MIFF 2015 - Day 9
I appear to have wrestled the evil stomach bug under control, so today I was back with a vengeance.
1001 Grams
The session was sold out, and judging by the conversations I overheard, it was due to a lot of people being fans of Bent Hamer's earlier film Kitchen Stories. That's why I was there too. And like Kitchen Stories, 1001 Grams is a deadpan comedy about people measuring and recording things. In this case, it's the kilo, as our heroine Marie works with her father at the Norwegian institute that certifies measures as accurate. They have their own reference kilo, and when her father has a heart attack, she takes his place at the annual convention where everyone discusses the kilo, compare theirs to ensure it's accurate, and offend other nations by being gauche. (There's an hysterical scene where one scientist tries to suggest that having something everyone agrees on, like the kilo, is the path to world peace. His African counterpart shuts him down rather eloquently.) The plot is basic, as Marie meets a guy and falls in love, but the path taken is as idiosyncratic as you'd expect from Hamer. It's another little gem.
Robot Overlords
Possibly the closest we'll get to a big screen adaptation of John Christopher's Tripods trilogy, at least for now. They never directly reference the books, but the influence is felt here and there. Robots invade the earth and a few weeks later they rule the planet. Now everyone must stay indoors, or else risk being vapourised. To guarantee compliance, everyone has a device implanted in their skull to track them. When some kids work out that an electric shock will disable the device, they go on an adventure to find a missing father. Along the way they uncover some sordid dealings with a collaborator played by Ben Kingsley, who's keen on their mum, played by Gillian Anderson. It's a solid piece of young adult entertainment, though it strains against its budget occasionally, with some of the CG not quite as solid as it could be. But you won't care, because the story rips along happily. It reminds me of the kind of films I dug when I was 13 or so, and I still do.
Nasty Baby
Umm... Sebastian Silva is a director whose work I have mixed feelings about. The Maid and Old Cats are brilliant works of humanist black comedy. Magic Magic... I hated Magic Magic. This kind of blends those two feelings together, in a deliberate provocation. The story of a gay couple trying to help their friend get pregnant, it plays with a lot of different ideas. There's the dynamic between the three of them, then there's the street they live in, where there's a mentally handicapped old man who randomly harasses people. The story progresses until a third act turn that takes you completely by surprise and led to a few people walking out of the cinema. In the Q&A afterwards, Silva defended himself both hysterically and articulately, and when he points out everything the film has done, it's hard to say that the twist comes out of nowhere. He just pulled a trick on you. But even so, it seems kinda weird to take the story in the direction it goes, and they don't quite interrogate it enough to feel very satisfying. But I still loved the film, just with mixed feelings.
The Assassin
I have a rule. No Taiwanese films. It took a few years of MIFFing to confirm it wasn't bad luck, Taiwanese cinema is just boring. I have a few fond memories of Goodbye, Dragon Inn, but I also don't forget that mostly I was checking my watch and debating whether to walk out of the cinema. So, why the hell did I choose to watch The Assassin? One, there wasn't anything else that was interesting scheduled. Two, Shu Qi stars, and she's a luminous screen presence. And that fact remains unaltered. She's great in this, as are most of the other actors. But geez, it takes its time to get the plot rolling. Lots of long contemplative takes, but Tarkovsky this ain't. There were plenty of people walking out of this one, as it meanders its way towards the few bits of plot it has to play out. When it all finally comes together, it's kinda cool, but damn... The end is so abrupt I burst out laughing. It doesn't amount to much, and Taiwanese cinema is still boring, but it's not as bad as some.
Coin Locker Girl
A Korean gangster drama, this one tells the story of Il Young, a girl found abandoned in a train station coin locker. A cop in debt finds her as a kid and sells her to Mom to settle his account. She grows up to be one of Mom's enforcers, collecting debts until she meets a nice young guy whose dad owes money. This being a Korean film, the romance doesn't last long and Il Young is on the run. You can see the trajectory of the film fairly clearly by the mid point, but that doesn't matter. It's about the grim cycle of crime, the toll it takes on all involved, and how ruthlessness is rewarded. The performances of Mom and Il Young are pretty stunning too. Mom is a scary gangster.
