Iron Meryl

“Iron Lady” will be Meryl Streep’s 17th[?] Oscar nomination. Although well-deserved it leaves me thinking, “Yes, of course, but let’s give it to someone else.” The film is boring and sad. It dwells mostly on her aging and mental deterioration. The back story, her rise to power, is given a romantic touch portraying her merely as a principled firebrand of good character with a magnanimous agenda. It’s a bit of a white-wash in my opinion. The “real” story, her post-political life reveals her as something else; an imperious, elitist, ideologue who sacrificed her family and a whole lot more just to get her way. In the end I was also wondering if Meryl Streep experienced moments of abject horror when looking in the mirror, made up to look twice her age, and realized that this might be in her future.

Tin Tin

“The Adventures of Tin Tin” was surprisingly entertaining. It has a great mid-century feel about it in “set design,” and art direction. Tin Tin is much more mature than I thought, almost an adult rather than a child. It is also more violent than I would have imagined; it’s not gratuitous but I would caution parents with young’uns. I saw it in 2-D and wished I had gone 3-D as I imagine it would have made it more “real.” Still, It’s a good adventure with wonderful characters and caricatures.

The Artist

“The Artist” will be criticized as gimmicky by some, but I will say this, Jean Dujardin is one great actor. This “silent” and black & white film is delightful in it’s warmth, grace and humor. Carried almost entirely by Dujardin but wonderfully supported by big names and small, his best co-star is the clever Jack Russell Terrier, Uggie. I can recommend this for all my friends, even those who refuse to see foreign films because of the subtitles… it is, with the exception of a couple of quirky departures, silent. The music is evocative of the silent era and has been honored with many nominations and awards.

Vito

There were a lot of biography documentaries at this year’s Fest, Diana Vreeland, Bert Stern, Carol Channing, Andrew Logan, Pat Brown, Yoni Netanyahu, Jose Saramago, Michel Petruciani, Chely Wright among them. Perhaps my favorite was “Vito” which was awarded a “Best of the Fest.” I only saw it because it received that designation and played that one last unscheduled time. This is the story of film historian and aids activist, Vito Russo. As an affectionate biography, it also follows the arc of the aids epidemic and how he bravely and tirelessly fought long and hard against the tacit genocide presided over by that sick f*#k, Ronald Reagan. Every time I reexamine that era and the role of the GOP and Reagan, I have to question why he is still considered a great president let alone a human being.

Almanya

The closing night Gala Screening was from Germany where it won the equivalent of the Best Picture Oscar. “Almanya, Welcome to Germany” is a multi-generational tale of post-war Turkish immigrants who become more German than they expected they would. Magnificent, Vedat Erincin plays the wise, sometimes naïve and always-compassionate patriarch. Out of the blue, Grandpa buys a house in their ancestral village in Anatolia and announces that they entire family will travel there for the summer holiday. The hilarious re-culturalization of everyone from his adoring but pragmatic wife to the youngest grandchild mirrors the first half of the film when Grandpa and Grandma first come to Germany..

Monsieur Lazhar

“Monsieur Lazhar” is about teaching and learning and their symbiotic needs. Algerian, Bashir is seeking political asylum in Quebec. He reads of the recent suicide of a local teacher and applies for the job. Because of budget concerns and the absence of other applicants the director hires him without a background check on a trial basis. He soon becomes involved over his head when the details of the suicide are revealed [she hung herself in the classroom minutes before the arrival of her young class]. The students, teachers and parents are all dealing with the tragedy in there own way and no one wants to talk about it. His compassion gets the best of him and he tries to help his class cope realizing full well that most of them are coping better than the adults. Bureaucracy comes charging in threatening the delicate balance he has created in his class. It is alternately sad and quite funny and Bashir’s past catches up with him. In order to spare the children another abandonment he asks permission to conduct one last class. This is a warm and lovely film told with grace and intelligence. I think it should be seen by all grammar school teachers and administrators and yes, by many of the students.

IMF rides again

“Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” is every thing it purports to be, and in IMAX it kicks butt. I have not been to an Imax theatre since I saw the reworking of “Fantasia” in 1999 in Las Vegas. There is not much to tell about the story of impending nuclear devastation, but the state-of-the-art special effects, stunts and other high tech shenanigans make for one exciting joyride. There is one element that certainly makes seeing the film worthwhile. Dubai, desert and city, in IMAX, is phenomenal. Budapest, Moscow and Mumbai also shine as the Emirates supporting cast. I guess you would have to go to San Francisco to see it in IMAX but t would be worth the trip.

