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20/20 Filmsight - June 2008

Quantum of Solace Teaser Trailer

June 30th 2008 22:42
James Bond holding a gun Quantum of Solace Poster
The upcoming James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace", may be ridiculously titled, but it's highly anticipated after the last Bond film, starring Daniel Craig, blew the doors off the box office.

I didn't enjoy the last film that much. Sure, it had some decent action scenes, but much of the movie felt forced and unimaginative; as if they were trying very hard to reinvent James Bond, but fell short of the mark. I was also disappointed that they managed to make Euro-actress Eva Green look much more trashy than she deserves. Still, between the parkour scenes and Craig's surly demeanor, the film was successful enough for the Earth to guarantee that we'll eventually see "Bond 2^8".

While I'm not really anticipating "Quantum of Solace", I am interested in seeing new Bond Girl, Ukrainian beauty Olga Kurylenko, flex her stuff and possibly push Craig down a mountainside. No?

Olga Kurylenko James Bond Quantum of Solace


\Film reports that the teaser trailer has been released and will be shown before "Hancock", which is opening this week. I've been a James Bond fan since I was a kid, and, though I enjoy the movies less now, it still summons a nostaglic sense of globe-trotting adventure.



Is it just me, or does anyone else think that this new film seems remarkably similar to "The Bourne Identity"? Also, I will admit that the trailer did nothing for me - until the final 20 seconds, where that James Bond theme starts playing and things blow up. Apparently, I'm easily bought.





*the first image is from the 007.com site, and the second is from OJustme
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Ichi the Killer

June 29th 2008 23:44
Ichi the Killer grim gangster face
In 1931, Fritz Lang's "M" told the story of a mentally disturbed killer, a murderer of children. The movie was so powerful and evocative that, according to Wikipedia, Peter Lorre, who plays the murderer, was typecast for years. Even today, the film feels fresh and relevant, full of ideas that have not been eroded by time.

At its heart, "M" is terrifying, not because of the raw occurrence of murder, but because the villain is unable to stop or control himself. Unpredictability, it would seem, is the most terrifying monster.

Seventy seven years later, and audiences have been desensitized to violence in cinema; Fritz Lang's masterpiece is still a fascinating film, but our stomachs are stronger, and we're not as easy to be affected by the movie.

We have our new masters, though, and Takashi Miike may be the most daring, provocative filmmaker in recent history. I've reviewed "Audition", which is a beguiling tale of horror and deserved vengeance, and I reviewed "Sukiyaki Western: Django", Miike's latest, which played at the Sydney Film Festival.

Leith, over at Siren Visual, sent over Siren's DVD release of "Ichi the Killer", Miike's most notorious film. I opened the package and was greeted by the leering visage of the man with the split mouth, held shut with a pair of piercings.

Ichi the Killer Kakihara


This is not Ichi the Killer. This is the ransacked face of Kakihara, the sadomasochistic leader of a Yakuza gang, looking for revenge on Ichi, who killed his boss.

I watched the movie, and I reeled and nearly retched at the obscene, violent images, the depictions of torture and sadistic glee. The beginning of the movie was pretty bad, but it quickly got worse, then worse again. This is sheer insanity on film, the concentrated distilled spirits of demented human imagination.

And yet, through it all, Miike's vision remains wonderfully creative and beautifully shot. The image of Kakihara standing in the center of a room, covered in the blood and guts of his men, is a strongly composed shot, so graphic that it simultaneously pushes and pulls the viewer into the movie.



While not as coherent as "Audition", "Ichi" makes up for the senseless, chaotic story with a rampant glee towards torture and pain. Miike has stated, in an interview, that his violent movies make up for the fact that he was a terrified little boy, unable to throw a punch. In the world of cinema, though, he makes up for it fast and hard. Is Miike to be faulted? No - he avidly depicts a world of terror, where human beings are more frightening than any supernatural force.

No, Miike doesn't scare me. I'm scared of his fans, the ones that cheer the abuse and violence and scream for more.

This is sickening, brutal cinema, which hints at the nastiest ichor that could collect on the end of a knife. I hope I never have to watch this again. I'll probably watch it again this week.

I say: You won't like this, and you won't watch this. If you do, you're in for a treat. It's perfectly composed, daring and frightening. Then, believe it or not, it's even darkly funny.

