MIFF 2014 - Day 12
Back to normal (almost)! Ah, MIFF, I've missed you.
Aunt Hilda
What starts off looking like a really preachy kids film about the evils of GM crops manages to transcend its agenda and deliver an immensely fun and incredibly unhinged story of rival siblings, corporate and government corruption and eco-armageddon. It's heaps of fun, and the villains stay villains, which is a nice change of pace to the usual "I've seen the error of my ways" morality play typical for these kinds of stories.
Afronauts
A short film allegedly inspired by a true story of Zambia attempting to beat the US to be first to the moon. It's veracity doesn't really matter, it's a fun little story that taps into the dream everyone secretly has of travelling into space.
Focus on Infinity
If there's a more disappointing or ironic title in this year's festival, I'll be surprised. Focus is something missing from this film. It's basically a video essay, as a bunch of scientists discuss the limits of science in understanding the universe. There's one or two interesting speakers, a Jesuit astrophysicist and another physicist. But the ideas and themes aren't developed, and the rest of the speakers are thoroughly underwhelming. It's a dull experience and a waste of an interesting idea.
Why Don't You Play In Hell?
I think this is my favourite film for MIFF this year. It's not the best or most worthy, but my throat still hurts from how much I laughed. A love letter to cinema and ambition, it throws together a group of hyper-enthusiatic amateur filmmakers who call themselves The Fuck Bombers, two rival Yakuza clans, the runaway daughter of one of the Yakuza leaders, and the poor guy she bribes into pretending to be her boyfriend. Every single one of these elements links together logically, and comically, with a set of relationships playing out hilariously. It culminates in the two clans battling to the death while the filmmakers record it for posterity, and the bloody carnage would make Tarantino feel inadequate. It's a heap of fun, and director Sion Sono's best work of insanity to date.
God Help The Girl
Stuart Murdoch has been telling stories through his songs for decades. Now, he's made a musical that really is like a Belle & Sebastian song brought to life. It's got troubled girls, naive boys, highs, lows, and an inherent sweetness and kindness to the whole thing that lets the darkness play out without ever overwhelming the hope. It's a really lovely, fun film.
Aunt Hilda
What starts off looking like a really preachy kids film about the evils of GM crops manages to transcend its agenda and deliver an immensely fun and incredibly unhinged story of rival siblings, corporate and government corruption and eco-armageddon. It's heaps of fun, and the villains stay villains, which is a nice change of pace to the usual "I've seen the error of my ways" morality play typical for these kinds of stories.
Afronauts
A short film allegedly inspired by a true story of Zambia attempting to beat the US to be first to the moon. It's veracity doesn't really matter, it's a fun little story that taps into the dream everyone secretly has of travelling into space.
Focus on Infinity
If there's a more disappointing or ironic title in this year's festival, I'll be surprised. Focus is something missing from this film. It's basically a video essay, as a bunch of scientists discuss the limits of science in understanding the universe. There's one or two interesting speakers, a Jesuit astrophysicist and another physicist. But the ideas and themes aren't developed, and the rest of the speakers are thoroughly underwhelming. It's a dull experience and a waste of an interesting idea.
Why Don't You Play In Hell?
I think this is my favourite film for MIFF this year. It's not the best or most worthy, but my throat still hurts from how much I laughed. A love letter to cinema and ambition, it throws together a group of hyper-enthusiatic amateur filmmakers who call themselves The Fuck Bombers, two rival Yakuza clans, the runaway daughter of one of the Yakuza leaders, and the poor guy she bribes into pretending to be her boyfriend. Every single one of these elements links together logically, and comically, with a set of relationships playing out hilariously. It culminates in the two clans battling to the death while the filmmakers record it for posterity, and the bloody carnage would make Tarantino feel inadequate. It's a heap of fun, and director Sion Sono's best work of insanity to date.
God Help The Girl
Stuart Murdoch has been telling stories through his songs for decades. Now, he's made a musical that really is like a Belle & Sebastian song brought to life. It's got troubled girls, naive boys, highs, lows, and an inherent sweetness and kindness to the whole thing that lets the darkness play out without ever overwhelming the hope. It's a really lovely, fun film.
posted by Andrew Lee at 12:37 AM
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