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Reviews, previews and chuckling and snorting...

I'm a Sydney-based film reviewer that loves to review local screenings and film festivals. Want me to cover your event? Email me at cibbuano ~AT~ orble ~DOT~ com.


Amélie

November 7th 2009 06:04
copyright image held by publisher or creator of work depicted


Amélie
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain
The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain


Amélie is a whimsical journey following the life and antics of a young French woman, Amélie, (wonderfully played by Audrey Tautou). This film is another testament to the brilliance of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of the fabulous Delicatessen and the City of Lost Children. Although Jeunet also directed the lesser liked Alien Resurrection, that Hollywood experience allowed him to get Amélie produced back in France.

This film is a departure from Jeunet’s preferred darker subject matter, it is a romantic comedy, which delightfully sweeps and flits through the mind of a very engaging character. The film did have one strong critic, who attacked it for misrepresenting modern Paris, for creating a world that once existed, in Montmartré and surrounds, by omitting all the ethnic characters to be found there today. Jeunet’s defense against his critic was that one of the characters was Moroccan.

I think that criticism is a bit churlish, as this is a film of whimsy, not social import. Yet, even so, it manages to touch on attitudes, fears, hopes and frustrations many of us have experienced in some way or other.

It is a film of immense likeability and many French claim it saved the French film industry, because of its huge international success. Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant’s film script is witty at times, without being overburdened with verbosity, allowing us just enough insight into the characters to want to know more; it never labours on, nor lectures, about their motivations.

There is a narrator, André Dussollier, heard throughout the film, which is appropriate, as Jeneut invites the audience, from the beginning, to join in as the observers of events. The modulation of Dussollier's delivery only adds to the humour and the charm of the film, I never felt it intrusive nor disruptive.

At the beginning of the film, we briefly learn of Amélie’s childhood and the oddly amusing incidents that inevitably create her quirky, young adult personality. A neurotic mother and a detached oddball medical doctor father were her unfortunate role models; isolating her at home, because of a misdiagnosis and then the mother’s darkly amusing accidental death, caused the young Amélie to withdraw somewhat into her own world. Amélie then emotionally experiences life one step removed.

Amélie finds a job at a café, (an actual café in Montmartre, The Two Windmills), habituated by eccentrics on both sides of the counter.

But then, as happenstance would have it, Amélie uncovers a young boy’s treasure trove, (who was a previous tenant from the 1950’s), hidden behind a bathroom tile in her flat. This discovery motivates her to find him and if the return of his pathetic little box of memories pleases him, she vows to continue on with good works. If not, she won’t!

Impish, withdrawn to a degree, keenly observant and greatly empathetic with those less fortunate, Amélie is a complex character whose layers of personality are gradually revealed, making the journey a delightful experience; funny, oddball, endearing and then there is her Arch Angel streak, where she adopts vengeful ways to counter the wrongs being done to a hapless victim.

I loved Amélie the first time I saw it, some years ago, and I loved it all the more this time, which is a rare response for me. It is one of those rare films that I could watch every year without being bored by the experience.

The set design and locations, wardrobe, makeup and set dressing all combine beautifully, to enrich the Parisian experience. It may be a fantasy view of Paris today, but it is one few viewers would not want to be a part of. Jeunet uses the talented cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, who captures the magic and light of Paris.

The antics of animation are also a playful part of the film, which adds another fascinating and amusing layer, serving the story well.

Amélie was nominated in five categories for the Academy Awards of 2001 (Oscars); Best Foreign Language film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Sound. It won many international awards.

I highly recommend Amélie as a delightful bit of escapism with a generous touch of heart warming sentiment.

AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION
AVAILABLE ON DVD AND BLU RAY NOW.

