Notes To Self

The Kid Brother [Ted Wilde, 1927] / Get Out & Get Under [Hal Roach,
1920]

These are the first complete Harold Lloyd films that I've seen, and
I'm very impressed. There is an inventiveness and ingenuity that
make them exiting and effortlessly funny. It helps, of course, when you
have such a warm audience, who readily join in with laughing.

What I particularly noticed about the Lloyd films was the importance of
story. There is never the sense that the gags are just strung together
in a convenient narrative – the comic tricks and turns seem to arise
naturally from the story itself.

Very enjoyable.

IMDB link

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Waitress [Adrienne Shelley, 2007]

Another highlight from this year's festival – just delicious.

It has the kind of style which you get in good graphic novels –
sharp witty dialogue, characters established quickly with bold strokes,
and an eye for visual comedy. Waitress has a seductive lightness of
touch on the surface that belies its subtle depths.

Great performances, beautifully shot, paced to perfection, tone spot on
– this film has everything. It looks, feels and tastes great. I
can even forgive the ending.

Wonderful stuff.

IMDB link

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The Hoax [Lasse Halstrom, 2006]

A completely implausible story that is apparently true. Or rather based
on truth.

One stand out moment – Irving "confessing" to his wife.
Otherwise, quite engaging, but not outstanding.

IMDB link

Surprise Film: Rescue Dawn [Werner Herzog, 2006]

A safer choice compared to last year's Heart of Gold. And with
Herzog as director there was a possibility of something really special.
However, although Rescue Dawn is interesting, and somewhat engaging, it
feels very much like Herzog goes to Hollywood. It's a conventional
film that has flashes of inspiration but ends unforgivably with a
nauseous all American hero (or rather German American hero) flourish.

More like Herzog is the central character: the single-minded, driven,
almost crazy man, fighting for survival against all the odds. The
character never has that Herzog edginess, that sense of the dangerous
and unexpected. Even though based on a true story, the character has
little sense of the real; he is more the vehicle of a familiar plot.

OK, but slightly disappointing.

IMDB Link

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Tengers [Michael Rix, 2007]

It's a rough old place, Johannesburg. And the people look even
rougher; or at least the clay figures in this film. These figures have
been rescued from Aardman's dustbin, and a weird mouth stuck on
their slapdash faces.

There aren't rough edges to this film, it's all rough. In a
way, this anti-aesthetic works with the grim subject matter. It depicts
an anarchic world, where it's a matter of maintaining sanity to try
and rustle up a laugh from somewhere. There's plenty of grim and
tasteless humour in Tengers, some of it is very funny.

An interesting curiosity.

Festival Link

The Seventh Seal [Ingmar Bergman, 1957]

It's the first time I've seen this landmark film on the big
screen, and it's a special treat to see it in this new digital
restoration.

Fifty years, and the film has lost none of its power or relevance. The
primal fear of a world without god, the dread realisation that this is
not all laid out for our convenience, still troubles the world: that
sucking leech Religion still corrupts the blood. And yet, when the
world finally grows up and rids itself of all its gods, this film was
still have relevance: it will still speak of existential angst; the
horror and beauty of existence.

The images still have their intoxicating potency: the game of chess with
death; the procession of the doom mongers, with their incense and grim
crucifix; the merry dance of death on the horizon.

What is so easy to forget about this film, though, is its humour and joy
and goodness. The wit and kindness of some characters, their sheer
decency, shines through the gloom. In a strange way, the film is filled
with hope as well as despair.

IMDB Link

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Private Fears in Public Places [Alain Resnais, 2006]

This adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's play works very well on the big
screen. Resnais knows about the power of restraint. He has a sure
sense of the underlying pulse of the scenes, and an eye for the colour
palette which will enhance rather than overwhelm.

It's refreshing to have a film that deals in loneliness and
separation with such a warmth of feeling towards the characters. So
often a cold cynicism is paraded as profundity; here it is the maturity
of empathy.

