy named Black Dynamite who is on a mission to find out who killed his brother and why. Set design is great, and the send-ups are done to perfection. I can't wait to see it again when my brain needs a rest. Champagne comedy! Or, should I say 'Anaconda, oooooooooh Comedy'?

IN THE LOOP
8/10
Based around the UK comedy 'The Thick Of It', (which apparently may be getting re-made into a US show soon), this political comedy was another highlight for me. Fast talking and quick-paced, it follows the story of a British minister who as a result of a botched radio interview, winds up becoming involved in talks between the US and the UK about invading Iraq. Peter Capaldi steals the show with his character, a foul mouthed Scot who doesn't take shit from anyone. A real role model for us all :). If you think you'd like the result of mixing The Office, The West Wing and Yes Minister into one show, don't miss it.

Tuesday August 4 2009

2009-08-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

THE EXPLODING GIRL
7.5/10
When I booked this session, I wondered to myself whether the name of this film was a nod to The Cure's b-side 'The Exploding Boy'. I'm still not sure where the reference comes from, but this film was great in a low-key way. It's about a girl who returns home to New York City from college for her summer break. She catches up with a (male) friend who she's known for years, and the film goes on to show what they get up to. The story progresses as she has intermittent and somewhat awkward phone conversations with her boyfriend who is in his own hometown. A lot of it feels ad-libbed and the pacing is fairly languid, but there's enough story to make it enjoyable. Imagine Mutual Appreciation, Funny Ha Ha or Wendy & Lucy (all shown at previous years of MIFF), but done right. The lead actress looks a little like Zooey Deschanel and looked really familiar, but wasn't someone I'd seen before.

35 SHOTS OF RUM
6/10
A French film about a father who works on the railway. After his long days at work, he returns home to his adult daughter that shares his apartment. As the story unfolds, we find out more about the neighbours in their block and thus this 'slice of life' story goes. It was a nicely done film, but seemed a little unsure of what it was trying to say.

ART & COPY
5/10
A documentary about advertising which in itself was pretty much an advertisement for the advertising industry. In this film the subjects try to claim some credibility, suggesting that they're helping the population and can hit levels of near-art (if not art itself) in their work. It was very well put together, and quite interesting, but ultimately the reality for me is that for every 'good' advert or billboard there are thousands of shite ones. I'd agree that for example that the iPod billboards are visually great and near-art, but we're still stuck with erectile dysfunction ones. Worth a watch if it comes on TV.

Monday August 3 2009

2009-08-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT OR NEVER
7/10
My 'n'th film of the festival that stars Anna Karina, and admittedly, my favourite so far. This was the first starring role that Anna had which wasn't directed by Godard. As always Anna Karina looked great :). It's set in an apartment over one evening where a small party is held amongst a few friends, and the conversations that take place. In parts happy, others sad, others angry. It floats by but has enough plot to keep you watching. The print wasn't very good quality, but I'm glad I caught it.

Sunday August 2 2009

2009-08-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

LETTER TO A CHILD
7/10
A Slovenian documentary (of sorts) about the various phases of life. It starts with an interview with children at a primary school, and then continues through interviews with people from older and older phases of life; some teenagers, then a young family, then a family whose children were much older, and so on, ending with a man who I would suspect was around 100. Interspersed throughout, the filmmaker 'writes a letter' expressing his own thoughts on life. It was interesting, from a perspective of finding out how different age groups define what's important in their lives, and the lessons to be learned. Easily recommended if it comes on TV, but I wouldn't suggest it as a necessity in the cinema.

FLAME & CITRON
7/10
This film is based on a true story of two Danish friends who formed part of the resistance against the Nazi invasion of Denmark in World War II. They're given tasks by their superior to kill off key targets of the local Danish nazi sympathisers, but conflicts of interest on all sides mean that everything isn't as black and white as it might otherwise seem. Well made film, that is a little slow at points, but enjoyable nonetheless. Mads Mikkelsen (as seen in After the Wedding at MIFF previously, and also in Casino Royale) does another fantastic job in his role as Citron.

Saturday August 1 2009

2009-08-01T23:23:00.000-07:00

LOVE EXPOSURE
5/10
I've always thought that Japanese culture is about as alien as you could find compared to that of the West, and this film couldn't come from anywhere else. It's a four hour marathon that amongst other plot points includes a Japanese boy who is trying to find a girl that is his 'virgin mary' by using martial arts moves to take upskirt photos of girls. Add priests, cults, cross dressing and the severing of at least one penis, and there you go. I walked at the 2.5 hour point having had my fill, believing that I'd seen as much as was needed. After consulting with a couple of others who made it through to the end, it appears that I was right :).

