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2003 Foreign, Alternative and Independent Films - Page 13  

post #361 of 409
Thread Starter 
I've decided to skip The Human Stain theatrically for now due to lackluster reviews. Next up for me: Pieces of April.

~Edwin
post #362 of 409
Having finally gotten a chance to see In America, I can't do much more than link to Jason Seaver's thorough review from last spring. This is a remarkable film that is willing to risk being called sentimental and almost never is. The performances, even by characters with only a few lines, are uniformly excellent.

M.
post #363 of 409
Finally made it to the theater again:

Elephant

I appreciated in theme and technique, but I didn't
connect with it emotionally the way I did with Gerry. There were two women sobbing in the aisle in front of me, but after seeing the real thing in Bowling for Columbine and the newspapers, to see the dramatized version felt
a bit like a TV movie treatment at times (let's play a violent video game, here's the guy's ordering a gun off the Internet, oh look its a pamphlet on explosives). Perhaps if Van Sant hadn't called his killers Kyle and Eric and had a more fictionalized take I could have separated myself from reality more and gotten more into it... I don't know.

But as Ted mentioned, I did appreciate the depiction of the banality of everyday life and the repeated scenes from differing POV's (although the "Benny" story brought nothing to the table and seemed completely out of place).
A good movie for how it depicts the unpredictability and unexplainability of the violence that surrounds us, but for me, not an outstanding one.


The worst thing about Chinese rule in Tibet is that one cannot say "I am Tibetan"

The "Year Of The Documentary" continues with

Tibet: Cry Of The Snow Lion

a moving and painful documentary about the Chinese subjugation of Tibet and how the Chinese are virtually expunging Tibetan culture. Martin Sheen narrates and it has a few other celeb voices, but it is mostly told through interviews with Tibetans, both inside the country and expatriates, and Western academians and others who have lived or traveled in Tibet. It also includes interviews with Chinese officials to hear the official government spin from the mouth of the beast and rightly attacks the American position of paying lip service to human rights while bending over backwards to do business with China, who's rule has resulted in the death of 1 out of every 6 Tibetans.

While there are certain aspects of the filmmaking that likely bow to commercial purposes (as in getting the film made, this isn't the kind of movie that makes $$ regardless of quality), and a couple of scenes that are unnecessary; I've always felt that documentaries should always err on the side of having too much rather than too little and the sheer power of the story told overwhelms any minor flaws. If it shows up in your area, I highly recommend it.
post #364 of 409
I agree in large part with your view of Elephant Brook, but I reluctantly conclude that Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion is not a very good documentary.

While the plight of the Tibetan people should be a source of concern for us all, and deserves to be more widely known than it is, I don’t feel that this film will advance the cause very much. As a film it is far to long and tries to address far too many issues to be truly effective.

Aside from the subject matter, the film is at its best when it depicts concrete items like the destruction of the 1,600 Buddhist monasteries or when it focuses on the Dali Lahama, his commitment to non-violence and how effective that policy is in addressing the Chinese domination of Tibet.

For me, the film takes far too many detours, asking us (to cite one example) to also be concerned with the expansion of Western capital into China and the sale of Chinese goods to the U.S. I feel that the filmmakers would be better served if they had a more limited focus in their film.

This film got a fine review in the Dallas Morning News and I was really looking forward to seeing it. But for me the review was more on the subject matter than how it was executed. This should have been so much better.
post #365 of 409
I disagree, there are a couple of unnecessary things, like showing the "Free Tibet" concert footage where I'm thinking "yeah, these mosh pitting dudes really care or even know anything about Tibet?" And the theory that Tibet is good for world security by providing a buffer zone between China and India seemed a large stretch, but these are relatively small pieces of a powerful document.

I think the inclusion of American complicity in what is happening is VERY necessary and some of the most damning and moving elements. This is a movie that is not just telling a story, but is attempting to generate enough outrage that people will act. What better way than to bring home that this is not something happening to a remote people very far away that we are helpless to aid, but rather one of the many peoples that America has sold out and hypocritically ignores.