This film remains with you long after it's finished.

IMDB Link

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Syndromes and a Century [Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2006]

Don't be put off by the clumsy English title; this film is certainly
worth watching. It may reject the neat orderly structures of
conventional plotting, but it has a poetic logic of its own. Like
music, it's about the development and contrasting of motif; about
graceful modulations; about texture and rhythm.

It's funny, tender, unsettling, and joyous.

It may be very strange, but a rewarding experience.

IMDB Link

Every Step You Take [Nino Leitner, 2007]

Some good arguments made on both sides of the debate in this documentary
about the proliferation of CCTV in the UK, but not dealt with in
sufficient depth for my liking.

The patronising voice-over should be ditched.

Interesting, but flawed. Could do better.

IMDB Link

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Priceless [Pierre Salvadori, 2006]

It's good to round the day off with a good quality romantic comedy.

Understandably, it's hard to take your eyes off Audrey Tautou in
that dress (at least if you're a man), but the actor who really
steals the show is Gad Elmaleh. His comic timing is superb, and he has
the kind of expressive face and physical grace that mean he would be
funny even with the sound turned off.

Nicely shot with some good set-pieces –an very enjoyable film.

IMDB Link

Testosterone [Tomasz Konecki, 2007]

It started OK. A promising set-up, and some mild amusement. But then,
slowly but surely, it sank into tediousness.

Interest was briefly sparked, two thirds of the way though, by the film
breaking down. But this was only a brief respite.

Harmless but dull.

IMDB Link

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4 Minutes [Chris Krauss, 2006]

It's the familiar storyline of older teacher taking promising young
tear-away under their wing, nurturing a formidable talent, and viola
– redemption! There is some reliance on the customary, well trodden
plotting conventions, but thankfully the film avoids over
sentimentality, particularly in the central relationship between the two
leads. Veteran German actress Monica Bleibtreu gives a carefully
controlled and powerful performance as the teacher, while young actress
Hannah Herzsprung is remarkable in the role of the musically talented
prison inmate. Herzsprung's portrayal is terrifyingly realistic
– an aggressive tension between feral ferocity and restrained
vulnerability. And the relationship between the two leads is gripping
and truly moving.

The ending is the final masterstroke of the film: brilliantly executed,
thrilling in its drama, and devastatingly poignant.

IMDB Link

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Valerie [Birgit Moller, 2006]

A confident and well-polished first feature from Birgit Moeller. A tale
of a confident young woman who is gradually divested of the trappings
and securities of the modern world. Agata Buzek is very impressive in
the daunting lead role. The film strikes a nice balance between its
seriousness and its lighter moments. It also, thankfully, remains
focussed on character, rather than opting for dramatic hyperbole.

Worth seeing.

IMDB Link

Longing [Valesca Grisebach, 2006]

Here is filmmaking of the highest order. A simple story of infidelity
is revealed gradually through a skilfully structured narrative - there
are many examples of the method of plot development contributing to the
emotional journey of the film. And Longing is all about the emotional
connection with the characters. I find it astonishing that the film
achieves the depth of characterisation it does with an entirely
non-professional cast of actors. The three leads in particular give
truly incredible performances, lending the film a directness and
authenticity that cinema often struggles to attain.

The actors are helped by the absolute mastery of the director, Valeska
Griesebach, who meticulously controls the pace and tone of film
throughout. Each nuance of feeling, each undercurrent of passion and
longing, is patiently observed; there's a brooding quiet intensity
that threatens to explode.

And then the wonderful ending, with the children. The abrupt change of
tone is initially a surprise, but it quickly becomes clear that this is
the perfect conclusion to a very impressive film.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416213/

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Among Adults (Entre Adultes) [Stephane Brize, 2006]

A modern-day "La Ronde" that's perfectly constructed and
sharp as a razor. Every scene, linked by a character from the previous
one, is a beautifully formed miniature drama: witty, perceptive, and
with the kind of charged pauses that Pinter would be proud of.
Everything comes together in this film: brilliant writing; powerful,
sensitive acting; restrained, but forceful direction.