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Produced by Jean-Marc Deschamps and Claudie Ossard
Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (scenario)
Guillaume Laurant (dialogue)

Narrated by André Dussollier
Starring:
Audrey Tautou
Mathieu Kassovitz
Rufus
Claire Maurier
Isabelle Nanty
Dominique Pinon
Serge Merlin
Jamel Debbouze
Arthus de Pengerne
Maurice Bénichou

Cinematography Bruno Delbonnel
Editing by Jeffery Schneid
Music by Yann Tiersen

Distributed by:
ICON DISTRIBUTION Australia
UGC (France)
Miramax Films (USA)
Release date
December 21, 2001 (Australia)
Running time 122 min.
Country France
Germany
Language French


IMAGE CREDIT: Creator unknown, copyright presumed held by publisher or creator of work depicted. Please contact me for inclusion of copyright owner's credit. Image used for critique of the film production, for ICON Film Distribution.
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Katyn

November 4th 2009 07:13
Katyn Andrzej Wajda

It was a momentous occasion in 1989 when the Berlin Wall finally crumbled at the hands of the people it had separated for so long. The celebrations were overwhelming as families, countries, and continents reunited.

But when the dust settled and the demolition tractors retired home, a strange and careful reckoning began. For almost 50 years the history of Communist Eastern Europe had been frozen like an ice sheet. ‘Party first’ doctrines often rubbed uncomfortably against factual acuity, and the secret police services were experts at making uncomfortable truths disappear. With the dismantling of the Wall the ice began to crack and melt, history flowing out in such a raging torrent it threatened to bowl over those who had been kept in a half century of darkness about the fate of loved ones and countrymen.

One of the most shocking stories coming out of this historical reconciliation was the murder of approximately 15,000 Polish officers at the hands of the Soviet Secret Police in 1940. Among those killed was the father of acclaimed Polish filmmaker, Andrzej Wajda, and the screenwriter/director has set out to document the massacre with his film, “Katyn”.

Of course, making a film that cuts so close to the personal and patriotic bone is always a risk for a filmmaker. A reverence for the material can dominate the screenplay, interfering with narrative structure and crippling the final product. It’s unfortunate that such is the case with “Katyn”: this is a film full of importance, but in an effort to provide the scope, Wajda has lost his way with the story.

And that’s a shame, because things start out very well.

It’s 1939 and Poland is being crushed by the Hitler-Stalin pact. As the Red Army occupies the east they round up Polish officers, placing them in interminable custody. Determined to remain loyal to the army despite his fears for their fate, Polish cavalry captain, Andrzej (Artur Zmijewski) refuses to flee with his wife, Anna (Maja Ostaszewska) to the relative safety of the German-occupied west.

These early scenes are quickly set up and expertly filmed, Wajda bringing his considerable experience to bear as the heart-stricken Anna – the closest the film ever comes to a protagonist – begs her resolute husband to leave the loosely secured area where he and his fellow officers are being detained. It’s powerful, focussed stuff and has the audience onboard immediately.

Quickly, the film skips forward through the years. 1939 becomes 1940 and then 1943. The Nazis have broken their pact with the Soviets and, as they advance into Russia, stumble across the mass graves containing thousands of Polish officers. The men’s families in Krakow endure a terrifying wait as German public broadcasts announce the names of the dead.

It’s here that the film starts to lose its way. Anna is sidelined in favour of a dead general’s wife (Danuta Stenka) and it turns out to be a slightly discombobulating switch, deadening “Katyn”’s narrative drive.

Katyn Andrzej Wajda

Things only get worse as the film skips forward again to 1945. The Soviets have reclaimed Poland and are in the process of rewriting history; this time it will last for 45 years. The truth of what happened in “Katyn” is plainly obvious to the Polish public, but they are browbeaten by Soviet propaganda and anybody who disagrees with the official version is quickly spirited away.

Wajda once again switches up his characters, introducing new players to the centre of the frame who barely last five minutes before they’re disposed of by the secret police. By this stage it becomes obvious what the filmmakers up to, driving home with awkward thrusts the fact that the Katyn tragedy affected just about every Pole whether they were young or old.

