MIFF Day 5
Old friends come to visit, some not so welcome...
A STOKER
Alexei Balabanov impressed me several years ago with a film called Cargo 200. It wasn't a nice film, and it had its flaws, but it was a dark and impressive film. His followup Morphia was just as dark, though not nearly as impressive. The finale was just lame, though that could have been a reaction against the MIFF guide calling the final shot the most impressive of the festival. Silly people. A Stoker is another dark skewering of Russian history, but this time it's almost a comedy, almost. You have the Major, a shellshocked former soldier who now spends his days stoking fires at a boilerhouse. Some old colleagues occasionally bring in dead bodies to burn. They tell him they're killing bad people, that they're the good guys. In truth, they're just assassins for some gangsters. It's a comedy of errors, as one of the men, Bison, is shagging the Major's daughter, as well as the daughter of his partner in crime. The two girls run a business together. Then the partner's daughter discovers Bison isn't just hers, and demands the Major's daughter be removed from the picture. And everything unravels from there. It's a black as pitch comedy about the awfulness of modern Russia, as well as touching on the historical oppression of the Yakut people. I get the feeling Balabanov really loves his country, three films seething with anger at the messed up things that go on there isn't just coincidence.
LITTLEROCK
Ah, mumblecore, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways... If I'd known this was a mumblecore flick I'd have stayed away, but I'm almost glad I didn't. The story of two Japanese tourists stuck in a dead end town for a couple of days, Atsuko and Rintaro are befriended by Cory, a complete dropkick of a human being who you want to smack upside the head. But he's optimistic, undaunted and oblivious to his many failings, and almost ends up being charming in a gormless way. Nothing much happens, as is the way with mumblecore, with a few good scenes holding your attention while others just feel like padding. But what I didn't expect was a suckerpunch of a final line, with enough emotional weight to make me almost forgive how unlikeable and dull the characters were for most of the runtime. Almost. The end is really strong, though I'm not convinced the journey was entirely worth it.
ROUTE IRISH
And from a bad film elevated by a good ending, to a good film let down by a bad one. Ken Loach's return to MIFF (apparently Israel isn't paying the airfare of a filmmaker this year, so he's got nothing to complain about), Route Irish is a solid, if by the numbers, thriller about the dodgy dealings of private military contractors in Iraq. A man is killed, his friend thinks he was set up to be killed, and as he digs deeper he discovers that yes, he was set up. So then it's about revenge. Loach remains a potent and angry director, and the film is full of horror and fury at the abuses these companies carry out, but surprisingly it does go a little way to explaining how they can happen, and how it's not always as simple as black and white. Granted it's only a tiny concession in one scene, as one man begs for his life and tries to justify himself, but it struck me as interesting all the same since there was an earnestness to it. Unfortunately, despite the strong performances and everything else, it's still a hackneyed storyline with a finale so lame it beggars belief. I don't know why I expected better, possibly because it initially seemed a bit smarter than all that. I dunno. It's a good film, just let down by a weak ending.
13 ASSASSINS
Takashi Miike is responsible for some of my worst experiences at MIFF. He's also been responsible for some of my best. Prolific and highly variable, you're never quite sure what you're gonna get from him. This is his homage to Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Basically, all you need to know is that it's two hours long, spends about an hour setting up the fact that the Shogun's half-brother is a vile bastard who needs to die, and that 13 men have tasked themselves with achieving this, and then spends the next hour in an orgy of swordplay. This is a samurai action fan's wet dream. Seriously, it's crazy, funny and full of amazing setpieces. There's little characterisation beyond what's needed to get things going, so it's never going to compare with Kurosawa's best-known film, but it's still bloody awesome fun.
A STOKER
Alexei Balabanov impressed me several years ago with a film called Cargo 200. It wasn't a nice film, and it had its flaws, but it was a dark and impressive film. His followup Morphia was just as dark, though not nearly as impressive. The finale was just lame, though that could have been a reaction against the MIFF guide calling the final shot the most impressive of the festival. Silly people. A Stoker is another dark skewering of Russian history, but this time it's almost a comedy, almost. You have the Major, a shellshocked former soldier who now spends his days stoking fires at a boilerhouse. Some old colleagues occasionally bring in dead bodies to burn. They tell him they're killing bad people, that they're the good guys. In truth, they're just assassins for some gangsters. It's a comedy of errors, as one of the men, Bison, is shagging the Major's daughter, as well as the daughter of his partner in crime. The two girls run a business together. Then the partner's daughter discovers Bison isn't just hers, and demands the Major's daughter be removed from the picture. And everything unravels from there. It's a black as pitch comedy about the awfulness of modern Russia, as well as touching on the historical oppression of the Yakut people. I get the feeling Balabanov really loves his country, three films seething with anger at the messed up things that go on there isn't just coincidence.
LITTLEROCK
Ah, mumblecore, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways... If I'd known this was a mumblecore flick I'd have stayed away, but I'm almost glad I didn't. The story of two Japanese tourists stuck in a dead end town for a couple of days, Atsuko and Rintaro are befriended by Cory, a complete dropkick of a human being who you want to smack upside the head. But he's optimistic, undaunted and oblivious to his many failings, and almost ends up being charming in a gormless way. Nothing much happens, as is the way with mumblecore, with a few good scenes holding your attention while others just feel like padding. But what I didn't expect was a suckerpunch of a final line, with enough emotional weight to make me almost forgive how unlikeable and dull the characters were for most of the runtime. Almost. The end is really strong, though I'm not convinced the journey was entirely worth it.
ROUTE IRISH
And from a bad film elevated by a good ending, to a good film let down by a bad one. Ken Loach's return to MIFF (apparently Israel isn't paying the airfare of a filmmaker this year, so he's got nothing to complain about), Route Irish is a solid, if by the numbers, thriller about the dodgy dealings of private military contractors in Iraq. A man is killed, his friend thinks he was set up to be killed, and as he digs deeper he discovers that yes, he was set up. So then it's about revenge. Loach remains a potent and angry director, and the film is full of horror and fury at the abuses these companies carry out, but surprisingly it does go a little way to explaining how they can happen, and how it's not always as simple as black and white. Granted it's only a tiny concession in one scene, as one man begs for his life and tries to justify himself, but it struck me as interesting all the same since there was an earnestness to it. Unfortunately, despite the strong performances and everything else, it's still a hackneyed storyline with a finale so lame it beggars belief. I don't know why I expected better, possibly because it initially seemed a bit smarter than all that. I dunno. It's a good film, just let down by a weak ending.
13 ASSASSINS
Takashi Miike is responsible for some of my worst experiences at MIFF. He's also been responsible for some of my best. Prolific and highly variable, you're never quite sure what you're gonna get from him. This is his homage to Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Basically, all you need to know is that it's two hours long, spends about an hour setting up the fact that the Shogun's half-brother is a vile bastard who needs to die, and that 13 men have tasked themselves with achieving this, and then spends the next hour in an orgy of swordplay. This is a samurai action fan's wet dream. Seriously, it's crazy, funny and full of amazing setpieces. There's little characterisation beyond what's needed to get things going, so it's never going to compare with Kurosawa's best-known film, but it's still bloody awesome fun.
posted by Andrew Lee at 12:31 AM
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