AMREEKA
7/10
A fish out of water story about a mother and teenage son who move to America from Palestine. It's a comedy/drama and never hits an extremely serious or overly dramatic note, but does provide some nice greys in the characters. For example, even the school principal makes mistaken generalisations about the mother, despite his best intentions.

AN EDUCATION
7/10
A highly polished film set in 1960s London. I wanted to see this mainly because the screenplay was done by Nick Hornby, and in my opinion, he's done some great books (High Fidelity, Fever Pitch) amongst some duds (How to Be Good). The story centres around a young girl in her last year of high school who has plans to go to Oxford. She begins to question these plans when meeting a playboy roughly twice her age who introduces her to a world of art and culture, which up to then, she'd only experience through books. I had a couple of problems with believability of some of the plot points, but overall enjoyed it. If you liked the Gilmore Girls, you may enjoy it, too. An intro and Q&A was done by the star actress, Carey Mulligan, and credit must go to her for one of the most articulate and to-the-point introductions I've seen at the festival.

Friday July 31 2009

2009-08-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

IT MIGHT GET LOUD
5/10
Documentary from the producers of An Inconvenient Truth. It's about the love of guitars, told from the point of view of three generations of guitarists; Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, The Edge from U2 and Jack White from The White Stripes. Time is spent talking to each artist separately to discover a bit about their background, and also spent in a warehouse where the three artists meet to discuss guitars, music, etc. Unfortunately, the whole thing doesn't really work very well. You get the feeling that there's a degree of respect for each other amongst the three musicians, but at the same time, they each have their views on the world, and they're all different. I think it would have worked better as a four part tv series, where one episode was spent with each of the three guitarists and the fourth was made up of the artists meeting and discussing music with each other. I like all three bands to some degree - enough to have CDs by each, but not enough to be a major fan of any. If you're a big fan of any of the three, you might get more out of this than I did.

Thursday July 30

2009-08-01T22:38:00.000-07:00

One of my marathon days at the festival!

PARDON MY FRENCH
4/10
Well acted story about an author with writers block and a school girl fan who is obsessed enough with her to try and assist her in any way possible. Unfortunately it didn't seem to have any direction, and the author spent the film wandering around in her self-centred world while being pandered to by those around her. Not worth the time.

I NEED THAT RECORD! THE DEATH (OR POSSIBLE SURVIVAL) OF THE INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE
6/10
I'm into technology and I'm into music. As someone who has spent waaay too much on records and CDs in the past 20 years, and watched with interest how the independent record stores struggle to survive. They're competing with the Internet (both for online ordering and online music distribution, both legal and illegal) and major record companies who clutch to extinct models for doing business as long as they can. This documentary gets full marks for trying and half marks for execution. While it was interesting to see the point of view from record shop owners who were closing down for one reason or another, I didn't really feel that all sides of the story were explored. We heard a lot of musicians and record shops bitching about the majors, but never did we get to hear the opinion of someone from a major. Furthermore, the cause of closure of one of the shops was a landlord who'd booted them. We never got to hear why they didn't just re-open somewhere else. Some arguments were flawed too I think - they were arguing how 'big box stores' like walmart only carry rubbish music, not a full range, but then go one to complain how the big box stores sell CDs at below cost. The idea of an independent record store being a community type experience is fair, but I don't think it just applies to music. Finally, the quality of this film was not cinema-grade. Hopefully they'll show it on TV soon, but I wouldn't recommend spending the money seeing it at a theatre. I've not been there yet, but as I departed the theatre staff from Sunshine and Grease, a record shop at 117 Little Bourke St were handing out flyers, so go check them out. And buy the music you love, in whatever media type and style you happen to choose.

AWAY WE GO
9/10
Ken Loach was a massive whiney sook and pulled his film from MIFF for political reasons, not before he agreed for it to be shown at MIFF. Nor was it before the guide was printed or tickets on sale. Nope, it wasn't even pulled before before both sessions of his film sold out. That's right, he waited until after all that before deciding to go all Sting on us. This is for you, Mr. Loach.