The Monk

“Le moine” [The Monk] is a 17th Century gothic melodrama with disturbing religious overtones. Magnificent, Victor Cassel is Brother Ambrosio who as an infant was left at the monastery’s door. He matured to overly pious super-star of the order drawing great crowds to hear his brilliant sermons. His piety does get the better of him when three women enter his life simultaneously. He quickly descends into madness finally selling his soul to Satan [Sergi Lopez in a delightful cameo]. Breathtaking cinematography, set design and locations lend to the hopelessness of Ambrosio’s journey. It is marvelously eerie and will chill with the best of psychological horror stories but it depends far too much on heavy spiritual trappings to get me to give it a full “thumbs up.”

Primos [Cousinhood]

“Cousinhood” is a romantic comedy from Spain. After being left at the altar, Diego is abducted by his two wacky cousins to the seaside resort where they vacationed as kids. Their aim is to see if Martina, Diego’s first love, still comes there. Old connections and new transform [a word, so overused in film reviews] the three immature men as they rethink the choices they made and why. Again, one must accept that people, especially good-looking “movie” people are incapable of thinking and can only act on impulse. There is one exception here; Martina, the incredibly beautiful Inma Cuesta, has grown up and has a pre-teen son. She maintains a distance and cautiously navigates Diego’s rebounding affections. It is beautifully shot and fun to watch but ultimately leaves you seeking a modicum of sanity.

Sad Sal

“Sal” is sad. The imagined last day of Sal Mineo’s life, conceived, written and directed by James Franco, is nothing short of a headache… although many of you know that I have never had one, this movie came damn close to giving me one. Val Lauren is too young and ungifted for this role. It’s a stereotypical, plastic “I can talk Brooklyn-ese” failure. Praised in the press releases as a minimalist take on a tragic life, it portrays Mineo and those around him as shallow and smarmy. The camera work is another problem. It seemed always out of focus, jerky and faux-artsy. It is simply amateur in every way. I sat through the entire film because Franco was doing a Q&A after it. The theater was half reserved for his adoring sycophants and I left before he even opened his mouth. The picture below is not unlike the visual quality of the film.

so wonderfully British

“The British Guide to Showing Off” follows the bizarre and “fabulous” career of British artist/showman Andrew Logan. Like last year’s “The Sons of Tennessee Williams” this is a celebration of extravagance as art and Art for the fun of Art. It also captures, in a matter-of-fact sort of way, the plight of the LGBT world and their desire to live [and dress] the way they wish. His wonderful glitzy sculpture and installations notwithstanding, it focuses almost entirely on the logistics of mounting “The Alternative Miss World” contest. Perhaps only a few, “fringe-element” Americans [Divine was a co-host one year] are familiar with this event but it is well known in Britain and Europe. There is nothing groundbreaking here but as another historical chronicle of the eccentric it poses the question of why so many bigoted and uptight conservatives have a problem with people who are different. Get a grip GOP, these folks mean you no harm so please stop trying to ruin their lives with your vitriol and ignorance.

My Best Enemy

“My Best Enemy” is a darkly humorous heist film set in Nazi-occupied Austria. The SS gets word that a Jewish owned art gallery has acquired sketch by Michelangelo. This will make the perfect state gift when Il Duce comes to visit in a few weeks time. The family is arrested, sent to camps and the sketch is confiscated. The Gallery owner’s son [Moritz Bleibtrau] schemes for their freedom when it turns out that the confiscated drawing is one of several copies his father had made as a precaution. His childhood friend, their housekeeper’s son, has donned the Nazi uniform to get the upper hand on his friend and confiscate his fiancé as well. The ensuing intrigues are clever and often funny but the film never loses focus on the evil behind the circumstances.

a miss... but only just

“Eliminate: Archie Cookson” is almost a throwaway film; please wait to see it on Netflix. British Noir is a favorite genre and I will seek it out, always. In director, Rob Holder’s debut feature there is too much borrowed from “Lock, Stock,” “Circus,” “Snatch” and others. Paul Rhys gives a masterful performance as a washed up spy relegated to a desk job and finds himself the target of an ex-CIA hit man hilariously overplayed by Paul Ritter. But, the sparkling acting and often-witty dialogue don’t quite lift it out of the B-movie bin.

yearning for Rio...