Some of this footage also poses questions that aren't even related to Tibet, but should be very worrisome for everyone in this country. Like the fact that our government and corporations do business with the PLA. There have already been instances of corporations selling advanced missle and satellite technology to the Chinese with government approval. T'would appear that America is being completely manipulated by China and our government is amazingly ignorant of what is happening because A. They are beholden to corporate interests eternally chasing after the vast "potential" of Chinese markets (China has successfully manipulated this into an $80B+ trade deficit in their favor) B. Fear of the Chinese military (A continued policy of appeasement and caving to China on virtually every issue rather than dealing from a position of strength and extracting concessions for the things they want).

It also has implications regarding the rhetoric and "high-mindedness" of what we are doing in Iraq, but I'm sure I've strayed to far to the political already.

But also, I think they are right to include this material, because America is the one nation that could help if only it had the will to do so. The filmmakers want to inspire some hope but not in a naive way. They are saying "we were involved, this is why America left, and this is why we aren't interested now". I think that is a very important piece of the story.

The filmmakers only have one shot to make this movie. There isn't going to be a series of 10 Tibet documentaries. I think it is ok that they tried to fire every bullet in their gun. I'm often disappointed by documentaries that don't give enough (Spellbound for instance), I'm not going to complain about one that gives a bit too much.
post #366 of 409
Quote:
Some of this footage also poses questions that aren't even related to Tibet, but should be very worrisome for everyone in this country. Like the fact that our government and corporations do business with the PLA.

Not to comment on the politics, I just felt that the documentary would have been more powerful if it had stayed focused on matters pertaining to Tibet (at least more directly).

I thought, for example that the withdrawal of CIA funding for the Tibetan resistance was handled very well and left the audience with only two possibilities: that either the withdrawal of funding after Kissenger’s initial foray’s into rapprochement with China was betraying an earlier commitment or we should never have begun it in the first place. That the funding was only sufficient to annoy China, but not enough to return political power to Tibet was something I had not considered.

But the digression into the morality of investing in China and the consequent trade is, in the end, a minor side issue (from a ‘free Tibet’ perspective and I thought that it came at a point in the film where the documentarions should have been driving their core message home, rather than losing the plot.

It will be very hard to stem the ‘trade with China’ issue—less hard to focus on the issue of Tibetan independence. To try to do both, does a disservice to both.
post #367 of 409
Quote:
but I reluctantly conclude that Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion is not a very good documentary.

After reading your comments a second time Brook, I think that I was a bit harsh in this statement and it does not reflect my real feelings: "I reluctantly conclude … is not as good has I had hoped or the subject deserved." But still a film that ought to be seen by a wide audience.
post #368 of 409
Again, I maintain this material is extremely important in detailing what the struggle for Tibetan independence is up against. The commerce is not "a side issue" (yes, it led me down different paths of thought, but it is still inter-related). It is a principle contributing factor in the world's willingness to shuffle the issue under the rug. They listen to the Dalai Llama's speeches and shake his hand, but governments aren't going to ruffle China's feathers with concrete action.

And again, this is a movie trying to rouse people to action. What better way to rouse the liberal intelligentsia than show how America is helping to finance the PLA and then turn around and buy more weapons to meet a threat we're helping to create, all the while selling out the indigenous populace while paying lip service to being protectors of democracy? (hmm, when has this happened before?)

Straight out of the Michael Moore playbook.

And before movie they showed the trailer to Errol Morris's Fog Of War. I cannot wait to see that.
post #369 of 409
Quote:
And before movie they showed the trailer to Errol Morris's Fog Of War. I cannot wait to see that.

Me too. As you already wrote—“The Year Of The Documentary”
post #370 of 409
Pieces Of April - ¾

There are only a few prodcuers who are a better indication of what a movie will be like than the director. Jerry Bruckheimer, for instance, will give you a glossy movie with a fine cast all playing well below their capabilities in a story that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but which has some memorable bits. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Gary Winick's InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment) will generally deliver a grainy, flat-looking movie with a surprisingly good cast that talks a lot but doesn't say as much as they think they do.

