Monika’s Pensieve

Movie abstinence finally broken, but I still have withdrawal symptoms :]

{FILM DIARY}

Explorers (USA, 1985)

Seen: Wednesday, 2nd September 2009 (VHS)
Runtime: 109′
Director: Joe Dante
Cast: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson, James Cromwell
Production House: Paramount Pictures
Plot: Three boys get hold of some strange technology that ends up taking them up into space.

Trailer

Impressions In Short
Cute *grin*

More About the Film
I found this on my shelf, looking for something short to watch. I barely remembered it, so I thought I’d turn it on. And about half-way through I was wondering why on Earth I taped this cause it’s a nice movie for one watch and all, but I couldn’t quite figure out why I thought this was something I’d want to re-watch. I suspected it might have something to do with watching River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke in their early teens (they are really cute in this), but I still didn’t quite get why I’d taped this years back.
But I decided I may as well see it through to the end - I remembered that the bit when they finally meet the aliens was hilarious and I remembered well - I totally know why I kept this now lol The whole alien sequence is absolutely hilarious. It’s a kind of 80s television grotesque. It was probably very poignant at the time - I guess in the 80s TV changed the world in a similar way to how the internet is changing it now. But the true reason I totally can’t get myself to chuck this (even though the film as a whole isn’t that brilliant) is the little, teen River Phoenix romancing a pink, female alien with tentacles. It’s particularly amusing because his character (Wolfgang) is not interested in girls at all for the first part of the movie. The other two are clearly starting to notice the opposite sex and Wolfgang either calls them perverted or asks them if they ever think about anything worthwhile. But once he meets the pink alien with tentacles it’s love at first sight - “Ben, she’s really intelligent! Besides, I think she kind of likes me.”.
River Phoenix was really good as the nerdy scientist, though I do think he doesn’t quite look the part even when he’s dressed for it… To me he looks like a kid that spends most of his life outdoors (it probably would have helped if he hadn’t been the most tanned of the three ;)). Ethan Hawke is hilarious in this too.
Something that strikes me about 80s films every time is how blunt they are about certain things. One of the boys, Darren, clearly has an abusive father and they’re just so blunt about stating it. These days you just don’t get that sort of thing in Hollywood. There’s something about this sort of bluntness that really appeals to me, I don’t know why…

Recommended?
Yes, for the whole bizarre alien sequence and especially for little River Phoenix romancing a pink alien with tentacles ;) But it’s not a must see.

{FILM SPOTTING}

There’s nothing I’m really desperate to see, so since September is shaping up to be a rather insane month with way too much to do, this might mean I won’t see any of these. Time will tell…

Let's Make Money (Austria, 2008)

Release Date (Poland) 11th September 2009 (Against Gravity)
Release Date (worldwide): 30th October 2008
Runtime: 110′
Director: Erwin Wagenhofer
Production House: Allegro Film
Plot: (from imdb)

Most of us don’t know where their money is. However, one thing is for certain, it’s is not in the bank to which we entrusted it. The bank and our money is already a part of the cycle of the global money market.

Trailer

The sceptical part of me thinks that…
…I don’t like that clip ;-P It looks like a poor version of what The Corporation (which I recently reviewed) tried to do. Might be full of boring propaganda.

The excited part of me thinks that…
It was shown at the Planete Doc Review festival in May and the documentaries there usually have a relatively high standard. And besides, what happens to our money in the grand scheme of things is a topic that has begun to be increasingly interesting to me.

9 (USA, 2009)

Release Date (Poland): 18th September 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 9th September 2009
Runtime: 79′
Director: Shane Acker
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly, Fred Tatasciore, Elijah Wood, Alan Oppenheimer, Tom Kane, Helen Wilson
Production House: Focus Features, Relativity Media, Starz Animation
Plot: (from imdb)

A post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened.

Trailer
Check it out here.

The sceptical part of me thinks that…
…this is an animated film and I still don’t get them. Why on Earth am I drawn to watch so many of them of late? And why do I end up declaring I didn’t get them and then still go to see more? lol
Also I’m a bit worried this will have Polish dubbing, which would be a shame - it’s got a terrific cast.

The excited part of me thinks that…
The trailer quite simply looks beautiful. And the music and voices are very effective too.

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (USA, 2009)

Release Date (Poland): 18th September 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 19th April 2009
Runtime: 95′
Director: John Kent Harrison
Cast: Maja Ostaszewska, Anna Paquin, Danuta Stenka
Production House: Baltmedia, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, Jeff Most Productions, K&K Selekt
Plot: (from imdb)

The story of Irena Sendler, a social worker who was part of the Polish underground during World War II and was arrested by the Nazi’s for saving the lives of nearly 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw ghetto.