The Silver Cliff follows a young mother wandering the airport, streets and beaches of Rio de Janeiro after she receives a voicemail from her husband. He has left her and no longer loves her. From her hysterical rush to catch up to him to sitting quietly at the beach 12 hours later she is transformed by the chance encounter with a homeless young girl and her loving father. This is a short film [85 min.] about wounded hearts gently comforting each other by the warm luminous ocean of Copacabana. The affectionate use of the city of Rio brought back wonderful memories of many long walks on the same streets and beaches. A broken heart will heal but sometimes we over-react and it isn't actually broken.

Generation P

“Generation P” is like a Russian “Putney Swope.” We follow Babylen, a budding advertising wunderkind, on a rollicking post-Soviet joy ride replete with sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Handsome, Vladimir Yepifantsev as Babylen, navigates the ever changing political landscape slowly being taken over by the advertisers creating desire for things the people don’t need. Soon they realize exactly how far they can take their creativity. The drug hallucinations were subtle and believable. The power of technology in the hands of the power-hungry oligarchs is funny and scary.

August

Perhaps age is affecting my perception. Criticism flows more easily than praise. August is another Gay-themed film that has had a lot of buzz; it expands on a short film,” Post-mortem," which aired here in 2005. It was called, among other things, “Stunning." Troy returns to L.A. after several years in Spain and contacts his ex-lover. We learn over coffee that Troy broke Jonathan’s heart when he left. We learn fairly soon that it wasn’t that broken and even though Jonathan is now in a “loving” relationship with Raul, Troy and Jonathan are back in the sack and all Jonathan’s friends [and Raul] are terrified. Please! This is a nicely photographed film with better-than-average Gay stereotypes, decent dialogue and adequate exposition. It also portrays its characters as shallow, beautiful people incapable of making intelligent choices. There are lots of bare chests and expensive underwear, trendy restaurants and clubs, hot-homo-humping, cell-phone-itis, and yearning glances. In the end, everything goes back to “normal.” It should have remained a short.

Escort in Love

Escort in Love is another farce about stupid people redeemed by love. I think I am getting tired of this genre. We meet Alicia as she is getting ready for a party. She insults all the help with the most ignorant racial and cultural stereotypes and appears to have no moral compass at all. We are then expected to believe that because her circumstances take a disastrous downturn she is capable of becoming an intelligent, caring and loving woman capable of great compassion. OK, it’s sometimes funny and everyone is pretty to look at but, really? And it got a great reaction by the theater audience. What am I not getting?

Time to Spare

From The Netherlands comes “Time to Spare,” a bittersweet tale of choosing. “Chunky” Maarten is a Gay music teacher who has raised his sister lovingly perhaps sacrificing his own needs in the process. Enter two young men, one for his sister and, maybe, one for him. The emotional pitfalls that accompany new found love trouble the siblings in the way they view and care for each other. This is an intelligent nonjudgmental story of modern romance, mostly funny, sometimes sad and even painful, but always aimed squarely at the heart. Paul de Leeuw [Maarten] is a refreshing alternative to stereotypical “leading men.” I hope see more of him.

Expiration Date

Expiration Date is set in what was once one of my favorite cities, Guadalajara. Kenya Márquez directs this black comedy – murder mystery with a Roshoman-esque story line. Ramona is searching for her good-for-nothing son who stormed out of the house 3 days past. She visits the coroner and meets the conspiracy queen receptionist. Their conversation and frequent subsequent meetings convince Ramona that her new neighbor, Mariana, holds the secret to her son's disappearance. Also at the morgue is a forensic-groupie, Genaro who seems to be hiding quite a lot himself. Through 3 “episodes” each one's tale is revealed. The characters are remarkably welled developed early on and the truths revealed paint a humorous yet morbid portrait of living day-to-day with the endemic violence that is modern Mexico.

a French holiday

Holidays By The Sea is a whimsical farce from French director, Pascal Rabaté. With no dialogue to speak of it pays homage to Jacques Tati and in particular his character, Mr. Hulot. Rabaté uses his experience in graphic novels to play with shot composition and to fashion hilarious sight gags. Some of the faces are familiar [Dominique Pinon for one]; the music and the seaside setting are very French but this film will please even those who dread subtitles; they are few and far between.

Another winner....

Another winner! Le Havre also seeks to humanize the immigration question. Finnish, Aki Kaurismaki fashions a lovely magical tale of a good man and his supportive neighbors. André Wilms portrays Marcel Marx, an aging shoe-shiner who finds himself alone when his wife enters the hospital with a terminal illness. He befriends an immigrant boy, the object of an overreaching and sometimes brutal manhunt. With the help of his wonderful and varied neighbors he sets out to smuggle the boy to London where his family works. With almost fairy-tale goodness and a nod to noir intrigue Marcel eludes the authorities, skulking around in a trench-coat, securing false papers and illegal passage. All the performances are delightful but Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Monet, the local detective, shines with particular warmth. Jean-Piere Leaud has a cameo as the lone malevolent neighbor, Le dénonciateur [the informant].