Just as Bruckheimer sometimes lucks into a good movie every once in a while (The Rock, Pirates Of The Carribean), so here does Winick. Pieces Of April looks nicer than the other InDigEnt films I've seen (Sam The Man, Tape), which may just be a factor of better technology, but also seems to be the result of better lighting. Which is good, because what use are the fine performances by Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, et al., if you can't see them?

The story itself is simple; April (Holmes) is the black sheep of her family. Neither her parents (Clarkson and Platt) or siblings can think of any happy memories involving her, and since leaving home, her life has been one disaster after another. As this Thanksgiving starts, though, she seems to have turned a corner - her boyfriend (Derek Luke) seems like a nice enough guy, and she's offered to host the family's holiday dinner.

There's a likable desperation to April - though at times she seems too nice to have been the nightmare her family describes, she has lapses where she's rude or inconsiderate, and there's a subplot with her boyfriend that indicates she may still be quite capable of bad judgment. But her mother has cancer, and it's quite clear that this may be April's last chance to prove to her family that she's not a total screw-up.

There's a fair amount of padding - Sean Hayes has a character who is little more than obnoxious, and it occasionally seems that about twice as much time is spent on April's family in the car as needs to be. But there is one magical moment, where April is trying to explain Thanksgiving to a Korean family that knows little English - she stumbles over the sugar-coated version I learned in first grade, then the politically-correct rebuke, before finally cutting right to the heart of it. There's been lots of "true meaning of Christmas" movies, but a "true meaning of Thanksgiving" one is rarer, and interesting because of that.
post #371 of 409
The Cooler

This is an exceptional film that works on the simple premise that superstitions about luck (good and bad) are all true. Once you accept that there really is a guy (William H. Macy's Bernie Lootz) whose luck is so bad that he can cool a gambler's hot streak just by standing at the table, and that Bernie's luck can be changed overnight when he falls for a casino waitress (Natalie, played by Maria Bello), the entire plot unfolds in a way that makes perfect sense but continues to surprise. (The script throws you a few nice miscues along the way, too.) Even the ending, which could easily have seemed arbitrary, fits beautifully with what's gone before.

Macy has never been better, and considering how good he always is, that's saying a lot. He's played losers many times, but he's never before played one who was so entirely self-aware. Bernie knows who and what he is, and he has neither illusions nor any more aspirations, and that makes it all the more shocking when Natalie falls for him. In scene after scene, Macy finds new ways to convey the astonishment of a man who'd long ago concluded that life held no more surprises.

Alec Baldwin has a great time playing Shelly Kaplow, the self-styled last of the old-time casino bosses, who spends much of the film resisting his investors' desire to modernize his operation for the new family-friendly Vegas. Shelly wants a place where the old-school shady characters that invented Las Vegas can feel right at home. Baldwin gives Shelly depth without in any way downplaying what a brutal bastard he really is. (The more you learn about Shelly's history with Bernie, the more appalling Shelly becomes.) And the film doesn't pull back from showing you the violence and treachery that staying "old school" entails.

There's an intersting subplot featuring Shawn Hatosy as Bernie's long-lost son and Estella Warren as his girlfriend. Paul Sorvino has a small but intense role as a washed-up lounge singer.

The film was shot bright and hot, as if everything were under a perpetual neon glare. This will be another of those DVDs where the online reviewers downgrade the video rating for "graininess", never realizing that they're seeing exactly what they're supposed to see. Catch it in a theater if you can.

M.
post #372 of 409
Thread Starter 
Here are the Independent Spirit Awards nominations:

FEATURE

"American Splendor" -- Ted Hope, producer.
"In America" -- Jim Sheridan, Arthur Lappin, producers.
"Lost in Translation" -- Sofia Coppola, Ross Katz, producers.
"Raising Victor Vargas" -- Alain de la Mata, Robin O'Hara, Scott Macaulay, Peter Sollett, producers.
"Shattered Glass" -- Craig Baumgarten, Tove Christensen, Gaye Hirsch, Adam Merims, producers.


