Films in Review – May Madness I

Mitch | Movies | May 18, 2008 at 10:09 pm

I was actually gonna post this on the 15th to neatly bisect the month into two halves but alas the heat wave that is sweeping across LA put paid to that plan. Anyways “der aaaye durust aaye” so without further ado here is my take (brief) on the films I have seen this month.

Kylie Minogue Fever Tour Manchester (2002) Australia

Kylie at the top of her powers in the aftermath of her blockbusting breakthrough album Fever. The DVD chronicles one night’s performance at Manchester which is both visually stunning with all the pyrotechnics and costumes. Oh and that voice. I still zone out each time I hear “Love at first sight” and this version is just incredible. Must watch for any Kylie fan.

Iron Man (2008) USA

I had been waiting with bated breath for this one coz I never miss any RDJ film and I’d been dying to see this ever since the studio released publicity photos of him as Tony Stark in his new buff and cleaned up avtaar. For years RDJ’s tale had been repeated as a tale of how someone with so much talent could piss it all away.

The great news is he’s clean and at the heart of a new franchise which nobody deserves more after years of solid indie cred. Much like Johnny Depp when he did Pirates of the Caribbean. The film itself is awesome with a solid screenplay and character development. Jon Favreau stock has risen a lot in my eyes after watching this one. It’s a very imp film for Marvel as well who haven’t had a good adaptation since X2 and Spiderman 2 coz this means they can develop their other characters independently without studio interference. Waiting for the “Rome” duo of Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevens in “Thor” and “Punisher” respectively. Bring it on !!!!!

The Andromeda Strain (2008) USA

This mini-series is pure and simple shite. Fucked up a great book. Watch the original instead.

Yossi and Jagger (2002) Israel

Disappointing to say the least from Eytan Fox who is a very good filmmaker. The premise seemed intriguing enough ie a tale of forbidden love between two men serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. I could tell one of them was gonna kick the bucket in the first 10 mins of the film. Foreshadowing is one thing but telegraphing is something else. The last 10 mins redeem the film somewhat coz of it’s restraint and minimalism. Too bad the entire film didn’t have more of it.

Tokyo Ga (1985) Germany

Seemed like a no brainer with Wim Wenders paying tribute to both Tokyo and Ozu but sadly this film just seemed a bit pretentious and superficial to me without any real insight. The gold standard is still “AK” where Chris Marker profiled Kurosawa while he was shooting “Ran”

Flash Point (2007) Hong Kong

Donnie Yen and Louis Koo star in this very entertaining crime yarn with superb Mixed Martial Arts action. Story is run of the mill but boy o boy when it comes to kicking some butt there are few who do it like Donnie Yen. Perfect date movie.

Friday Night Lights (2004) USA

The TV spin off of this film is one of the best shows on TV right now and the film itself is pretty awesome. In fact l like it better than “Remember the Titans”. I don’t understand much of American Football though I love watching the Superbowl coz it’s a damn cool spectacle. What I’m interested is the dynamics of what it means to be a team player and handling success and failure. Very cool film with music by one of my fav bands “Explosions in the Sky”.

Urban Explorers (2007) USA

I’m gonna write a separate post on this and and stuff related to it so pardon the brevity but suffice it to say that it’s pretty cool.

A Glass of Rage (1999) Brazil

Living proof that Brazil makes stupid and pretentious films as well as masterpieces. Lame story about two lovers who fuck for the first half of the film and talk for the next. The sex is like something you would see from someone trying out for the Sex Olympics and as far as the talk goes I’ve heard more intelligent chatter in run down strip clubs.

The End of August at the Hotel Ozone (1967) Czech Republic

I was drunk when I say this so maybe I’m not objective but for film that was advertised as a mix of “Mad Max” and Tarkovsky, I couldn’t find any resemblance to either one of them. Maybe it deserves another viewing in a sober state but it just seemed to plod along endlessly.

The Atomic Cafe (1982) USA

Equal parts terrifying and funny, this wildly experimental film takes actual footage from the archives of the American government’s nuclear program and makes you crap your pants when you realize how many times the world has come close to nuclear annihilation without even knowing it. Must Watch.

Shadow Company (2006) USA

Very insightful and gripping docu which sheds light on the modern day mercenary. I was shocked to learn that there are currently more than 30,000 of them in Iraq employed by the corporations with license to kill with impunity and no higher power to reign them in. Scary stuff.

Assembly (2007) China

Heartbreaking film about the Chinese civil war and it’s aftermath told through the eyes of a career soldier. Though financed by the Chinese govt I was surprised to see that it doesn’t pull any punches in showing the mistakes of the govt as well. The battle sequences merit special mention as they are at par with “Saving Private Ryan”.

Ridicule (1996) France

Patrice Leconte is DA BOMB. This film is cinematic perfection which while chronicling the life during the reign of Louis IV holds up a mirror to modern day society as well. Can’t praise this film enough and it also has a couple of very gorgeous female leads as added incentive.

Cross of Iron (1977) USA

Sam Peckinpah at his usual subversive and violent tricks. It’s not as well known or heralded as “The Wild Bunch” and “Straw Dogs” but is a very good film nonetheless. Stellar cast play their roles to perfection with the exception of Maximilian Schell who hams his way to glory. James Mason is sadly wasted though.

The Desert Fox (1951) USA

James Mason is superb as Erwin Rommel who is one of the most respected military tacticians ever. I was kinda disappointed though that the film focused more on the end of his career and death rather than the exploits in Africa which gave the Allied powers sleepless nights. It just goes to show how much respect he commanded that despite being a German General in the employ of Hitler, Hollywood made a film glorifying him a scant six years after the end of WWII. Great example of studio system film making by Henry Hathaway whose noir masterpiece “The Kiss of Death” is one of my fav films.

Noise (2007) Australia

I was in a chemical daze when this film got over knowing I had just witnessed something extraordinary. It just breaks all known known rules of filmmaking and script writing and yet creates an incredibly atmospheric, gripping and virtuoso piece of cinema. A must watch for any aspiring writer and director who is tired of formulaic films.

La Turbulence des Fluides (2002) Canada

The Canadians don’t make a lot of films but when they do they are generally pretty good like this magic realist fable set in a small town in French Canada where the tides have stopped. Very beautiful cinematography, hot leading ladies and a superb script made watching this film akin to gorging on strawberries and cream while chilling in the jacuzzi.

Well that’s it for now. Sadly no Bollywood despite my maxim of watching at least one per week but there haven’t been any releases which has really excited me though I do wanna watch “Tashan” to see what all the fuss is about. Look out for the concluding part of May Madness in about a fortnight’s time.

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