Source Code (USA 2011)

Before he made his debut as a director in 2009, Duncan Jones was primarily known as the son of David Bowie. After the huge success of his debut among critics and fans alike, he is now referred to as the director of "Moon". And that's not going to change for a while. Even though his new film "Source Code" is further evidence that he is a talented artist in his own right, he fails to reach the high standards he has set for himself with his first feature. It doesn't help much that it's more or less the same story about an individual exploited by an institution, albeit packaged in a glossy version and with a more uplifting, less fatalistic ending which compared to "Moon" feels like a concession to Hollywood.

Judged by the average science fiction film, "Source Code" still qualifies as smart and original but it lacks the raw atmosphere and emotional impact of its predecessor. That said, influences of films like "The Matrix" and "Inception" are visible and the script is not as good as it wants to be. But even if the film sometimes feels forced and too ambitious for its own good, the very fact that Duncan Jones tries to make an intelligent, thought-provoking science fiction film where the explosions are an integral part of the story and not just there to show off, is a noble thing to do in an age of brainless and heartless blockbusters...

7/10

Strangers on a train: Jake Gyllenhall and Michelle Monaghan

Knocked Up (USA 2007)

Yes, you have read the title right! It might not be the kind of film you would expect on this film blog but it is my firm believe that US comedy director/producer Judd Apatow qualifies as an auteur in the traditional sense.

Why? Because he writes his own screenplays, mostly about experiences from his own life, and he makes - keeping in mind the limitations of the American studio system - personal films with people he knows - most actors are either his friends or family. Luckily for him and the studio, his stories are told in such a universal way that millions of other young adults can relate to them as well.

Ripped to its core, "Knocked Up" still follows the schematic third-act-structure romantic comedy structure but in stark contrast to most other films of that genre, "Knocked Up" is told from the male point-of-view and contains lots of politically uncorrect jokes that are actually funny. Which is pretty smart from a Marketing perspective because this way the film attracts not only the girls but the guys too. The characters are likeable and even though occasionally exaggerated, they still qualify as somehow realistic. The film also offers a rather accurate portrayal of contemporary life in Los Angeles. And I can tell after having lived there for almost a year...

"Knocked Up" does not break any new ground but it is an entertaining comedy that is slightly above the current Hollywood average.

7/10

The Odd Couple: Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen

Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant (Germany 1972)

"Es gibt drei Arten von Frauen: Die Schönen, die Intelligenten und die Mehrheit."

"Ich nehme Frauen ernster als es Regisseure sonst tun" 

Diese Zitate stammen beide von Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Und beide helfen dabei die Frauenfiguren in seinen Filmen zu verstehen. Denn obwohl er sie scheinbar verachtet versteht er sie doch besser als die meisten anderen (heterosexuelle) Regisseure.

Ein Paradebeispiel für einen solchen Frauenfilm ist "Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant" - ein Film den man sich mit Männern in den Hauptrollen gar nicht vorstellen könnte. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei die Titelfigur Petra von Kant, eine erfolgreiche Modedesignerin mit sadomasochistischen Tendenzen. Ihre Assistentin hält sie wie eine Sklavin und ihre junge Liebhaberin will sie wie eines ihrer Kunstwerke besitzen.

Der Film ist ein psychologisches Kammerspiel, gedreht in einem einzigen Apartment und mit nur sechs Darstellerinnen vor. Er ist dabei ebenso zermürbend und anstrengend wie brillant und trotz des theaterhaften Settings - der Film beruht auf Fassbinder's eigenem Bühnenstück - durchaus filmisch was nicht zuletzt der wunderbaren Kamera von Michael Ballhaus und dem spärlichen, aber effektiven Einsatz von Musik zu verdanken ist. An das Theater erinnert vor allem die Art wie auf einige wenig emotional starke Höhepunkte hingearbeitet wird.

Das Grundthema des Films - Machtverhältnisse in zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen - hat Fassbinder selbst stark beschäftigt weshalb man es in vielen seiner Filme wiederfindet.