DIRECTOR

Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini -- "American Splendor"
Sofia Coppola -- "Lost in Translation"
Jim Sheridan -- "In America"
Peter Sollett -- "Raising Victor Vargas"
Gus Van Sant -- "Elephant"


SCREENPLAY

Sofia Coppola -- "Lost in Translation"
Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy and cast -- "A Mighty Wind"
Peter Hedges -- "Pieces of April"
Billy Ray -- "Shattered Glass"
Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini -- "American Splendor"


FIRST FEATURE

"Bomb the System" -- Adam Bhala Lough, director; Ben Rekhi, Sol Tryon, producers.
"House of Sand and Fog" -- Vadim Perelman, director; Michael London, Perelman, producers.
"Monster" -- Patty Jenkins, director; Mark Damon, Donald Kushner, Clark Peterson, Charlize Theron, Brad Wyman, producers.
"Quattro Noza" -- Joey Curtis, director; Fredric King, producer.
"Thirteen" -- Catherine Hardwicke, director; Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Michael London, producers.


FIRST SCREENPLAY

Catherine Hardwicke, Nikki Reed -- "Thirteen"
Patty Jenkins -- "Monster"
Thomas McCarthy -- "The Station Agent"
Karen Moncrieff -- "Blue Car"
Peter Sollett, Eva Vives -- "Raising Victor Vargas"


ACTRESS

Agnes Bruckner -- "Blue Car"
Zooey Deschanel -- "All the Real Girls"
Samantha Morton -- "In America"
Elisabeth Moss -- "Virgin"
Charlize Theron -- "Monster"


ACTOR

Peter Dinklage -- "The Station Agent"
Paul Giamatti -- "American Splendor"
Ben Kingsley -- "House of Sand and Fog"
Bill Murray -- "Lost in Translation"
Lee Pace -- "Soldier's Girl"


SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Shohreh Aghdashloo -- "House of Sand and Fog"
Sarah Bolger -- "In America"
Patricia Clarkson -- "Pieces of April"
Hope Davis -- "The Secret Lives of Dentists"
Frances McDormand -- "Laurel Canyon"


SUPPORTING ACTOR

Judah Friedlander -- "American Splendor"
Troy Garity -- "Soldier's Girl"
Djimon Hounsou -- "In America"
Alessandro Nivola -- "Laurel Canyon"
Peter Sarsgaard -- "Shattered Glass"


DEBUT PERFORMANCE

Anna Kendrick -- "Camp"
Judy Marte -- "Raising Victor Vargas"
Victor Rasuk -- "Raising Victor Vargas"
Nikki Reed -- "Thirteen"
Janice Richardson -- "Anne B. Real"


CINEMATOGRAPHY

Derek Cianfrance -- "Quattro Noza"
M. David Mullen -- "Northfork"
Declan Quinn -- "In America"
Harris Savides -- "Elephant"
Mandy Walker -- "Shattered Glass"


FOREIGN FILM

"City of God" -- Fernando Meirelles, director (Brazil)
"Lilya 4-Ever" -- Lukas Moodysson, director (Denmark)
"The Magdalene Sisters" -- Peter Mullan, director (England/Ireland)
"The Triplets of Belleville" -- Sylvain Chomet, director (France)
"Whale Rider" -- Niki Caro, director (New Zealand)


DOCUMENTARY

"The Fog of War" -- Errol Morris, director
"Mayor of the Sunset Strip" -- George Hickenlooper, director
"My Architect" -- Nathaniel Kahn, director
"OT: Our Town" -- Scott Hamilton Kennedy, director
"Power Trip" -- Paul Devlin, director


JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD

"Anne B. Real" -- Lisa France, director; France, Antonio Macia, writers; Josselyne Herman, Luis Moro, Jeanine Rohn, producers
"Better Luck Tomorrow" -- Justin Lin, director; Ernesto M. Foronda, Lin, Fabian Marquez, writers; Julie Asato, Foronda, Lin, producers
"Pieces of April" -- Peter Hedges, writer-director; Alexis Alexanian, John S. Lyons, Gary Winick, producers
"The Station Agent" -- Thomas McCarthy, writer-director; Mary Jane Skalski, Robert May, Kathryn Tucker, producers
"Virgin" -- Deborah Kampmeier, writer-director; Sarah Schenck, producer


TURNING LEAF SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD

Andrew Bujalski -- "Funny Ha Ha"
Ben Coccio -- "Zero Day"
Ryan Eslinger -- "Madness and Genius"


DIRECTV/IFC TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD

Linda Goode Bryant, Laura Poitras -- "Flag Wars"
Nathaniel Kahn -- "My Architect"
Robb Moss -- "The Same River Twice"
Megan Mylan, Jon Shenk -- "Lost Boys of Sudan"


PRODUCERS AWARD

Callum Greene, Anthony Katagas --"Happy Here and Now" and "Homework"
Lauren Moews -- "Cabin Fever" and "Briar Patch"
Mary Jane Skalski --"The Station Agent" and "The Jimmy Show"


~Edwin
post #373 of 409
Man, I remember when I didn't even have a chance to see the nominees for the independant spirit awards, and now I've actually seen most of them. Seems kind of less-special.
post #374 of 409
"Man, I remember when I didn't even have a chance to see the nominees for the independant spirit awards, and now I've actually seen most of them. Seems kind of less-special. "



It's funny because this is so true in my case also.
post #375 of 409
just wanted to chime in and say thanks to those running this thread. i've been a long-time lurker here. because of you guys, i know what indie films are coming out, then i pop them in my netflix queue.

recent viewings have included: raising victor vargas, may, the man on the train, laurel canyon, etc.
post #376 of 409
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Man, I remember when I didn't even have a chance to see the nominees for the independant spirit awards, and now I've actually seen most of them.

Theater exhibitors are finally wising up. There is actually an audience for smaller, independent and foreign films. What a concept.

~Edwin
post #377 of 409
Not necessarily. There aren't really more indie-friendly screens in Boston than there were two years ago; these just seem like higher profile films. Lost In Translation and In America are both getting fairly visible releases from major studios, whereas a couple of years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see Acts Of Worship on the list because it had been a (fantastic) film that played the Boston Film Festival with little fanfare and never found a distributor.
post #378 of 409
When you say Boston, do you mean the city and its immediate surroundings, or do you mean generally anywhere within the 495 beltway? I'm curious because I've been working at a client site in Andover 4 days/week for the past year, and I'm wondering just how much of a lack there is.

I guess I'm spoiled by what I have living in the NY/NJ metro area -- if there's something being distributed, no matter how small, odds are VERY good it'll be showing somewhere where I could see it. Up in the area I'm working at, it seems to be primarily Showcase Cinemas and AMC. Oh, and Loews at the Loop in Methuen.

(By the way, Jason, when are we gonna get together & see something, eh? )
post #379 of 409
Thread Starter 
I am speaking merely from experience in my travels in the past year. Century Theaters has even created a new brand, CineArts, to showcase smaller films either in converted mainstream theaters or in conjunction with their cineplex theaters.

Anyway, I'm just glad to see more places to screen smaller indie films, especially in the West Coast.

~Edwin
post #380 of 409
It's been a huge year for Atlanta as we had 2 art house theaters open adding 14 screens to the area. Few films skip Atlanta anymore as they did in past years. But since I can only make it to the theater a couple of times a month, that just means I miss a whole lot more. The Station Agent is leaving after today and I wasn't able to see it. Hopefully I can still manage to see Pieces of April and 21 Grams though I'm going to be using up some theater time on the French noir festival that's coming here this week.
post #381 of 409
Upon hearing decent reviews for "Pieces of April", I went and saw it yesterday.

It features a dysfunctional family embarking on a road trip to have Thanksgiving at the eldest daughter, April (played by Katie Holmes), who was a hellion in her youth, and the meal is met with dreaded intrepidation by most of her family (except for her father, played by Oliver Pratt). Her mother (a nice turn by Patricia Clarkson) is a piece of work herself, but she's got reason to be.