See it for: The cast is fantastic, including the main actor, Tadanobu Asano, who, apparently is in the new film "Mongol".

*this image is from HKCuk
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Tom Whalen's Nouveau Retro Star Wars posters are fresh and tantalizing

June 26th 2008 22:57
Saul Bass style Star Wars posters from Tom Whalen
This morning, I found this delicious post on /Film, a look at the film poster art of Tom Whalen.

He's a graphic designer and in his fun-time, he makes old-skool posters for classic movies, most notably, "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back". It's a wonderful look, with the similarities between the posters made fresh by the slight change in colours and angles. These are posters that I can get down with


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Make a short clip to play in the upcoming Watchmen movie!

June 25th 2008 23:18
Watchmen old skool black and white photo
According to the Watchmen website, the highly anticipated comic book adaptation will hit cinemas in March 2009.

That's a long, long ways away, so director Zack Snyder and gang are giving movieheads a chance to be in the film. Paramount Studios is accepting submissions for a competition, where fans make a fake 80s clip, that'll play on the television in the film


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Highlights of the 2008 Sydney Film Festival

June 24th 2008 23:26
Sadly, the Sydney Film Festival finished off its run on Sunday, closing the theatre doors and dismantling the box office. I had hoped that there would be some sort of Christmas miracle and the films would be screened all over again, for another three weeks, but, alas, it never happened.

I often kicked myself with regret for not making several screenings, but, with a festival like this, you've got to gnaw off an ankle to free yourself. Looking back, here are my highlights of the festival


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See Matt Dance around the world - again!

June 23rd 2008 03:25
The original "Dancing by Matt Harding" video was incredible. Matt Harding traveled all around the world, dancing like a lunatic in every country he found. It's a triumphant example of the traveler's spirit, the dedication to non-stop voyaging. An anonymous commenter points out that this is his third video...

Does he get tired? Does he run out of money


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Tokyo Sonata @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 22nd 2008 22:57
Tokyo Sonata sitting down for dinner

"Tokyo Sonata" left me feeling drained, like my inner organs were exposed to the relentless vacuum of deep space. One of the festival organizers, seeing me leave, asked how the film was, and I responded with a heavy heart. She sympathized, having recommended several of her friends to go see it on its opening night, only to watch them leave the cinema, teary and bleak.

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Paramount's ridiculous profits mean more of the same from Hollywood studios

June 17th 2008 23:29
Help me Eros lottery tickets falling like snow
A heated conversation at the latest OrbleCon was unfinished; Bryn , JohnDoe and I were lamenting the remakes, sequels and adaptations that are endlessly streaming from American shores, like a neverending stream of sticky sewage.

We never finished the conversation, as Bryn was left with an incredulous look on his face, as he visualized a rancid future when the cackling apes of Hollywood would put forward a remake of "Alien". No. That simply cannot happen


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Kino Kabaret - calling all filmmakers!

June 17th 2008 03:26
Kino 16 Kabaret UK Sydney
I just got a telegram from Matt Riviera, express from the mucky shores of the Georges River.

"Kino Kabaret STOP July 14 - 19 STOP Filmmakers wanted to produce highly original shorts on low budgets STOP Parties after STOP Your presence requested STOP Will provide ether STOP"

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A Girl Cut in Two @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 16th 2008 23:40
Ludivine Sagnier A Girl Cut in Two

Claude Chabrol was one of the founders of the Nouvelle Vague in 1960s France, leading the way along with Godard and Truffaut. I haven't seen anything by Chabrol, not even his groundbreaking early work, so perhaps I'm the wrong critic to examine his latest, "A Girl Cut in Two", from the Sydney Film Festival.

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My Winnipeg @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 15th 2008 22:48
My Winnipeg Guy Maddin
The one Canadian film in competition at the Sydney Film Festival was Guy Maddin's "My Winnipeg", a nightmarish montage of stark footage combined with archival material to produce an introspective look into the city the wrapped its claws around Maddin's mind.

Maddin calls it a 'docu-fantasia', but a more fitting description would be that "My Winnipeg" appears to be the distorted output of a futuristic machine that can read the dreams of malaria victims


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Sukiyaki Western: Django @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 13th 2008 00:28
Sukiyaki Western Django Takashi Miike

Named after the '66 spaghetti western, "Django", Takashi Miike's latest film is thunderous explosion of colours, sounds and fanatical style, confined to the Western genre, but somehow rematerializing far from it.

