Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song (USA 1971)

"Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song" by Melvin van Peebles is one of the first films with black main characters and the film that kick-started the whole Blaxploitation movement. There are some examples of early black cinema but generally, black people were only found in supporting roles before 1970. The film is not short on sex and violence which earned it an X rating. Since a white jury was responsible for the rating, the film was consequently marketed as the film the man doesn't want you to see. Unexpectedly, the low-budget production became one of the biggest independent hits of that time, grossing over 4 million dollars - evidence of how much more open the audience was at that time...

The film is primarily interesting from this historical perspective. Compared to the later, much more glossy Blaxploitation films backed by major studios, it is a raw and radical piece of filmmaking. One might also say that the film is a total mess. The small budget definitely shows. There are some good ideas but nothing really fits, the cinematography is mostly amateurish, the actors and dialogues are at B movie level and the film's sociopolitical message is delivered with a sledgehammer. The ending especially where Sweetback - wanted for beating down two white cops - strolls around aimlessly in the desert, is testing the limits of the audience. The score is one of the best things about the film but its endless repetition is increasingly annoying as well.

Despite all that, "Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song" is a powerful film. At times, it bursts with energy and and the underdog spirit of its maverick director makes it hard to dismiss it. It is a film that defies being called a "good" or "bad" film but one that can't be denied its importance in film history. On its release in 1971, it must have hit the (white) American audience like a bullet - which is probably what Melvin Van Peebles was aiming for...

6/10

I'm not X-rated for nothing, baby!

Mother (South Korea 2009)

Hollywood seems to have stopped producing intelligent entertainment but thankfully there are many other countries that still do. South Korea is an example where the output in this categroy has been most consistent in the last few years. Along with Park-Chan Wook, one of the most important directors is Bong Joon-ho who has won over audience and critics alike with his previous films "Memories of Murder" (2003) and "The Host" (2006). His latest film "Mother" follows that path in the sense that it is an arthouse films with a story that should appeal to "normal" moviegoers as well.

The film is a clever mystery thriller about a mother who is prepared to do anything to prove her son, who is charged for murder, innocent. One of the (many) surprising things about the film is that the resolution of the murder is secondary even though it is used to maintain the tension. The abnormal relationship between the mother and the son is given more importance and in particular the film focuses on the eponymous character, brilliantly played by Kim Hye-ja. As soon as the mother takes over after the murder has occured, she dominates every scene and we stay with her until the bitter end. We understand her even though she doesn't act morally. The story is told expertly and the director more than once leads us to false sidetracks, leaving some secrets unexplained. But even more important than the pleasures of the intriguing plot is that the film never loses its sight on the dark and very real truths it uncovers along the way.

8/10

Protective: Kim Hye-ja as the titular "Mother"

Women without Men (Iran 2009)

So many arthouse films look the same nowadays. Few directors have their own distinctive visual style. So it always a revelation when there is a new unique voice. Shirin Neshat made her name as a video artist and her feature debut "Women without Men" can only be called a work of art as well.

Her direction forms a beautiful contrast between quiet, dreamlike poetic scenes and dynamic, chaotic scenes of mass demonstrations. However, this approach is bound to be irritating and makes the film not quite coherent as a whole. Her storytelling abilities may not yet be as advanced as the ones for creating an atmosphere but Shirin Neshat nevertheless shows great promise with her first film. The beautiful cinematograhpy of the more experienced Martin Gschlacht, who was also one of the producers, deserves major credit too.

Despite its participation in the competition of the Venice Film Festival and the good reviews, the film had trouble finding an audience which is only understandable. Its political background may be too much for (Western) cinephiles and for the political-minded viewers, it may be too artsy.

The film was a coproduction between several countries including Germany, Austria, France and Italy and was filmed in Moroccco but since it is entirely set in Iran and its original language is Persian, I boldly declared it an Iranian film.