Anyway, the silver lining was that Away We Go was the replacement film for the session, and is my favourite of the festival (though MOON was still great!). This Sam Mendes film was the replacement for Ken Loach's film, and tells the story of a young couple who are expecting their first child. When they realise that they have no reason to stay where they're living, they decide to set out on a trek to find a better home to raise their unborn child. Along the way, they meet with various friends/family/ex-co-workers, and get a good dosage of the range of philosophies and beliefs parents choose to raise their children by. It's often hilarious and always entertaining. With a slightly different ending, I'd give it 10/10.

TREELESS MOUNTAIN
7/10
Cute Korean film about two young girls who are being raised by their mother. The father has been out of the picture for some time, and when the mother decides she needs to go and find him, she leaves the girls with family. She gives the girls a piggy bank and says that if they're good, they'll be given a coin each to put in the bank, and promises she'll return when the bank is full. The film takes on the perspective of life from the girls' point of view and offers many different slices of Korean life as the film unfolds.

Wednesday July 29 2009

2009-08-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

STILL WALKING
7/10
A family drama from Japan that was very well written and enjoyable. It was a good representation of family and the dynamics that can occur when a family who doesn't spend a lot of time together gather for a meal. This can apparently be bought on DVD quite cheaply (around $15), and is worth considering.

Tuesday July 28 2009

2009-08-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

KISSES
7/10
Cute story about a couple of pre-teen Irish kids whose home lives aren't going so well. When the boy angers his father enough and the girl finds a bit of cash, they run away to Dublin. The film was fun and enjoyable - some of the accents were very thick and I missed some of the lines as a result. I might not have wanted subtitles throughout, but it would have helped in parts.

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE
5/10
Watchable low-ish budget film by Steven Soderbergh about a high class call girl. Didn't really go anywhere and the acting was very patchy by some of the stars, who generally were non-professionals as far as I can tell. Many scenes felt ad-libbed, but not very successfully.

Monday July 27 2009

2009-08-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Gotten an attack of the lazies, and haven't updated the blog with my film comments for nearly a week. Let's hope I remember enough about them..

PIERROT LE FOU
4/10
I believe this Godard film starring Anna Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo film had more going for it than I was able to pick up - parts were entertaining, but a lot of it went over my head. I suspect based on discussion with others later that there was a lot of symbolism being used that went over my head. As with the other two films, it was enjoyable to watch, but without really getting a good grip on the story, it wasn't my best festival experience

MOON
9/10

Best of the festival so far. This is science fiction done right with awesome sets, excellent acting and a good story. If you like the first half of 'Sunshine' before it turned stupid, or a fan of films like Silent Running, this is a must see.

WHITE NIGHT WEDDING
5/10
This was one of Iceland's biggest films of 2008 apparently. I'm unsure how many films are made there each year, but while this tale of Jon, a university professor's days leading up to his wedding had enough to keep me seated, it lacked enough to keep me happy. I was a little confused at first as with the jumping timeline, and telling the story of the two loves of Jon's life with actresses that didn't look entirely dissimilar, I didn't realise they were different women until about 20 minutes in. Jon wasn't really a likable protagonist and this let the film down for me.

Sunday July 26 2009

2009-07-26T04:38:00.000-07:00

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE
6/10
This wasn't a bad film, but I can't help but think I wasn't the target audience. It's about a middle aged woman, Pippa Lee, who's married to a man a reasonable amount older than her (played by Alan Arkin). It begins just after they've moved to a retirement village near their children, a place that's far smaller and not as glamourous as the home they came from. Pippa reminisces throughout the film about her various stages of life and the 'different' lives she's led. Has Winona and Keanu in it in small parts, but Alan Arkin does a great job (as usual). Probably more aimed at the more 'mature lady' than 30 something gentleman. Watchable.

ALPHAVILLE
6/10
My second film of the festival starring Anna Karina. She's a guest of the festival too and did an intro and Q&A. She seems like a sweet lady and very down to earth. Alphaville is a 1965 black and white film by Jean-Luc Godard, about a secret agent who travels from Earth to Alphaville in order to try and take down an evil scientist. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy the film, and fell asleep through parts of it, only to wake up and feel like I hadn't missed anything. The print wasn't the best, and white subtitles without shadow made for some difficult reading. Anna Karina looked great and the film was visually entertaining enough to stick around for, but it probably won't rank very highly in my favourite sci-fi films of all time. Interestingly, JLG didn't give a script to the cast at the beginning - they had to just show up and were given their lines on the day, so they never really knew much about what was going on. Neither did I.