Each character is beautifully realised; each relationship exquisitely
examined. And it's not just an exercise in cruelty – in
demonstrating what shits these people are. Stephane Brize takes pains
to bring out the nuances of character, the vulnerabilities as well as
the deceptions.

Absolutely superb.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847733/

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Lunacy [Jan Svankmajer, 2005]

What I fool I was to say that Taxidermia would be prime contender for
strangest film at this year's festival - when there's a
Svankmajer on the bill!

Right from the start. White screen. Then the supremo of the surreal
himself pops up and tells us that Lunacy is, surprise surprise, a film a
about madness, and that it's NOT art. He pauses to glance down, and
notices a severed tongue crawling across the ground. He registers mild
interest, continues his introduction, and promptly disappears. Then the
film turns weird.

In Lunatic the lunatics are running the asylum, even when the doctors
supposed to be in charge get their chance. Unrestrained freedom or
strict control, both breed cruelty and excess. It's a mad,
forbidding and frightening world. Svankmajer says it's a world
inspired by Poe and de Sade: a horror story world.

And one that's a glorious blasphemy against the conventional. It
revels in subversion; in the darkness and fertility of the unfettered
imagination. It sneers at the conventional. It gets its hands well and
truly dirty – and loves it.

And it's pretty funny as well. An enjoyably dark experience.

IMDB link

Taxidermia [Gyogi Palfi, 2006]

This must be prime contender for the strangest film likely to be shown
at this year's festival. And the sickest.

Grotesque. That's the word. Repulsive characters doing repulsive
things; and Gyorgy Pilfi shoots it all with loving care, with an eye for
the beauty in what's repugnant. The calm tearing of flesh, the
squelch of lovingly handled internal organs – all realised in a
perverse choreography.

It's all much too much, of course. An excess of excess. Lust, and
glutony, and vomit – humanity as self-destructive consumer. But
it's hard not to laugh with the blacker than black humour; to be
seduced by the breathtaking audacity of Pilfi's surreal visual
imagination.

The film may not be a success, but it is an interesting failure - if you
can stomach it.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410730/

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Approaching Union Square [Marc Meyers, 2006]

An interesting chamber piece: various individuals on a bus who we are
acquainted with through a series of monologues. Each separate scene is
nicely judged, a skilful revelation of character with just the right
tone of humour.

The 9/11 framing, though, just felt like a cheap trick.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0818739/

Tribute to Andi Engels: Melancholia [Andi Engels, 1989]

Tony Jones' relaxed introduction to Engel's only film, was a
warm and sincere personal tribute to the recently deceased founder of
Artificial Eye – a company responsible for encouraging the cinematic
education of many in the UK by ensuring the distribution of such a
feast of world cinema. Thank god for people like Andi, with an
overriding passion about films that puts quality before the bank
balance. A category that must also include Tony Jones himself, someone
who through his infectious enthusiasm for cinema, has amongst other
things, developed the Cambridge Film Festival into an invaluable
showcase for a rich variety of films from all corners of the globe.

What of Melancholia, the film, though? Unfortunately, in all honesty, I
couldn't describe it as particularly high quality. But in a way,
that's what festivals are all about. The chance to give films an
opportunity, films which you might not otherwise see. Sometimes, as
with this one, they don't do anything for you. Other times, you
discover real treasures.

Despite the film, thank you to people like Andi Engels. And let's
hope the Tony Joneses of this world never lose their dogged
determination to bring us films that stimulate rather than deaden.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097861/

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The Singer [Xavier Giannoli, 2006]

The late great Dennis P said "Strange how potent cheap music is" and
"Would someone with a hard face please protect me from those sickly and
sugared old tunes?" And so with the second-rate songs and second-rate
venues in this delightful film, they have a strange capacity to enchant.
They, like Gerard Depardieu's lead character, Alain, are rather old
and faded, but with an endearing charm and old-fashioned integrity of
spirit.