And there’s no denying this truth, but the fashion in which it is displayed onscreen is frustratingly schizophrenic. Surely Wajda and his fellow screenwriters – Andrzej Mularczyk, Przemyslaw Nowakowski and Wladyslaw Pasikowski – would have been better to stick with Anna, the character whose plight they so compellingly set up in the early scenes. As it is, the film lacks impact, the audience disenfranchised from the onscreen action.

It might simply be a case of a troublesome adaptation: “Katyn” is based on Mularczyk’s own book, “Post Mortem” (which I haven’t read), and seems to give away its literary origins with its over ambitious scope and weight of different characters.



It’s a shame, because the film has some great attributes. Fine performances often hide the lack of character, while Pawel Edelman’s shimmering photography is frequently fantastic, his use of light giving the entire film a burnished feel in league with the tiresome grief that many of the central figures endure. Krzysztof Penderecki’s score is also impressive, taking the subtle, mournful path to the emotions.

In the end, Wajda probably cares very little for outside opinions of his film: he’s stated that his purpose with “Katyn” has always been to give catharsis to the Polish people. One would hope it does that, particularly given the massive reception it received in its homeland. But for those outside Poland, “Katyn” stumbles on some of the most basic of filmmaking principles, leaving it lacking in impact and in danger of remaining a too often forgotten footnote in modern history.

"Katyn" is now available on DVD from Umbrella Entertainment


I say: a fine history lesson but poor film that frequently pushes away the viewer.

See it for: an education on one of the most frightening crimes of World War II.

*This image is from Magic Carpet
*This image is from International House




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The Long Good Friday

October 29th 2009 08:38
Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday

Watching “The Long Good Friday” it’s easy to imagine Guy Ritchie and his friends – circa 1995 – sitting on a crisp-scattered velour couch, smoking joints, drinking lager and furiously taking notes.

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CASE 39

October 26th 2009 15:10
Official Poster


This film has more than a few thrilling moments. It caused my friend to throw her hands over her eyes and gasp, numerous times. I kept looking, but will admit to a few gasps too


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Cheri

October 25th 2009 18:43
Cheri played by Rupert Friend


What does a doting, yet also distraught mother do, when she sees her only son hell-bent on a dissolute and debilitating life of debauchery? Arising from slumbers late, hung over and surly, Chéri, (played by Rupert Friend) behaves like a lot of 19 year olds who are spoiled rotten and maternally (financially) dependant; he is egocentric and presumptuous; he gives little and takes a lot


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CAPITALISM: A Love Story

October 24th 2009 03:37
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by Matt Shea
Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones

We’ve known ever since Helen Mirren bawled her eyes out over a dainty stag that the Queen of England is a bit of an existential sort. Lucky for her then, given Peter Jackson’s “The lovely Bones” has been selected for the Royal Film Performance 2009. The World Charity Premiere will take place in late November in Leicester Square and feature members of both the Royal Family and the film’s all-star cast. Jackson said he is “honoured” the film has been selected for the event, adding that the filmmakers “are thrilled Their Royal Highnesses and the CTBF [The Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund] audience will be amongst the first people in the world to see it.” Of course, if Prince Phillip is attending, the film will no doubt be switched for his personal Peter Jackson favourite, “Bad Taste


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Little Black Dress

October 21st 2009 02:58
The feature debut by brothers Dan and Bramwell Noah, Little Black Dress is a notable Melbourne production with an interesting take on the intermingling of love, fate and the ruthless proliferation of reality TV trends.

When Ebony Mason’s (Sandy Greenwood) morning jog leads to an impulsive stroll into an apartment building advertising a vacancy, a chain of fateful events begins to take shape which will lead to unlikely stardom. Though she can’t afford it, Ebony wistfully entertains the thought of moving into a place beyond her economic means. A little black dress – the sole garment left behind by the previous tenant or a gift from manipulative higher forces? – will soon alter the course of her life and the perceptions of those around her


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