Saturday July 25 2009

2009-07-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

TROUBLED WATER
8/10
Eric Poppe did 'Hawaii, Oslo' at MIFF in 2005 and which I rated a 7.9 at the time. This is his next film, and he's got two for two with me now. I may have to track down his first film 'A Bunch of Five' after this. Anyway, this film's about a convict whose robbery attempt went wrong and tells the story of his life after receiving parole and getting a job as a church organist. Excellent writing means that several opportunities to turn the story into a predictable yay-fest are kept well within check. A fine drama, and recommended.

THE COVE
6/10
This wasn't initially on my list, but the producer is Jim Clark. A lot of Australians know him as the rich guy who married an Australian supermodel. I know him because he co-founded Netscape Communications, a company that I highly respected and was fortunate enough to work for in the late 1990s. I'd heard a rumour that Jim would be doing an intro/Q&A and really wanted to meet him so I booked in for the session. Unfortunately the rumour was incorrect, but I did get to chat briefly with the Director, who was friendly. Anyway, the film itself was quite good - It's a documentary about a small Japanese town that is responsible for the slaughtering of thousands of dolphins each year, for no apparent good reason. As you can imagine, this is a little gruesome in some scenes and they did a pretty decent job telling the story. I think it was only a little bit too long, and the message was a bit cloudy - by the end, I was unsure whether I should have been angry that kids were being fed food with mercury levels well beyond safe levels, or the inhumane slaying of animals, or that the animals that are being slain don't appear to be done so for good reason. That said, it needs to stop, and the fisherman and town leaders in the town of Taiji, Japan should be ashamed of themselves. It's pretty disgusting too that the town of Broome in Western Australia is the sister city to this place. Please go to http://thecovemovie.com/ and watch the trailer. And if you want to do something about it, visit http://www.takepart.com/thecove to find out how. I'll also add a The Cove gadget thing to the right hand column of this site if you'd like to sign the petition.

ANNA
6/10
Harmless musical television vehicle from the late 60s featuring Anna Karina and Serge Gainsbourg. Great fashion moments and mostly enjoyable, especially if you're into 60s fashion. The number of girls with bob hairstyles was high at this event :).

Friday July 24 2009

2009-07-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

My first year at MIFF was in 2001, where I saw a couple of films. Since 2002, I've gone with a festival passport ticket. However, I've never been to the opening night gala event, until this year. Thanks to a very generous invitation from Screen Legend friends, I was able to see what it was all about. It was held at Hamer Hall in the Arts Centre which was nicely decked out. On the way in, VCA students were handing out leaflets trying to 'Save the VCA'. Find out more about that at www.savevca.org if you're interested.

Once seated there were speeches. Lots. But that's okay. Interestingly the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, someone who I'd have thought was used to public speaking, was the least able to ignite the crowd. Luckily Geoffrey Rush came on after her and did a great comedic intro where he compared festival director Richard Moore to Master Chef judge Matt Preston.

On to the film itself...

BALIBO
5/10
I am sure there will be much publicity about this film, which is about Roger East's journey into East Timor in 1975 to investigate the disappearance of five Australia journalists who had been covering the invasion of the nation by Indonesia. I really like Anthony LaPaglia as an actor, and of course can see the futility in the deaths that occurred. However, a good cause ought to be separated from the quality of a film. The film wasn't bad, but I felt a bit let down. Knowing very little (close to nothing) about the story, I found the beginning a bit confusing with its cutting back and forth between different times. Additionally, I thought that a little more regard to the 183,000 timorese who were slain might have been appropriate rather than just the few Australians. Finally, I don't feel that the film dug deeply enough in to explaining the justifications of either side for their action, nor the political machinery in play that led to the events (or lack of regard to them afterward). Mentions of the US government's supply of military equipment paid for in UK pounds and suggestions the Australian Gov't was involved was about as far things went. Finally, in order to tell a story, the film came across as a bit black and white. The good guys seemed to have no flaws and the bad guys no flicker of compassion in their invasion. This story probably would have made a better documentary. One thing that seemed a little strange/morbid was that the families of the killed journalists were called to come up on stage with the respective actors who played the journalists that were killed. Anyway, you'll doubtless find many reviews claiming this film is a must-see, etc. It's up to you, but I think it can wait for DVD.