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Orble Meetup in Sydney this weekend

June 12th 2008 02:20
Dolphin jumping at sunset

Just a reminder to all the Sydney Orblers - the meetup is this weekend, on Sunday, June 15th at the Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills.

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Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse Trailer

June 11th 2008 22:55
Yesterday's post was about the new Kevin Smith flick, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno", featuring Seth Rogen, current comedy golden boy.

I'm not a huge fan of Rogen, though he suited the part in "Knocked Up" just fine. He's a one-dimensional character, though, and it seems as if Rogen can hardly believe that millions of people want to keep seeing him in movies where he swears and acts like a degenerate


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Zack and Miri Make a Porno Trailer

June 10th 2008 23:08
Zack and Miri make a Porno Seth Rogen Elizabeth Banks
Kevin Smith's upcoming comedy focuses on Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as two platonic friends who decide to make an amateur pornographic movie to make a little money.

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" is the unfortunate name of this movie, which is guaranteed to be vulgar and as sexually disturbing as possible. It's a step in another direction from the films at the Sydney Film Festival, like "Help Me Eros", which is also a sex comedy, but with a layer of contemplation and an eye for aesthetics


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Help Me Eros @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 10th 2008 00:15
Help Me Eros Yin Shin Taiwan Film
Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-Sheng was the centerpoint of the films of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang; working with the celebrated director must have taught Lee something about filmmaking, as he's reinvented himself as a director of his own accord.

"Help Me Eros" is his second feature, and it screened at the Sydney Film Festival, on a quiet Sunday night. The audience may have been caught by surprise, as the film probed interesting new grounds for Asian cinema, unflinchingly depicting casual sex and drug use with an eye that could only be described as gleefully voyeuristic


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Import/Export @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 9th 2008 04:33
Import/Export Ulrich Seidl film

The poster for "Import/Export" at the Sydney Film Festival is an image that probably will draw crowds: a frame showing a curvy blonde woman, naked, from behind, perched on a bed, performing for a webcam.

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Silent Light @ The Sydney Film Festival

June 5th 2008 22:15
Silent Light sitting on the porch
The Australian premiere of "Silent Light" drew a large, hungry crowd to the State Theatre, eager for a look at this nearly universally praised film by Carlos Reygadas. The film has won awards at Cannes, Stockholm, Chicago and Havana, blowing away criticisms with a unbelievably patient examination of life among the Mexican Mennonites.

Last night's screening was an entry into the official competition at the Sydney Film Festival, which means that Reygadas' third film stands a good chance to be awarded accolades here in Australia


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Do audiences want auteurs?

June 4th 2008 23:46
Shyamalan directing in Signs

This week, Geoff Egan posted a comment on the 'need' for a director on a given movie. He wonders what classic movies might look like if directed by someone else.

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The Tracey Fragments

June 3rd 2008 22:33
Ellen Page in The Tracey Fragments sitting with her psychiatrist
Last year, famed Canadian director Bruce McDonald released "The Tracey Fragments", a movie about adolescent malaise starring Ellen Page, the Juno-darling.

Page plays Tracey Berkowitz, a distressed teenage girl, known in her school as 'the girl with no tits', distrusted by her parents, looked down upon by her psychiatrist and, like many adolescents, trying to find their way in the world, recklessly unstable


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The Coen Bros'

June 2nd 2008 23:16
Brad Pitt with a bloody nose Coen brothers Burn After Reading

The next film from the Coen brothers is a return to the absurd, dark comedy that they've built their careers on. Between "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski", the Coen's stand out as our generation's finest humourists.

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13 Tzameti

June 1st 2008 22:59
13 Tzameti
"13 Tzameti" is the type of film that you'd project on a wall at a Halloween dance party. The black-and-white cinematography augments the nightmarish scenario, making this film feel like something from the back of the skull of a notorious serial killer.

Released in 2005, the debut feature of director Gela Babluani is a starkly entertaining film that borders on psychopathic horror. "13 Tzameti" won accolades at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006 and is currently being remade by Babluani into an American film


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