Trailer

The sceptical part of me thinks that…
…the Polish trailer looks absolutely awful, though that is probably largely because of the horrible dubbing. Still, if they really have dubbed the film for the Polish market (which would be rather unusual - mostly it’s only films which are clearly aimed at young audiences that get dubbed) then I definitely do not want to see this. I’m hoping that maybe the Polish dubbing is just for Hallmark (Hallmark is one of the producers and this film doesn’t seem to have many cinema releases worldwide, mostly it’s just TV).

The excited part of me thinks that…
…seeing Anna Paquin playing a Pole is so bizarre a concept to me that I’d really like to see it ;) And anyway, I’ve always really liked her and there hasn’t been much opportunity to see her of late.

Galerianki (Poland, 2009)

Release Date (Poland): 25th September 2009 (Monolith Films)
Runtime: 82 ‘
Director: Katarzyna Roslaniec
Cast: Anna Karczmarczyk, Dominika Gwit, Magdalena Ciurzynska
Production House: Monolith Films
Plot: A film about a certain lifestyle that has developed amongst teenage girls. The girls in the film hang out at shopping malls to meet men who will buy them any items they want in exchange for sex.

Trailer

The sceptical part of me thinks that…
This was shown at the ENH festival and Ziggy assured me that the word of mouth it got was bad.

The excited part of me thinks that…
I never heard anything bad about the film from anyone other than Ziggy and he didn’t even see it ;) Besides, me and Ziggy are not all that compatible when it comes to film taste - even when we do like the same films, it is rarely for the same reasons ;)
Since the ENH festival there’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the film, which would contradict this supposed “bad word of mouth”. For one thing, it won best début in the Polish film section at the ENH festival (and it was an international jury judging). For another, the news as of a few days ago is that this film has made it into the Toronto film festival, which usually has a repertoire that greatly appeals to me. And anyway, I actually like the trailer which is a very rare thing for me when it comes to Polish films…
As I very rarely feel the urge to go see a Polish film, when I do I kind of feel it is my duty to succumb ;) So of all the films on my September list this is probably the one I want to see the most, though as I said, I’m not desperate…

Surrogates (USA, 2009)

Release Date (Poland): 25th September 2009
Release Date (worldwide): 24th September 2009
Runtime: 104′
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Cast: Bruce Willis, James Cromwell
Production House: Touchstone Pictures, Mandeville Films, Road Rebel, Wintergreen Productions
Plot: (from imdb)

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others’ surrogates.

Trailer

The sceptical part of me thinks that…
Action films usually aren’t my thing…

The excited part of me thinks that…
There’s something about the plot of this one that really appeals to me. And Bruce Willis is a bonus ;) Not exactly one of my favourite actors, but I sorta have a soft spot for him.

Algeria is still a country I’d like to understand a whole lot better, but this is a very good (albeit long) video report to start with - it really explains a lot.

Sometimes, when I read about the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, I cannot help but think it is some weird Monty Python kind of reality, even if what I’m reading is very gruesome. Some of the rules and customs are just that absurd.
This is the first time I’ve had that feeling when watching a video, even though what’s on it is horrible. The lecture the voters are given is like from some Monty Python sketch, seriously. It would be funny if it wasn’t for real.

I am finally up to date with my film diary *grin* Which means I haven’t watched any films in over 2 weeks - my BA project is really taking too much of my time *sigh* No wonder I have withdrawal symptoms from not watching enough films…

{FILM DIARY}

Ballet Shoes (UK, 2007)

Seen: Tuesday, 11th August 2009 (DVD)
Runtime: 90′
Director: Sandra Goldbacher
Cast: Emilia Fox, Victoria Wood, Emma Watson, Yasmin Paige, Lucy Boynton, Richard Griffiths, Marc Warren, Lucy Cohu, Gemma Jones, Harriet Walter, Eileen Atkins, Heather Nicol
Production House: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Granada Television
Plot: (from imdb)

The story of three orphan girls (Pauline, Petrova, and Posy), adopted by an eccentric explorer, Great Uncle Matthew, and his niece Sylvia, in 1930s London.

Trailer

Impressions In Short
A good, very watchable TV drama with loads of women in it (there are hardly any male characters in this, seriously).

