Gangleri – filmreviews

In the great film “24 Hour Party People” (2002) you can see how in Manchester different musical currents come together on one label. A part of that film is about Joy Division. The famous photographer Anton Corbijn picks a small part of the storyline of “24 Hour Party People” and gives us the short life of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division. “Control” is based on the biography of Deborah Curtis. I think I expected too much of this film, because I am not really satisfied with it. Having been a photographer for so many years, I expected some fancier camera-work, but besides the moody black-and-white, the camera-work is fairly standard. What I also find strange is that “Control” only seems to portray a part of the story. There is close to nothing about the controversy around the band in the earlier days. The band is portrayed a another popband with another pop-audience, while I am under the impression that Joy Division ‘mothered’ the goth/batcave scene to some extend. Also strange is that the myth of a contract in blood with Factory Records is used. The thing that troubles me most -though- is that Corbijn fails to show how and why Curtis came to do what he did. Sure, he has problems with the pressure of succes and relational problems, but to me it does not become really clear how Curtis became so depressed. Perhaps the order of complete songs that Corbijn shows tell a story, but they were unfortunately not subtitled and I hardly know them myself. The last album supposedly spelled the things to come, but that does not become clear in the film either. To me “Control” was just an alright watch. There is some music in it, some biography, pinnacle peeks into the music scene of the day, but overall Corbijn did not manage to show me what I think he wanted to.

This film was in the box together with “Snatch” that I bough recently. “Layer Cake” is not exactly the same kind of film though. The story is more like “51th State“, but “Layer Cake” is less of a comedy. A businessman happens to have cocaine as his business and just when he things he handles things perfectly and starts to think about retirement, things no longer go as planned. Fast montage, popular music, the thick English layer makes this film quite typical for the genre. It is by no means a boring film though, but nothing special either.

I only recently heard about this film and I put it high on my wishlist. Having seen Aronofsky’s latest film “The Wrestler“, I figured I best just get it from the DVD rental to see what Aronofsky has come up with this time.
“The Fountain” opens superbly with a very vague meditative scene. The rest of the film is very dreamlike with ‘different worlds’ alternating and this reminds a bit Del Toro fantasy like “El Laberinto Del Fauno“. The atmosphere is great, but the film becomes quite sad towards the end. Aronofsky had ones more made a magnificent film very different from his other films. Here we have one for people who like the earlier mentioned director Del Toro and also for people who like mystery/myth films since “The Fountain” also has Mayan myth with a Christian sauce, but also Eastern elements and modern science.
That is the fourth sublime film, Aronofsky is definately one of my favourite directors.

Mickey Rourke is great as the veteran show-wrestler Randy “the ram” Robinson in Aronofsky’s latest film. 20 Years after his peak, “The Ram” still does wrestling shows and Aronofsky gives a good insight in that strange world with its vague border between real and played. Besides his wrestling, Randy tries to lead a normal life, but the outside world turns out to hurt more than tricks with staple guns, barbwire or glass. “The Wrestler” starts like a wrestling spectacle, but grows towards being a drama about a troubled man. Rourke’s part is not entirely unlike that in “Sin City“, but he shows that he can still act, also in the dramatical scenes. Aronofsky has again managed to make a film that stays in my head. “The Wrestler” is truely a great film with great acting, a beautiful stripper, pompous wrestling scenes and very subtely a deep look into the world of show wrestling. One minor point: the free-hand filming might give the film more motion/action, but it not a pleasure to watch on the big screen.

For an entire film we follow an application process in which all applicants are put in one room. In some sort of “Big Brother” / “Das Experiment” kind of way, the applicants have to decide who leaves, the company where they want to work, only observing. Of course things are put to extreme a bit, but this is about the basis of the film. Almost entirely in one room and with only a few people, “El Método” does manage to create some psychological tension, but overall it is hardly interesting enough for the entire film. Of course something has come up with to make some plot changes, so I guess for people who like psychological films and/or minimalistic thrillers, “El Método” could be worth a try.

By accident I heard about a film festival in my own town: “Duistere Openbaringen“. It apparently was the fourth time this festival was held, but the first time (?) in the new film-makers home Broet that has only opened its doors in October 2008. “Duistere Openbaringen” focuses on horror and fantasy and on the day that we went, there were three blocks of an hour and a half with short films of Dutch and Flemish filmmakers. Horror seems to be almost synonymous with zombie, since there were too many amateuristic zombie film with the typical blood-spitting closeups and flying intestines. But inspite of such amateuristic films like “Vleesdag” (not a zombie film btw.), “The Zombie Commandments” or “Zombeer”, there were also much better produced (almost slick) films such as “Harry Doright’s Prelude To Hell” (well done, but the story could have been better) or “Brother’s Keeper”. Somewhere in between there were films that were either interesting in story (“Morgana”), camera work (“Bockereyers”) or setting (“Het Verraderlijke Hart”). Towards the end there was also humour with “Schat, Ik Ga Fietsen” (very gory) and the highlight of the evening “Popo de Clown”. A special mention should be made for the shortest film of the evening “I’m Gonna Eat Your Innards” which gave an amusing minute.
The organisation also gave away prices (“oscars” so to say), but we did not wait to see and they are not yet on the website. In any case, film-makers in the Eindhoven region might want to have a look at Broet, since there you can get advice, rent things, etc. and they have a small cinema to watch independant film and a café where visitors and film-makers can meet.

This is a very original zombie film. In a post-zombie-war perfect small society in which everyone has to live according to the rules, zombies have become integral part of society, but under heavy control of the world-ruling corporation Zomcom. Of course things do not remain perfect… “Fido” is a comedy drama somewhere between “The Stepford Wives” and a zombie parody with a very good (society critical) script. All the quotes on the cover make a bit too much the film, but it is indeed a good watch and a nice crossbreed between genres. It never becomes a gory zombie-slasher by the way, so it is also enjoyable for people who are not too good with flying intenstines.

Here we have another highly acclaimed film of the brothers Coen. I like the film, but I personally do not think it is a masterpiece. It actually reminds me a bit too much of their own film “Fargo” (1996 not reviewed), which is a masterpiece. Well, maybe “No Country…” is too, but the novelty is gone.
A man accidentally runs into the results of a drug-related shootout in the desert and even finds the money. He thinks he is cunning enough to keep that money out of the hands of the criminals who undoubtely come to look for it. He did not really count on the arrival of the stonecold killer Chigurh. “No Country…” is a violent cat-and-mouse film with less humour than “Fargo” and in which the police wonder where society is heading. The acting is great, the surroundings fitting and the filming beautiful. Indeed “No Country…” is a very good film and even though the story is good too, I keep thinking back to “Fargo” way too often.