7/10

One of the haunting images from "Women without Men"



Coco avant Chanel (France 2009)

"Coco avant Chanel" is - as the title suggests - a film about the early years of legendary fashion designer and style icon Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The emergence of her fashion empire is not the subject of the film. Director Anne Fontaine instead tells Coco's years before the foundation of her company, focusing on her relationships with two men. From a cinematic point of view, although very well crafted, the film has little new or exciting to offer. It remains rather conventional but that may not have been such a bad approach because it marks a contrast to the person of Coco Chanel who was anything but conventional. She was an outsider, an independent women with radical new thoughts, and therefore way ahead of her time. 

Whether one likes the film, ultimately depends on whether one is interested in fashion and the person Coco Chanel. For instance, it is very interesting to see that much of her inspiration came from men's fashion and her simple, classic style - which would be considered conservative now - broke with the social conventions back then. Audrey Tautou deserves a lot of praise in the title role. Usually it is not the best idea to have a big star portray a famous person but Tautou does manage to convincingly portray Coco Chanel and reveals her vulnerability hidden beneath the cool surface. In the final moments, she even looks strikingly like her.

People may critize the film's lack of emotions but it undoubtly has grace and as such is a very true portrait of Chanel's personality. I didn't like the film so much the first time because I concentrated too much on what would happen to Coco. When I watched it again I took a different approach and found myself enyoing it much more: I disregarded the story - which does indeed lack emotionality - and instead let the beautiful clothes, decor and cinematography inspire me - reminding me once again that film is, above all, a visual medium.

7/10

Fashion fades, style remains: Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel

In a better world (Denmark 2010)

Susanne Bier's "In a better world" has some very powerful emotional moments. The actors are - as in all of her films - very natural and the story, which touches some serious issues, is challenging enough. Yet as a whole the film feels a little overblown and too melodramatic - as it is often the case with films that feature multiple dramas at once. It is also way more constructed than Susanne Bier's raw and intimate early films which may be precisely why the Academy voters went for it and awarded the film with the "Best Foreign Language Film" oscar. Indeed it brings to mind "Babel" more than the Dogme 95 films where Susanne Bier has her roots. The mass audience may appreciate it but what her films gained in scope they lost in sublety along the way.

A film needs a strong beginning and especially a strong ending. "In a better world" has neither but instead a very strong middle section which shows the great potential the film would have had. Nevertheless it is still a decent film and one that confirms Susanne Bier as one of the most important European directors.

7/10

Just like heaven: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm

Azuloscurocasinegro (Spain 2006)

Daniel Sánchez Arévalo's 2006 debut "Azuloscurocasinegro" is - along with Cedric Klapisch's "L'Auberge Espagnole" (2002), Joachim Trier's "Reprise" (2006) and a few others - one of the films that accurately portrayed the young generation of 20-somethings growing up in Europe after the year 2000. My generation, to be specific. A generation that, overwhelmed by the endless opportunities it apparently has, seems to be somehow lost...

"Azuloscurocasinegro" translates as dark blue, almost black and refers to the suit that Jorge, the main character in the film, sees in the shop windows everyday. The suit represents a better life for the young business graduate who works as a janitor while at the same time taking care of his handicapped father. When his ex-girlfriend returns home and his fresh-out-of-prison brother asks him to impregnate his still imprisoned girlfriend, things get even more complicated. This may sound quite silly to you while you're reading it and indeed the script feels a little forced and improbable at times. But against all odds the film works very well and feels more true to life than most other films that have a more realistic plotline. The reason for this is that the characters are taken more seriously here than the plot. Or to emphasize the point even more, the characters create the plot, as it always should be.

Daniel Sánchez Arevalo shows a lot of talent in his first feature. He mostly avoids the pitfalls of clichés, silly jokes and an overdose of sentimentality. Instead he finds a good balance between entertainment and seriousness. The film feels fresh and unforced which is also the result of the natural performance he gets out of his strong cast. But there is even more that sets the film apart. In contrast to most other contemporary European films, the director and his cinematographer decided to shoot the film in Cinemascope which leads to some beautiful compositions and gives it a much more cinematic feel than one would expect from a small film like that.