8/10

Selbstzerstörung: Margit Carstensen als Petra von Kant

Angst essen Seele auf (Germany 1973)

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

In seinem wohl bekanntestesten und für viele Kritiker besten Film "Angst essen Seele auf" greift Fassbinder einige Themen des zuvor von mir rezensierten Films "Katzelmacher" wieder auf. Dennoch ist der Film - obwohl nur vier Jahre danach gedreht - ein in jeder Beziehung reiferes Werk. Als Inspiration diente der Hollywood-Film "All That Heaven Allows" von Fassbinder's Idol Douglas Sirk.

"Angst essen Seele auf " ist ein Film über Vorurteile - und ich muss zugeben dass auch ich dem Film gegenüber ebensolche hatte. Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Klassikern der Filmgeschichte war "Angst essen Seele auf " kein Film auf den ich mich gefreut hatte sonder vielmehr einer zum "Abhaken". Ich konnte mir einfach nicht vorstellen dass mich die Schilderung einer Beziehung zwischen einer alten hässlichen Putzfrau und einem arabischen Gastarbeiter auch nur irgendwie interessieren könnte. Zudem bin ich absolut kein Fan vom biederen Look der 70er Jahre.

Aber schon in den ersten Einstellungen des Films wurden sämtliche meiner Vorbehalte ausgeräumt. Zu verdanken ist dies dem Talent und der Ehrlichkeit von Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Dies liegt möglicherweise in der Tatsache begründet dass Fassbinder diese Ehrlichkeit - ähnlich wie sein Vorbild Douglas Sirk - in eine publikumswirksame melodramatische Dramaturgie einbindet derer man sich nicht entziehen kann. Der Film mag nicht im klassischen Stile schön sein aber er legt den Blick auf eine andere Art von Schönheit frei - jener, die unter der Oberfläche versteckt ist. Die Charaktere im Film sind vielleicht für viele Zuseher keine "Identifikationsfiguren" wie in Hollywood-Filmen aber dafür sind sie real. So real dass es einem ihre Probleme und Sorgen unweigerlich doch nahe gehen auch wenn man mit ihrem Milieu nichts zu tun hat.

"Angst essen Seele auf" ist trotz seiner Einfachheit ein großer Film von einem Regisseur den man zwar nicht unbedingt mögen muss aber der es verdient hat, ohne jegliche Einschränkungen respektiert zu werden. Mindestens ebenso sehr wie Douglas Sirk.

9/10

Wenn Blicke töten könnten...

Katzelmacher (Germany 1969)

Since I am about to host a Fassbinder film night with my local film club, I (re-)watched some of his films which is why there will be some reviews (in German) dedicated to him in the next few days. You can use Google Translate to translate them to English.

Bei fast allen wichtigen Regisseuren mag ich die frühen Filme am liebsten. Diese sind oft noch sehr von persönlichen Erfahrungen geprägt und diesen Filmen haftet meist noch etwas Rauhes, nicht Perfektes an. Dies trifft auf "Les quatre-cent coups" von Truffaut ebenso zu wie auf "Mean Streets" von Scorsese und "Reservoir Dogs" von Tarantino. Und auch auf Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Dessen zweiter Spielfilm "Katzelmacher" wurde nur wenige Wochen nach seinem Spielfilmdebüt "Liebe ist kälter als der Tod" mit einfachen Mitteln gedreht und trägt - mehr noch als der vom amerikanischen und französischen Genrefilm beeinflusste Erstling - seine persönliche Handschrift.