After the film, everyone crowded over four floors of the Hamer Hall being served drinks and snacks. I must say it was very nice food, and while there seemed to be a lot of very nicely dressed people, I'm afraid I don't know enough about celebrities to be able to say whether I saw anyone famous amongst the party-goers.

Overall, it was a fun experience, and I'd like to do it again next year, but see it as a very different feel to the rest of the film festival.

2009 Festival

2009-07-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's almost here! Another year of Film Festival. No more sessions at the Capitol Theatre though :(. Gossip says that RMIT couldn't meet the OH&S needs of MIFF so it wasn't used. A real shame.

Went to the Launch tonight. Exciting news is that Quentin Tarantino will be coming to introduce his new film, and Anthony LaPaglia will also be here. Studded with stars...

Will update the films I plan to see as soon as I've had time to go through the guide and figure out what's what.

Overall thoughts of the festival

2008-08-19T20:02:00.001-07:00

I liked it. A lot.

Sunday August 10th, 2008

2008-08-10T05:22:00.000-07:00

IDIOTS AND ANGELS
6/10
The last film of the festival. What a pity that I didn't enjoy it more, but admittedly, I was very tired and have a cold, so that might have adversely affected my abilities to fully appreciate it. It's an animation by Bill Plympton, whose film 'Hair High' was one of my favourites at MIFF in 2005. I really enjoyed the creativity in this film about a man who grows angel wings, but just couldn't get into it. I may try again one day if I have the chance, but in the meantime I'll rate it well based on the excellent animation work and poorly on the story itself.

Saturday August 9th, 2008

2008-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

SOMERS TOWN
8/10
One of my favourite films of the festival. Shane Meadows did last year's Closing Night film at MIFF, This is England, and also did Dead Man's Shoes at MIFF 3-4 years ago. I loved both of those films, and this one makes three out of three. It's a short one, only 75 minutes, and shot in black and white. It's the story of the friendship between a homeless boy (played by the main actor from This is England, Thomas Turgoose) and a Polish immigrant whose parents are divorced and is taken care of by his working class father. Lots of great moments and beautifully filmed with plenty to keep your eyes interested. Hopefully this will get a cinema release here.

THE WACKNESS
6.5/10
This film had all the ingredients for being fantastic, but for some reason it just didn't equal the sum of its parts for me. It's set in NYC in 1993(?) and is about a loner kid who's just finished high school and is whiling away the summer dealing marijuana to the locals, including a psychiatrist played by Ben Kingsley, who offers him advice in return for some stash. I can't help but think that it would have been better if they hadn't tried to set it in the early 90s and just updated the story for today. Maybe I'm missing the point, but the dialogue was distracting, yo. Word.

A COMPLETE HISTORY OF MY SEXUAL FAILURES
6/10
This was a documentary, but really, like Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, it's really just made for entertainment and not for a factual unbiased representation of an event or set of facts. It's about a guy who's been dumped by nearly all his girlfriends over the years and sets out to try and find out why. Sorry if it's a spoiler, but jeez, if you're an unemployed, dirty lazy guy who plays with action figures and can't get an erection, what do you expect? There were plenty of funny and cringeworthy moments, but I couldn't help but think he was playing a part rather than being his true self when talking on film, and a couple of parts just seemed to much like stunts for entertainment rather than being relevant to the story (visit to the bondage mistress and the viagra episode, mainly). Not a terribly film, but I think it could have been better if he'd left the devices for entertainment out, or toned them down at least.

Thursday August 7th, 2008

2008-08-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

BOY A
7/10
Interesting film about a young man who is about to re-enter society with a new identity after having spent years in a correctional facility for his part in the murder of a girl when he was a child. While he appears to be rehabilitated by the system, others wouldn't be so quick to forgive and forget, including the press. The film follows his story as he starts in a new town with a new job and starts making new friends. Definitely a well made film, and I thought worth watching based on its creating a protagonist out of a character that would usually be 'the bad guy'.

Wednesday, August 7th, 2008

2008-08-10T04:42:00.000-07:00

A CONFUCIAN CONFUSION
N/A
Walked out. I just couldn't be bothered trying to get into this film, which appeared to continue to talk about emotion. I am pretty tired generally at the moment, and after 30 minutes the sunshine of outside was more alluring that continuing to watch.

IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS
8/10
This black and white film is about a lonely scriptwriter on New Years Eve whose career is going nowhere and is paranoid about standing at a party at midnight without someone to kiss. His housemates suggest he puts an ad on Craigs List, and the film follows his encounters with the woman who responds. Lots of good laughs in this lowish budget film. Reminiscent of Before Sunrise, so if you liked that, be sure to check it out.

SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO
4/10
I love a good Western and also am quite partial to Japanese films, so was quite looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, not even Quentin Tarantino's presence in a small role doesn't save this film. I suspect it's written with many clever nods to cultural and/or pop references that I know little about, and it just didn't make sense to me. One of the big flaws with this Japanese Western was that the Japanese actors spoke english in an attempted Western drawl. With their Japanese accents it was extremely hard to understand what was being said a lot of the time. Lots of nice camera work and style, but beyond that I I was lost.

Tuesday August 6th, 2008

2008-08-05T07:42:00.001-07:00

MAD MAX 2
8/10
Champagne comedy! Oh, it's an action film? I'd seen Mad Max 2 about 20 years ago and thought it was pretty good at the time, but barely remembered anything about it. So, when I saw it was going to show on the big screen, I thought it was well worth checking out. And I was right - it's a great film given the time that's passed - the action sequences are really well done and the pacing of the film still keeps you watching. Some of the lines and many of the costumes and hairstyles are laughable now though - calling the bad guy 'Lord Humungus' and dressing all his cohorts in homoerotic assless leather chaps is hilarious. I know that if I was hanging out in the desert, I'd certainly think that leather pants and chains for a top made good sense. Anyway, a good romp and still entertaining. I was thinking while watching it that they could just about retell the story in the Star Wars universe with Han Solo as Mad Max, Chewbacca as Max's dog, and an ewok as the feral kid. Am I right or am I right?

Monday August 4th, 2008

2008-08-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

BOOGIE
6/10
I'm not sure if Romanian films and I are going to get along. I went against the grain last year by disliking '4 Weeks, 3 Months, 2 Days', and this one while better, wasn't fantastic. It's about Bogdan (aka Boogie) who normally works excessively long hours, but is taking a well earned holiday with his wife and young son. He crosses paths with a couple of old high school friends, and goes out for a night of debauchery with them. As a new father who has trouble juggling everything on his plate, I identified a little bit with Bogdan - the difference is that I've chosen to prioritise what's important to me (entirely) differently, and therefore had a hard time empathising with the character.

Sunday August 3rd, 2008

2008-08-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

NOODLE
8/10
I'm a new father, and this is my first film festival as one. I've noticed that aside from a severe lack of sleep that my brain has been reprogrammed - I see the MIFF advert with the little baby there and think about how cute my boy is. Sad, but true. So, when I see films now, they have different a different effect on me than they might have in previous years... Which is all said because Noodle was a great little film that really pulled at the heart strings. It's about a chinese boy whose mother is a cleaning lady for a twice widowed Israeli flight attendant. She leaves her six year old son with the flight attendant for an hour after receiving a phone call, but never comes back. The story is cute and funny and at times sad. The little boy in this is great too. Highly recommended for those who like a sappy sweet film.

EMPTIES
6/10
This Czech film is about a teacher of retirement age who (you guessed it) retires. He's still an active person, more in mind perhaps than in body, and has some trouble adjusting to retired life. It follows him as he tries to pick up new jobs and the various people he meets along the way. It was a little drawn out, and to be honest I felt a little let down by the ending, but overall, it was enjoyable enough.

O' HORTEN
6/10
(Note that I fell asleep for about 20 minutes in this film, so if anyone wants to argue the review with me, they have every right to). This was a quirky film that got stranger by the minute - it's about Odd Horten, an engineer on a train in Norway who reaches retirement age, and how he spends his time. If it sounds familiar (see Empties) then it's pretty similar in premise, but quite different in execution. A far more appealing film visually.

SON OF RAMBOW
7/10
A nice and often funny film about a quiet school boy whose mother is very religious and whose father has died some time ago. When he crosses paths with a bratty class clown, a friendship forms and together they set about making their own film, where Rambo (yes, that Rambo) needs rescuing by his son. Probably would appeal to those who like Wes Anderson's Rushmore. The scene in the senior students common room was hilarious. Recommend it if you want a off-centre feel food flick.