Almodóvar may get all the credit on the international festival circuit but there are some other promising directors working in Spain at the moment. Julio Medem is one of them, and Daniel Sanchez Arévalo is now too.

8/10

The lost generation: Quim Gutiérrez, Eva Pallarés

Green Lantern (USA 2011)

Thank god I don't have to pay for movies at the cinema anymore so at least I didn't waste any money on "Green Lantern", a movie that marks a new low point among the already modest standards of 3D comic book adaptations. If I would write this review for a magazine, it would not even be worth the paper it is printed on.

Claiming that "Green Lantern" looks like a video game would be an insult to video games. Most of them have more atmosphere and are far more complex than this absolutely silly film. There have been mindless films before to be sure, but most of them were at least entertaining. This one on the other hand is a succession of ridiculous action sequences, interrupted by the occasional equally ridiculous real-life scene. The better superhero films from the last few years were all in a way grounded in reality which is why they worked. Here, the characters can't be taken seriously so the audience is unable to relate to them.

I can't tell you much about the "story" - I didn't pay a lot of attention and I am pretty confident that I didn't miss much. During the 3D action scenes I mostly closed my eyes in order to spare them the exhaustion. The only scenes that were somehow bearable to watch were - as cheesy as they may be - the romantic scenes between Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, the primary reason being that any scene with Blake Lively in it is bearable to watch. She is just about the only real person in the film and as such her beautiful smile is a revelation in a testosterone fueled spectacle like this. She may not be a great actress but at least she is natural. Ryan Reynolds would have the potential to be a solid leading man too but he can't escape the absurdity of his character.

Questions that always come to my mind after viewing "films" like this are: does such a soulless product even deserve to be called "cinema" - a term with which we all associate so many great memories... and is this the beginning of the end of cinema as an art form that started out so gloriously during the days of the silent film? And even if cinema is considered only the medium and not the message, what do films like that say about the state of the world we're living in?

2/10

The chosen one: Ryan Reynolds in "Green Lantern"

Being There (USA 1979)

Sometimes "being there" is enough. At the right place and time, that is.

The main character in Hal Ashby's wonderful film "Being There", a simple-minded gardener who never before left the townhouse of his former employer, happens to stumble into a circle of influential power brokers eager for "sage wisdom". In the course of the film, he becomes famous, meets the president and is celebrated for an appearance on a national TV show for his simplified view of complex problems. He even finds himself an attractive women and is considered a potential candidate for presidency.

Could this happen in real life? Most likely not. Is it a joy to watch? Absolutely. But it is not just the entertainment value that makes the film a winner but the underlying truths that the film - despite all its implausibilty - uncovers. The dominance of TV and the fact that people don't really read anymore is one of them, the dominance of white males in the American society another. The comic situations in the film could easily have been used for cheap laughs but director Hal Ashby prefers a more subtle form of humour. The way he directs the film those scenes are always on the verge of credibilty. The quietness and the wintry atmosphere of the film are other means he uses to give the film a more serious, bittersweet touch.

The great asset of the film are the performances by Melvyn Douglas (who won an Academy award for his role) and Peter Sellers (who inexplicably lost against Dustin Hoffmann in "Kramer vs. Kramer"). Sellers once again proves in one of his last roles that he is one of the all-time great comedy actors. His reduced performance shows a different side of him than the exaggerated ones he became famous for. He once said in an interview: "I have absolutely no personality at all. I am a chameleon. When I am not playing a role, I am nobody." If he meant it, this role of a good-natured nobody may be the one that best expressed his real character.

"Being There" is almost forgotten now which is not surprising because it is not a very fashionable film. Today, such a quirky, low-key film about old people would not even have a chance to get made. Which is a shame because it is a film that displays what has always been Hollywood's main strength: the ability to address serious problems in simplified stories that everyone understands. Even Chance the Gardener.