1001 Grams
The session was sold out, and judging by the conversations I overheard, it was due to a lot of people being fans of Bent Hamer's earlier film Kitchen Stories. That's why I was there too. And like Kitchen Stories, 1001 Grams is a deadpan comedy about people measuring and recording things. In this case, it's the kilo, as our heroine Marie works with her father at the Norwegian institute that certifies measures as accurate. They have their own reference kilo, and when her father has a heart attack, she takes his place at the annual convention where everyone discusses the kilo, compare theirs to ensure it's accurate, and offend other nations by being gauche. (There's an hysterical scene where one scientist tries to suggest that having something everyone agrees on, like the kilo, is the path to world peace. His African counterpart shuts him down rather eloquently.) The plot is basic, as Marie meets a guy and falls in love, but the path taken is as idiosyncratic as you'd expect from Hamer. It's another little gem.
Robot Overlords
Possibly the closest we'll get to a big screen adaptation of John Christopher's Tripods trilogy, at least for now. They never directly reference the books, but the influence is felt here and there. Robots invade the earth and a few weeks later they rule the planet. Now everyone must stay indoors, or else risk being vapourised. To guarantee compliance, everyone has a device implanted in their skull to track them. When some kids work out that an electric shock will disable the device, they go on an adventure to find a missing father. Along the way they uncover some sordid dealings with a collaborator played by Ben Kingsley, who's keen on their mum, played by Gillian Anderson. It's a solid piece of young adult entertainment, though it strains against its budget occasionally, with some of the CG not quite as solid as it could be. But you won't care, because the story rips along happily. It reminds me of the kind of films I dug when I was 13 or so, and I still do.
Nasty Baby
Umm... Sebastian Silva is a director whose work I have mixed feelings about. The Maid and Old Cats are brilliant works of humanist black comedy. Magic Magic... I hated Magic Magic. This kind of blends those two feelings together, in a deliberate provocation. The story of a gay couple trying to help their friend get pregnant, it plays with a lot of different ideas. There's the dynamic between the three of them, then there's the street they live in, where there's a mentally handicapped old man who randomly harasses people. The story progresses until a third act turn that takes you completely by surprise and led to a few people walking out of the cinema. In the Q&A afterwards, Silva defended himself both hysterically and articulately, and when he points out everything the film has done, it's hard to say that the twist comes out of nowhere. He just pulled a trick on you. But even so, it seems kinda weird to take the story in the direction it goes, and they don't quite interrogate it enough to feel very satisfying. But I still loved the film, just with mixed feelings.
The Assassin
I have a rule. No Taiwanese films. It took a few years of MIFFing to confirm it wasn't bad luck, Taiwanese cinema is just boring. I have a few fond memories of Goodbye, Dragon Inn, but I also don't forget that mostly I was checking my watch and debating whether to walk out of the cinema. So, why the hell did I choose to watch The Assassin? One, there wasn't anything else that was interesting scheduled. Two, Shu Qi stars, and she's a luminous screen presence. And that fact remains unaltered. She's great in this, as are most of the other actors. But geez, it takes its time to get the plot rolling. Lots of long contemplative takes, but Tarkovsky this ain't. There were plenty of people walking out of this one, as it meanders its way towards the few bits of plot it has to play out. When it all finally comes together, it's kinda cool, but damn... The end is so abrupt I burst out laughing. It doesn't amount to much, and Taiwanese cinema is still boring, but it's not as bad as some.
Coin Locker Girl
A Korean gangster drama, this one tells the story of Il Young, a girl found abandoned in a train station coin locker. A cop in debt finds her as a kid and sells her to Mom to settle his account. She grows up to be one of Mom's enforcers, collecting debts until she meets a nice young guy whose dad owes money. This being a Korean film, the romance doesn't last long and Il Young is on the run. You can see the trajectory of the film fairly clearly by the mid point, but that doesn't matter. It's about the grim cycle of crime, the toll it takes on all involved, and how ruthlessness is rewarded. The performances of Mom and Il Young are pretty stunning too. Mom is a scary gangster.
posted by Andrew Lee at 12:44 AM
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