Saturday August 2nd, 2008

2008-08-05T00:27:00.000-07:00

FIGHTER
7.5/10
Kind of a cross between Karate Kid and Bend it like Beckham (neither which are bad films in their own right). It's probably not a necessary film, and certainly not an important film but it was good fun and well put together with a nice style to the filming. I couldn't get this song out of my head while watching...

THE POPE'S TOILET
Review to come...

August 1st, 2008

2008-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

BEN X
8/10

Awesome and powerful film. It's about a teenager named Ben who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism. He's a smart kid, but doesn't really fit in as a normal high school kid, being unable to interact socially with others. As a result is he is horribly teased. However, when he plays his online games, his mind is freed and he can function in that virtual world just fine. This story is about how he's treated and how he deals with it. Highly recommended.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
5/10
A disappointing vampire film from Sweden. Similarly to Ben X, the story revolves around a boy that is bullied, however in this case, his aide is in the form of a young Vampire. The shots were nicely done, but other than that it was a very patchy story, which just didn't grab me at all, and was unable to give me any kind of idea as to what it was trying to say or be. Sometimes suspenseful, but it felt like there were a lot of subplots going on without a major actual plot to consider. Poorly constructed. It's based on a book which is meant to be really good, so perhaps invest your time in reading it before you watch it.

July 31st, 2008

2008-07-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
7.5/10
One of the few documentaries that I'm seeing this film festival. It's by Werner Herzog, whose film 'The Wild Blue Yonder' was at MIFF a couple of years ago, and which I particularly enjoyed. It's about a few of the base stations down in Antarctica. However, instead of the more typical documentaries which focus on historial expeditions to Antarctica, or the land itself, he primarily shows us what kind of people work down at the bottom of the world, and finds some real gems. The true quality though is in his narration, which is very humourous and makes the film.

WENDY AND LUCY
5/10

A few years ago I got suckered into seeing a couple of films by Andrew Bujalski, the 'new indie darling of American cinema' at MIFF (They were Funny, Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation. Both were atrociously bad IMHO.) This year it's Kelly Reichardt's turn. Now, admittedly this film wasn't actually 'bad' - not like the two other films I mentioned, but anticipation was high for me that this may be the pick of the festival, so when it wasn't to my liking it was all the more disappointing. I think the main problem I have with the film was the lack of enough content to make up the already short at 80 minutes feature length film. This should have been a short film and it would have been fantastic if it had been. I don't mind slow pace (see my review for 'Time to Die'), but this just didn't deliver much. I don't think I was alone in my low opinion given the number of people who I saw leave during the session, and the groans I heard when the credits came up at the end followed by uncertain applause.

July 30th, 2008

2008-07-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

TIME TO DIE
7.5/10

A Polish film about an old woman, living alone in her house of many years. Her son's grown up and doesn't pay attention to her, and her days are spent monitoring the neighbours and talking to her best friend, Phila, her dog. It's filmed in black and white and beautifully done. The pace is quite slow, enough that I started to drift off. But if you're happy to sit and watch as the film goes by, may be worth looking at.

CARAMEL
7/10
A comedy/romance set in Beirut, at a hair salon. It's watchable, and probably would appeal to women more than men as it tracks the various relationships of the women hair stylists as well as a couple of others nearby. Favourite scenes were the ones involving the old mother of the seamstress across the road.

July 29th, 2008

2008-07-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

APRON STRINGS
7/10
This is a NZ film, but mostly set in a shopping strip that once was once primarily caucasian, but now has many minorities including Vietnamese and Sikh. It mainly tells the stories of two different families; a caucasian and a sikh one, and how they've experienced a family related trauma in the past that continues to have effects today. Worth seeing, and thankfully plays through without turning into a hollywood 'everything turns out super in the end' ending.

IN BRUGES
8/10
A dark comedy that tends towards violent drama at points, set in Bruges (which is in Belgium), and starring Colin Friels and Blendan Gleeson as two english hitmen who are sent by their boss (played by Ralph Feinnes) to Bruges to 'cool off' after a hit goes wrong. A funny and original story which keeps you entertained throughout. It's getting a major release really soon, so if you miss it at MIFF you'll certainly still be able to watch it. Fiennes does a great job at the criminal boss.