8/10

The man who wasn't there: Peter Sellers

Bend it like Beckham (UK 2002)

In case you haven't heard, yesterday was the final of the Women's Football World Cup in Germany. It was the first women's game I ever watched and it was nothing less than brilliant. One might even say that it was more entertaining and thrilling than most films nowadays. In a dramatic match the outsider, Japan, won on penalties against the favourite, USA. A dramaturgy made in heaven for any screenwriter out there!

The only film I know about women's football, the 2002 hit "Bend it like Beckham", follows a similar structure when a young Indian immigrant girl wants - against all odds - to become a professional footballer. It is a story that I can relate to a lot. When I was a young boy I wished nothing more than being able to kick it like - well, not Beckham but German midfielder Lothar Matthäus who was the big star in Europe back then. Unfortunately I didn't have much talent but nevertheless football was the thing that gave me the most delight - even more than the movies that I would discover a little later...

Hence, it is no surprise that I really enjoyed "Bend it like Beckham". True, it is not a very complex film and it it shamelessly exploits the ususal culture-clash tensions. The story about the outsider overcoming all obstacles is a rip-off from many similar, mostly American films which is why it became such a surprise hit over there. But as we all know, there are only very few truly original stories out there anyway. At least "Bend it like Beckham" delivers its message with a lot of charm and features a setting that is relatively unexplored. It's a real feel-good-film that I'm willing to substitute for a lot of serious dramas out there. The youthful energy of Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra is so infectious that the one thing you would like to do by the end of the film is... kick a ball yourself.

7/10

The kick to freedom: Parminder Nagra

Nosferatu (Germany 1922)

The environment where you see a film can have a huge effect on how you experience it. I saw the horror classic "Nosferatu" by the great F.W. Murnau for the first time yesterday at an Open Air screening with live music. The projection was quite bad, the lights at the venue were too bright and people were walking around during the show all the time. All of this had quite a bad influence on the atmosphere of the film.

Of course, a great film shines through no matter what and "Nosferatu" definitely is one. It reduces the vampire myth to its bare bones and is all the more effective for it. It may not be that scary by today's standards but it is still unreached on an artistic level. The morbid images are unforgettable and Max's Schreck's grotesque figure far more haunting than any computer-generated creature I have ever seen.

But nevertheless I have a feeling that I might have gotten into it more if I would have watched in in proper quality in a darkened theatre or maybe even more alone at home. I will some time, and let you know - maybe I will be really scared then...

9/10

Terrifying: Max Schreck as "Nosferatu"

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (UK 2011)

It may come as a surprise to some of my readers but over the years I have become a big Harry Potter fan. I usually don't like fantasy films and blockbusters very much but those films were always "special" to me. The last Harry Potter film was therefore a particularly emotional experience which is why I decided not to write a conventional review but instead a letter to Harry that I had delivered to him personally by Hedwig...

Dear Harry!

When I entered the movie theatre today to watch your final adventure, the first miraculous magic moment happened before the show even started. In the background the cinema played a song that I instantly remembered from my own teenage years in the late 90s: Puff Daddy's "I'll be missing you". It was the perfect expression of how I felt at this very moment. This bittersweet sentiment accompanied me the whole evening and even now - a couple of hours after the film - I still have a feeling of emptiness knowing that this was probably the last time I saw one of your films in the cinema. It also fits perfectly that right now there is a thunderstorm going on outside.

But in moments like these, it will always help me to remember the good times I had with you. I vividly recall the places I saw your films and the people I saw them with. But when I start thinking of the future I am afraid - although I hope I will be proven wrong - that I will never again feel as excited about a movie release as I used to get when a new Harry Potter film was coming out. In anticipation weeks or even months before the theatrical release, my excitement peaked at the moment the increasingly dark Warner Bros. logo appeared on the screen and the opening chords of the soundtrack set in. My inner child will probably respond to it forever when re-watching the films at home but still, it will never be the same again...