The potentially cringe-making cliché story of old man falls for
beautiful young woman, is thankfully handled with sensitivity and care;
with good script, skilled direction, and some lovely performances.
Depardieu is brilliant: he lacks any pretension, never goes for
over-statement, and brings real depth to his character; and Cécile De
France, in a difficult role, gets the tone just perfect. The supporting
actors, especially Christine Citti, are also very good.

It's a film that celebrates some of those faded old sentimentalities
that bypass the brain and go straight to the heart. The lyrics, on
paper, might make you wince, but when carried by one of those sickly
sweet tunes, they can give voice to our deepest feelings.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464828/

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Me, The Other (Io, L'Altro) [Mohsen Melliti, 2007]

On a small boat at sea is played out the drama of our times: how the
"war on terrorism" gives rise to doubts and suspicions amongst
friends and neighbours – opens up the faultiness between our
cultures. The two protagonists are like brothers, but one seed of doubt
slowly grows into a state of open hostilities between the two. From
seeing the things that bind them, they can only see the things that
divide. It's a salutary film that may be a little too message
driven at times, but mostly develops its theme through development of
character.

IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0827183/

Under The Mud [Sol Papadopoulo, 2007]

The pre-film shenanigans were pretty entertaining. First swapping
cinemas, and then being entertained by the producer, director, and some
of the cast as we waited and waited for the various technical
difficulties to be sorted out. Thankfully, after all that, the film
itself wasn't a disappointment. Well, OK, the style leaned a little
more towards television than cinema, and the jokes and plotlines were
mostly recycled, but somehow it charmed its way past your critical
faculties. Much of this was down to some very good performances.

CFF Link: http://www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk/films/Under+the+Mud/

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Once Upon Tomorrow [Sandrine Veysset, 2006]

An interesting idea – the child meeting it's older self –
which never really adds up thematically in this ambitious film. The
film never makes any intellectual or emotional justification for its
bizarre premise. The best that can be said of Once Upon Tomorrow is
that it's a curious, atmospheric tone poem.

Interesting, but unconvincing.

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436419/

Transylvania [Tony Gatlif, 2006]

Ah, yes – here is the first real gem of the festival for me; a truly
fantastic film.

From the first few bars of the stirring music, I was already disposed to
like it. After the opening scene – a blur of passing scenery,
intercut with spilt-second stationery shots of people – I was
beginning to think that this could be good. Within 20 minutes I was in
love.

Transylvania takes you on an intoxicating impressionistic journey across
a strange, beautiful, joyful and deeply sad landscape – which I
suspect has very little to do with the real Transylvania, and everything
to do with an Eastern Europe of the imagination. Along with the lead
character we journey in search for love. It's a tale of Romance; a
journey that intoxicates the senses, and stirs the emotions; a journey
of breathtaking landscapes, eccentric characters, miserable poverty, and
the richness of culture. It may not stimulate the intellect, but it
enthrals the heart.

Tony Gatlif's direction is fresh and inventive, a sumptuousness of
style without the banality of ostentation. Beautifully crafted shots,
and a camera that dances with the music; the patient observation of
faces, and the giddy swirl of the emotions. It's simply
exhilarating.

One of the best films I've seen this year.

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Anna M. [Michel Spinoza, 2007]

This film faces a difficult task from the outset. It has to add
something fresh to a sub-genre that has already been explored a number
of times before, with some success (e.g. `Enduring Love',
`He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not…'*). Anna M may not escape
the familiarity of plotting, but it does have a depth of character
analysis that definitely makes it worth watching.

In this film the emphasis is not on the victim, but the perpetrator.
Michel Spinosa carefully develops our understanding of Anna in a way
which means we are deeply unsettled by her actions while feeling sadness
for how she is consumed by her illness.

An interesting film.

Cut the last scene, though. Complete waste of time.

*In fact, I notice on IMDB that the lead actress, Isabelle Carré, was
in the latter film.