July 28th, 2008

2008-07-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

FROZEN RIVER
6.5/10
Not a terrible film, but not fantastic either. This film was about a mothers doing what they have to in order to make a better life for their kids - one, a Mohawk (American Indian/Native American) and the other a 'white woman' (as referred to by the aforementioned woman) who is trying to get enough money together to upgrade her trailer home to a kit home. In this particular case, she does so by delving into a somewhat 'grey' area of the law relating to people smuggling between the Canadian and US border. I must admit that I was jumping ahead in my mind to guess the plot, and what I predicted didn't happen, so thumbs up there. It's just that some of the acting was so poor by the small parts that it really jarred.

July 26th, 2008

2008-07-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

A fantastic MIFF day today - caught four films (but missed Noodle - may catch it the next time it's on), and all of them were great!

RUMBA
7.5/10
This is what the film festival is about for me - a total risk and something I know I'd never see despite any potentials anywhere else due to time or other constraints. It's a very visual comedic film about a couple who love to dance - an unfortunate accident awaits them though which throws their world into disarray. Very little dialogue, but entertaining to watch throughout. A cute film to make you smile.

WELCOME TO THE STICKS
7.5/10
A light French comedy about a postal manager who is feeling a lot of pressure from home to get transferred to the Riviera. However, when his efforts go a little too far, and he gets caught out, he ends up being sent to Northern France as a punishment. Good fun involved, particularly the scene where his wife visits the town up North to see how bad it is for him.

THE VISITOR
8/10
Really touching film from the US which is about the collision of lifestyles between a university professor in a rut and a couple of illegal immigrants who are innocently living in his unused New York apartment without his knowledge. A strong message about detention centres in America, and how to the land of liberty and justice for all isn't necessarily so. At the same time it doesn't pander to too many cliches. Highly recommended.

THE BANK JOB
7/10
This one's getting a major release soon. UK Heist flick about a bunch of petty crooks in London who rob Lloyds Bank in the early 1970s, and the various types of trouble that ensues. The police aren't the only parties interesting in finding them... It's no Lock Stock, but still worth a watch.

July 25th, 2008

2008-07-25T04:40:00.001-07:00

THE GUITAR
5/10
The premise of this film was pretty interesting, I thought. A girl finds out she has terminal cancer (with one month to live), and then on the same day, loses her job, and her boyfriend dumps her. So, with that as the introduction, the film proceeds to show how she deals with the short path before her. One of the recurring elements is her memories as a child of wanting a red guitar very badly, yet never realising that dream - until now. I thought the first 10 minutes of the film were excellent, and perhaps this set me up for a bigger fall ultimately. The problems are in the execution - the plot borders on ridiculous, isn't anywhere near realistic, and I had a lot of trouble empathising with Melody, the main character, which made it hard for me to go along for the ride. I really don't want to say too much about the plot points lest I spoil the film for others, but let's just say the ending would have been better had she wound up as the first president of the world, after solving world peace. Oh, and someone should tell her about eBay.

Future film junkie

2008-07-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Pic of my bub wearing last year's MIFF t-shirt, purchased while he was in utero. I rememember at the time being disappointed that they didn't have newborn sizes. But he's five months old now and he's almost outgrown it! Luckily I might spring the bucks for a new one in a couple of weeks :)

Fourth Year

2008-07-12T04:46:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Another year has passed and I return to the blogosphere for the fourth time for MIFF '08. I must say it'll be an interesting year. For the first time in a couple of years I'm taking a full two weeks off instead of trying to work full time (flexibly, mind you), *and* see lots of films. However, I am now a dad, so that will certainly cause some impact to the film watching (as it should). Hope to see some great films and be pleasantly surprised. I've got the official guide that came out with yesterday's Age, and am looking forward to making my pics. I'm usually pretty pre-organised, but am slowing things down a little this year. Hopefully I'll have read through the guide in the next few days and have made my picks, but if that never happens, and I end up picking films on the day, don't say I didn't warn you :-).

If you're running a blog, or would like to discuss any of the posts, please feel free to drop me a line!

Previous Blogs

2008-07-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

To see my Melbourne International Film Festival blog posts from previous years, please click on the links below:

Mark's MIFF 2005 Blog
Mark's MIFF 2006 Blog
Mark's MIFF 2007 Blog

2007-07-12T06:31:00.001-07:00

For the 2007 Melbourne International Film Festival blog, please go to http://miff07.blogspot.com. This space will be used for future years.