The same way you carried a part of Voldemort in yourself you were a part of me and my life - and that part is now missing. Over the ten years that we took this journey together, myself and the whole generation that grew up with your films formed the kind of intimate relationship with you and the other protagonists that you usually don't have with movie characters. Not even in way more realistic films. Even though I am a few years older than you, it still feels as if I have experienced my (slightly delayed) adolescence along with you. The innocent times were sweet but now they are finally over. The time has come for both of us to finally grow up and face not just our demons but also the responsibilities of adulthood. 

But why, you might ask yourself, did I relate to you in the first place? 

First of all, I could absolutely understand what is like to live within a world of ordinary mediocrity that does not appreciate "magic". Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to attend a school like Hogwarts where those abilities were discovered and encouraged. Our education system promotes studiousness and conformity as opposed to excellence and natural talent. Thus, I often felt like an outsider during my school years while at the same time I always sensed I had a lot of potential inside me. I could also relate strongly to the friendship you had with Hermione and Ron. For me, friendship is what the films ultimately were about and I fully believe that good friends can help you through the worst of times. 

Another thing that I particularly liked about the films was the unique world they created. A world full of wonderful details (I would love to try that butter beer!) that was a dream come true for a nostalgic person like myself. A world of candle lights, books and traditions. I have a bit of an aversion to modern technology which is why I dislike many of the other big Hollywood movies where special effects have now priority over characters. With the Harry Potter films, it was always the other way round. The effects were fun but they were only means and never the ends in themselves. As we learned from Professor Dumbledore, words - along with love - are still the most powerful form of magic.

As far as your last film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two" is concerned, I start with the things that bothered me a little. The 3D presentation was too much of a distraction and basically superfluous. So was the Epilogue - as faithful as it may be to the book. There was also too much violence and too many action scenes for my taste. (I never liked the action scenes in the films much anyway - I always preferred the quiet, intimate scenes the most.) 

But nevertheless the final film is very satisfying and constitutes a worthy ending to what is now officially one of the best series in film history. And not just because it is the last film, it may be the most emotional of them all. The tone strikes a perfect balance between entertaining and dark scenes, there are some great moments and revelations and many of the great cast members are finally united. In short, it is somehow a "best of" of all the previous installments.

It is getting late. The moment has come for me to thank you, Harry. You made me laugh, you made me cry, you enchanted and inspired me. And for that, I shall forever be grateful.

Yours very truly,


your dear friend and spiritual brother

Andy

My very last Harry Potter movie ticket

Sennentuntschi (Switzerland 2010)

Since German is my native language, reviews to German language films are in German.

In wenigen Tagen wird Nicolas Ofczarek wieder als Jedermann bei den Salzburger Festspielen das Publikum begeistern. Nicht weiter verwunderlich ist daher dass dem Theater-Schauspieler die Popularität dieser Rolle zu immer mehr Angeboten in Kinofilmen verhilft. So kann man ihn einige Tage vor Festspielbeginn bereits in den heimischen Kinos erleben. Doch wer sich die schweiz-österreichische Koproduktion mit dem eigenwilligen Namen "Sennentuntschi" nur wegen ihm ansieht, wird wohl ziemlich enttäuscht werden. Denn seine "Hauptrolle" ist eine der am wenigsten interessanten Figuren des Films und auch seine Darstellung bleibt eher uninspiriert.