More About the Film
For a TV drama this was high standard. The cinematography in particular really stood out and it’s a very nice story (though I felt it ended a bit abruptly). But, as my mum put it, it lacked oomph. It had the potential to be great rather than just good, but somehow it just didn’t get there.
The casting was very good, but I didn’t think all the performances were quite nailed. In particular the three Fossils… They were all cast well and the potential was there in each of them, but somehow it didn’t quite materialize.
Naturally, my main focus was Emma Watson and I had mixed feelings. She had some good moments (especially in scenes where Pauline was vulnerable), but overall it seemed to me like she was a bit too self-conscious.
I found it quite curious that this is the film she chose to finally venture outside of Potter. In a way she’s played it the safest of all the young Potter actors so far. It’s very much a PG movie (almost a U actually, Potter has more “inappropriate content” than this) and it’s also a part which, if I’d read it, I’d have no trouble imagining her in. And I’m not bashing her for making a choice like this, btw. The story was great and very female-centric, so I totally see why making this film would appeal to her. It’s just kind of interesting that her only feature film outside of Potter is this one. I think she’s still going to have to “break out” more if people are to take her seriously as an actress.
One thing this has reinforced in me though, is that I’m definitely going to follow her future career quite closely cause I think I like her taste in scripts and directors (her favourite Potter director is Cuaron apparently *grin*) and actresses (you should hear her talking about Helena Bonham-Carter). So we’re a good match me and her ;)

Recommended?
If you’re in the mood for a good, female-centric and very British TV drama then yes, definitely :) But it’s not a must see, either.

{FILM DIARY}

Public Enemies (USA, 2009)

Seen: Saturday, 8th August 2009
Runtime: 140′
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard
Production House: Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Forward Pass, Misher Films, Tribeca Productions, Appian Way
Plot: (from imdb)

The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

Trailer

Impressions In Short
The worst Johnny Depp film I’ve seen in quite some time *sigh* Marion Cotillard was its one redeeming feature.

More About the Film
The main reason I wanted to see this film was Johnny Depp - not just because I like him, but because I trust his choice in projects. But then, if things had gone according to plan, he wouldn’t have done this movie. He was cast when his other projects were postponed because of the writer’s strike. From what I understand, he would have had a big break in any sort of filming had he not taken the project. As very few films were going into production at that time, a lot of Hollywood stars ended up doing different films than they had planned during the strike (imdb says that Marion Cotillard was in the same situation).
There are some very good names in the cast, but Marion Cotillard was the only performance I liked. While I know her by reputation, it was the first time I’ve seen her and I’m definitely keen on seeing more of her. I was really impressed with her American accent - you’d never know she’s not a native speaker.
The rest of the cast underperformed, I thought. The worst disappointment was Christian Bale. I think I’m officially fed up of him at the moment. The kind of projects he chooses and the kind of acting he does lately is just not for me.
Another thing I didn’t like about the film were its visuals. They should have stylized the film as one of those old gangster movies (everyone I watched the film with felt the same way). They sort of tried to do that in some shots, but only went half-way with it. A lot of the time they were going with the current trends in Hollywood and one of those is using shaky shots for action scenes. While I’m a fan of handheld and steadicam, on this film it was completely the wrong style to go with. Some of those shots looked like home video, which just doesn’t work for what is essentially a 1930s gangster story.

Recommended?
No, not really. For me Marion Cotillard was the only good thing about it.

Below is an interview with Andre Morgan, nowadays a big Hollywood producer. He basically introduced martial arts into Hollywood in the 1970s. It’s the most hilarious “how to break into Hollywood” story I’ve ever heard lol

20 years ago, 20 million Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians joined hands to form an almost unbroken 650 kilometre long human chain. This was meant as a symbolic protest against their occupation by Soviet Russia.

The BBFC very rarely outright rejects films nowadays, but it’s made an exception for Grotesque - a Japanese horror movie:

BBFC director David Cooke has stated: ??Unlike other recent ?torture?-themed horror works, such as the Saw and Hostel series, Grotesque features minimal narrative or character development and presents the audience with little more than an unrelenting and escalating scenario of humiliation, brutality and sadism. The chief pleasure on offer seems to be in the spectacle of sadism (including sexual sadism) for its own sake? Rejecting a work outright is a serious matter and the board considered whether the issue could be dealt with through cuts. However, given the unacceptable content featured throughout cutting the work is not a viable option in this case and the work is therefore refused a classification.??

Of course, what they really did with this decision is given it a lot of publicity (the sudden traffic on its imdb page says a lot).

Two Muslim women murdered. One killed when protesting against the regime in Iran, the other stabbed in a German courtroom for being Muslim. Which one receives a lot of coverage and which one receives hardly any at all?