Terraferma

From Italy we have Terraferma, an excellent examination of the human side of immigration. The aging patriarch of a dwindling family of fisherman rescues some North African boat people drowning in the waters he has fished all his life. This is tantamount to treason under the immigration crackdown. His family hides a pregnant woman and her young son rather than let the authorities know that he saved them. The authorities confiscate his boat because they suspect he did indeed save some of them. The Island’s tourist trade is suffering because bodies are turning up on the beaches and his children want to flee the island for a better life on the mainland. How he, and his family, deal with this tragic dilemma makes for a taught and thrilling examination of “doing the right thing” regardless of the ludicrous pronouncements of the lawmakers. After all, what do career politicians know of morality?

Pina

“Pina” is a 3-D stylized documentary about the great German dancer/choreographer, Pina Bausch. I was afraid I would miss this one as I only had ½ hour between films but I made it. Directed by Wim Wenders it uses the 3-D effect beautifully. There are no projectiles invading your personal space but the depth of field created lends it beauty and clarity. It is not so much about Pina but for her and consists of re-staging her greatest works. For lovers of ballet and in particular modern dance this is a must see.

Cafe de Flore

Café de Flore is a finely crafted pair of alternating tales so depressing that I was squirming through most of the 2-hour film. Canadian, Jean-Marc Vallée directed and I was hoping for some of the humor and silliness of C.R.A.Z.Y. his previous hit. Everyone is beautiful including Vanessa Paradis [Mrs. Johnny Depp] but the stories are sad, very sad. There is a fine soundtrack including lots of Pink Floyd and Sigur Rós, two of my favorite bands. It is ultimately a film for sensitive, empathetic souls. I could not wait for it to be over and left mid credits onlt to find that something important is revealed in a photo displayed near the end of the credits. Cheap shot! Now I have to rent it just to check out the photo.

Alois Nebel

“Alois Nebel” is a B&W animated [rotoscope] film based on a graphic novel trilogy from The Czech Republic. Alois works for the railroad but his nightmares and hallucinations about post-war Czechoslavakia land him in an institution. When he is released the Berlin Wall has fallen and the Communist regime has been sent packing. But his past still haunts him and the very real appearance of a revenge-bent mute finally brings them all out of his subconscious with grotesque violence. It’s a hard story to follow but it will surely garner many accolades.

Salmon Fishing in Yemen

The best film so far is “Salmon Fishing in Yemen.” The 1100 seat auditorium was sold out this time for a delightful comedy starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt. It’s a tale of a benevolent sheik hoping to bring salmon to a river in his homeland. His enthusiasm [and wealth] convince his financial advisor [Blunt] and a tweedy Ministry of Fisheries geek [McGregor] to come along for the ride. The movie is almost stolen from under their feet by the brilliantly bitchy performance of Kristin Scott-Thomas as the Prime Minister’s PR director. She had me doubled over whenever she was on the screen. Save for a bit of sex and the frequent use of the “F” word [by KS-T] this is a movie for anyone who enjoys a good laugh and a wonderfully quirky tale.

"Let My People Go".... please!

I attended only two films today and I had high hopes for this one. As I waited in line I saw that many others had the same hopes. The Palm Springs High School is the largest venue in the Fest [1100 seats] and the line for this film [Let My People Go] was already around the block. Once we were inside and seated it was announced that it was sold out. This was the largest audience I had seen so far. I was disappointed. I think others were as well but from the reaction of the audience during the closing credits, we were in a very small minority. It is a French farce about a young man who heatedly flees his Finnish lover to return to his Jewish family in Paris a few days before Passover. The jokes are all about being gay and/or Jewish and, frankly, you have heard them all before. One of my favorites comedic actresses [Carmen Maura] has a hard time as a Jewish mother but it pales compared to the hard time director Mikael Buch had in making a funny film. Avoid it.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Gary Oldman as George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy returns to the real world with an intelligent and sensitive portrait of a character that totally belongs to Alec Guinness. Over the last decade Oldman has appeared in fantasy films [Batman, LOTR, Red Riding Hood], video games [Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, The Legend of Spyro] and as voice in animation [Kung Fu Panda, Planet 51]. He has spent the last 10 years raising his two sons and sticking close to home in L.A. TTSS is a triumphant return serious film with a performance that so dominates the movie that you forget that he shares the screen with Colin Firth, John Hurt, Tom Hardy and others, all turning nuanced portraits of the British Intelligence Services upper echelon at a time when the Cold War threatened to crush it with double agents and internal strife. This is a tight, slowly paced [if it moved faster you would lose track of everything and everyone], dark and dastardly drama of a house in disarray. It knocked my sox off.