Der Film hingegen, ein Mysterythriller mit Horrorelementen, ist ein sehr origineller Versuch eines europäischen Genrekinos. Er beruht auf einer Schweizer Sage bei der eine Sexpuppe zum Leben erweckt wird und sich an ihren Peinigern rächt. Ähnlich wie beim österreichischen Teenie-Slasher "In 3 Tagen bist du tot" wird dabei durch lokale Schauplätze und Figuren eine Atmosphäre geschaffen die den Film wohltuend von der Sterilität des Hollywood-Kinos unterscheidet. Die etwas zu konventionelle Inszenierung von Regisseur Michael Steiner kann zwar jener von Andreas Prochaska nicht das Wasser reichen, dafür aber ist die Geschichte des Films um einiges einfallsreicher als jene beim österreichichen Pendant. Technisch bleibt der Film hinter vergleichbaren Hollywood-Filmen zurück und auch die Dialoge der Schauspieler sind - bedingt auch durch den Schweizer Akzent - nicht immer frei von unfreiwilliger Komik. Aber gerade der selbstironische, morbide Humor und die originellen Einfälle tragen viel zum Charme des Films bei. Seine Schwächen und die mangelnde Perfektion verzeiht man ihm daher nur allzu gerne. Im Gegensatz zu Ofczarek voll überzeugen kann die aus Filmen von Skandal-Regisseurin Catherine Breillat bekannte Französin Roxane Mesquida in der Titelrolle. Die besten Momente und Sprüche gehören aber eindeutig Andrea Zogg als Senn Erwin.

"Sennentunschi" ist - wenngleich sicher nicht jedermanns Sache - ein gelungenes Beispiel eines lokal gefärbten europäischen Unterhaltungsfilms. Trotz der internationalen Besetzung und der Tatsache dass der Film zum Großteil in den Tiroler Alpen gedreht wurde, bleibt die den Film unverwechselbar machende Schweizer Identität stets erhalten.

7/10

Roxane Mesquida als "Sennentuntschi"

Alive! (Albania 2009)

"Alive!" is the first film I have ever seen from Albania and while it is not an especially remarkable one, it does not have to hide from its Eastern European counterparts.

The film tells the story of a young student who returns to his rural village after the death of his father. Compared to the carefree modern life in the capital Tirana, the village seems to be not years but centuries behind. There are still old traditions such as Kanun, an Albanian vendetta ritual, that he involuntarily gets involved with. His peaceful life is soon disrupted and when he finally returns to Tirana, nothing will be as it was before.

This probably sound more exciting than it actually is because even if the story feels authentic, the film doesn't quite live up to the energy of its title. In spite of the well-meant ambition of first-time director Artan Minarolli to show an honest portrait of contemporary Albania, his direction lacks any creativity. The film is told and filmed too conventionally to create any tension. Especially towards the ending when one dramatic scene follows another, the director pushes too many buttons instead of just relying on his characters. The best thing about the film is the very good performance of handsome leading man Nix Xhelilay who displays both juvenile nonchalance and a certain maturity that his much older director appartently still lacks.

6/10

A moment of peace: Nik Xhelilaj

Into Eternity (Denmark/Finland 2010)

"Into Eternity" is a spooky documentary about the Nuclear storage facility Onkalo that is currently being built in a deserted part of Finland. This pioneering project finally aims to provide a final solution for nuclear waste. What makes things complicated is that radioactive waste doesn't just go away over time - the radiation stays dangerous for up to 100.000 years. So the main challenge of Onkalo's is to make sure that it remains closed and safe for future generations after its completion.

This is where the documentary of Danish filmmaker Michael Madsen sets in. He seems to be half serious when he repeatedly adresses his future audience - in his words, the film should "remind people to forget". But apart from these darkly comical moments, the film also touches a lot of serious issues that mankind is facing right now. Regardless if one is for or against nuclear energy, we have to find a way to dispose of the enormous amounts of nuclear waste that has been created already. And even though all of the experts involved in the construction of the site are aware that there will never be a guarantee that it will be 100% safe, for now, it may be the best choice that we have right now.

One strenght of the film is that unlike more persuasive documentaries, it never forces any opinion on its audience - it simply lets the deserted land, the creepy facility and the people involved with its construction speak for themselves. The viewer is left with the uncomfortable feeling that we as humans have made too many mistakes already which is why it may already be too late to correct them. The best thing we can hope for is that future generations will take better care of the world than we did.

7/10

Director Michael Madsen addressing his future audience