There's some touching moments in the film, and some bits that just don't work (like the one with Sean Hayes as a strange neighbor). The wrap-up to the whole day of events has a decent synchronistic feel to it, and it feels somewhat natural in development on some levels, while on others, it seemed forced.

The camerawork can be distracting because it has an amatuerish feel to it (out of focus shots, lack of steady-cam, etc).

Overall, it's okay, but I'd recommend it as a rental.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.
post #382 of 409
21 Grams

Overally, I thought it was okay in some respects, good in others, but the characters aren't as compelling or of interest to me due to the fractured way of the story unfolded. The direction by Innaritu is good, and so are the performances by the 3 leads (Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benecio del Toro). I just feel that the story let down the performances.

I give it a 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.
post #383 of 409
Quote:
some bits that just don't work (like the one with Sean Hayes as a strange neighbor)

This bit seems to grate on a lot of viewers. Maybe you have to live in New York City to enjoy it (as I did).

M.
post #384 of 409
Quote:
When you say Boston, do you mean the city and its immediate surroundings, or do you mean generally anywhere within the 495 beltway?
I have no car. If it can't be reached by the T, it doesn't exist.

It's actually pretty good in Boston - Kendall Square is a very good 9-plex, Coolidge Corner has the biggest non-IMAX screen in the area, and Copley Place... er... you can cram a lot of movies into that 13-screen closet, I guess. The local second-run places in Arlington and Somerville also tend to favor boutique films over mainstream releases (if I had to guess, I'd say they have a longer wait for video), and there are several other places that have boutique stuff - West Newton, Dedham Community Theater, the Brattle Theater, and, of course, Allston Cinema shows new Bollywood all week except for the Weekly Wednesday Ass-Kicking.
post #385 of 409
Thread Starter 
Quote:
some bits that just don't work (like the one with Sean Hayes as a strange neighbor)

Quote:
This bit seems to grate on a lot of viewers. Maybe you have to live in New York City to enjoy it (as I did).

Or just visit and live in NYC for a week and see that it can really happen.

~Edwin
post #386 of 409
Hey, I can see that it would really happen (although I don't know why it would be considered New York-specific; any grongy neighborhood would likely have folks like him). I just didn't find it entertaining.
post #387 of 409
for those who've watched 21 Grams, happen to notice Watts' puffy cheeks/edges of mouth? I was expecting her to pull out braces/retainers any second there, but I wonder what that was all about...

I liked the broken structure to a degree, it was pretty neat being able to contrast between characters' actions/psychology over different periods of their grieving immediately, rather than waiting for a transformation--possibly letting the viewer forget something that happened 1.5 hours ago
post #388 of 409
Thread Starter 
Nowhere In Africa

For some reason, I thought that this was a 3+ hours long and had waited to watch it until I can set aside the time for it.

But what a story. It parallels the story of this one family that I know. A lawyer for a father who decides to take his family to another country to escape the atrocities of the government where they came from. The mother, at first, having second thoughts about this move finally warms up to the idea and is able to adjust to her new surroundings, while their child (or children) easily adopt to this new country.

Of course, I have summarized it in much simpler terms. But with this family that I know, instead of all of them going back to the country where they original came from to continue their lives, the children decides to stay behind.

Walter Redlich family’s story parallels the story of this one family – mine. The similarities are striking. And as Paul Harvey would say, “And now you know, the rest of the story.”

~Edwin
post #389 of 409
Just got a pass for a preview screening of The Cooler. There's a pre-movie reception sponsored by....wait for it Lew......Glenfidditch.

And Michael, bad luck, jinxes, coolers, ringers, hot tables, cold tables, are very real. Based on my last few casino visits, I'd be a great cooler. That's why I've pretty much switched from craps to poker. Three more weeks and I'll be back at the table!
post #390 of 409
Brook, you're gonna love this movie, with or without the single malt.

M.
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