Beyond

Noomi Rapace [The GIRL with the Dragon Tattoo] stars in this heart-wrenching examination of a woman coming to terms with repressed memories of her violent, alcoholic parents. It is directed by Pernilla August a well-known Swedish actress that most Americans recognize as Shmi Skywalker of the Star Wars movies. In the reluctant examination of her past Rapace [Leena] proves herself a masterful performer overshadowed only by the incredible acting of Tahilla Blad as the young Leena. Incidentally Blad also portrayed the young Lisbeth Salander in the Stieg Larsson trio made for Swedish TV. This is a wonderful film both dark and disturbing, but well worth a viewing.

Superclasico

One of the most popular films at the Fest this year has to be Superclasico, a funny and fanciful romp through Buenos Aires. Christian [Anders Berthelsen] travels to Argentina with his teen-aged son to try to win back his runaway wife who is about to marry the hunky soccer hero of the City’s team. Tango, fine wines, and sexy, Latin love escapades make for a funny and bizarre play on fidelity, passion, youth and maturity.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is a sequel to a film shown several years ago at the Fest. Still trying to stem the increasing crime in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, Colonel Nascimento realizes he is not only fighting gangs and petty drug dealers but his job soon puts him at odds with everyone else involved in his war. The roster goes all the way to the Governors office. After an attempt to assassinate him lands his son in the intensive care unit he decides it’s time to go after the source of the corruption, the GOP. Only kidding; he goes after the right wing extremists who have taken over his city and it’s security. This is one violent movie so be forewarned.

Bullhead

Bullhead is Belgium’s offering for consideration in this years Oscars and it has a lot going for it. The cinematography is mostly dark and somewhat bleak. There is nothing pretty in this rural Flemish countryside. The acting is superb, particularly leading man, Matthias Schoenaerts who underwent a physical makeover reminiscent of Robert de Niro or Christian Bale. It’s a tale set in the middle of the illegal growth hormone trade and its mafia-like players. Jacky [Schoenaerts] has a painful and horrible past that haunts him with every encounter with those involved. The flashbacks are filmed with a bucolic innocence that is crushed with unspeakable violence. Jacky becomes addicted to steroids in an effort to cope with his past as he administers those same drugs to the cattle his family has raised for generation. The parallels are not subtle and the denouement is not a happy one but this is a tight thriller with great performances about an aspect of our food chain that makes the news all to often.

Starbuck

Starbuck is the name of Canada’s most famous bull, the sire of most of the Holsteins in North America. It is also a delightful Canadian comedy about a middle-aged man, David Wozniak [Patrick Huard] who discovers that just about every ounce of sperm he donated to a clinic as a young man ahs produced an army of young people suing the clinic to find him. His curiosity gets the better of him and he gradually seeks out several of his issue with heartwarming and humorous results. It is full of laughs but also some touching encounters that cause David to rethink his life and we watch him transformed slowly and, at times, painfully into a father. The suit is brought by 142 of the 533 children he fathered and in the process of establishing their case discover that they are all brothers and sisters in more than biological ways. It’s a lovely examination of what it might mean to be a father. It has distribution all over the world but not in the states so put it in your Netflix queue in case it never makes it to our ever diminishing art-house cinemas.

DV

The first film today was Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel” written and directed by her granddaughter-in-“law. Over some 50 years she dictated style to the American woman and, indeed, women all over the globe. A blend of archival material, interviews with the likes of Angelica Huston and Lauren Bacall, and a smattering of animation portray her influence on 20th Century fashion sensibility that reflected everything that was going on around her. Perhaps her greatest period was the Sixties when at the helm of Vogue Magazine she made models of all the luminaries and super stars in the performing arts. She spoke of working every day of her adult life but the film left me thinking she was simply playing dollhouse with the rich and famous. It’s an affectionate portrait of an extravagant but ultimately shallow visionary “accidently” caught in the right place at the right time. It is fun to watch and will strum lots of nostalgic strings but ultimately I found her to be an annoying little jingle that I have difficulty getting out of my head.