Der Film ist was das Thema betrifft auf geradezu erschreckende Weise aktuell. Eine Gruppe gelangweilter junger Leute lässt ihren Ressentiments gegenüber einem griechischen Gastarbeiter - gespielt von Fassbinder selbst - freien Lauf. Doch fast noch schrecklicher als dieser damals wie heute nicht ungewöhnliche rassistische Übergriff ist die Lethargie in der fast alle Protagonisten gefangen sind. Die sich wiederholenden Rituale zeichnen - lange bevor Begriffe wie "Generation X" erfunden wurden - ein ebenso pessimistisches wie realistisches Bild einer Jugend die eigentlich alles hat und zufrieden sein müsste aber an einem Übermass an Freizeit und einem Mangel an Kontrolle zerbricht. Autoritätsfiguren wie Eltern oder die Polizei kommen in Fassbinder's Film erst gar nicht vor.

Auch was die Form betrifft ist der Film bemerkenswert. Die sich wiederholenden, meist statischen Einstellungen und die trockenen Dialoge replizieren gewissermassen den Inhalt indem sie die seelische Leere und das monotone Leben der Figuren ausdrücken. Wobei dies laut Fassbinder nur bedingt geplant war denn die teilweise quälend langen Einstellungen waren seine Trotzreaktion auf seine Kritiker welche ihm vorwarfen dass sein Debütfilms "Liebe ist kälter als der Tod" zu langsam sei. Hier wie dort ist diese Kritik meiner Meinung nach total unangebracht - diese Art der Inszenierung zwingt uns, den Charakteren trotz ihrer mangelnden Sympathie näher zu kommen.

"Katzelmacher" ist ein beeindruckendes Frühwerk von einem der wichtigsten deutschen Autorenfilmer.

8/10

Langeweile statt Revolution: Jugend in Bayern anno 1969

Potiche (France 2010)

It's been a long way for Catherine Deneuve from the fragile young girl who works in an umbrella shop in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" to the confident woman who co-owns an umbrella factory in "Potiche". The same could be said for director Francois Ozon whose latest work doesn't bear much resemblance to his edgy, occasionally brilliant early short films. And it is certainly a 180 degree turn from his previous film "Le refuge" - which might also be the reason why he chose to adapt a rather trivial stage comedy from 1980.

Deneuve on the other hand was never considered a serious actress but she always had another quality: screen presence. Never more so than in "Potiche" where she dominates every scene she's in and steals the show from her male counterparts, French acting legends Gerard Depardieu and Fabrice Luchini. It's fair to say that the still beautiful Deneuve matured as a person and as an actress in a positive way. Unfortunately the same thing can't be said about the director. Francois Ozon, widely regarded as one of the most talented and interesting of France's contemporary directors, seems to be getting nowhere lately. And while "Potiche" displays some of his trademark eye for style (this time dedicated to 70s retro kitsch) and strong female characters, it is - despite some references to current French politics - never more than amusing.

Which would be perfectly fine by the standard of the average French director, but from someone like Francois Ozon we should expect a little more than that...

6/10

Yes, that's "la Deneuve" wearing an Adidas jogging suit

The Pleasure Girls (UK 1965)

Because of the many films I have seen already, I sometimes get the jaded feeling of knowing them all. Which is why it is always exciting to discover new interesting films I hadn't even heard about before. A great source for such discoveries is the "Flipside" label of the British Film Institute (BFI). According to their press text, they "rescue weird and wonderful British films from obscurity and present them in new high-quality editions."

"The Pleasure Girls" - another film from this collection - doesn't really qualify as weird or wonderful but that doesn't prevent it from being interesting and definitely worth checking out. Especially if you - like me - enjoy watching those 60s beauties. Like some other films from the collection, it is primarily centered in the London of the Swinging Sixties. And while that brings some nostalgic touch and the era's style with it, it is also very modern in the sense that the same story could be playing today. The romantic misadventures of four young bachelor girls in the big city are in fact not much different to those of "Sex and the City" - with the big difference that the characters are taken more seriously.

What is especially remarkable for 1965 is that the four women in the film are independent individuals and not just as pretty dolls like in many other films of that time. Even more radical is the frank treatment of homosexuality - the main reason the film was awarded an "X" certificate for theatrical release. Back then the film was marketed as an exploitation film but today the morality portrayed in the film feels normal, not shocking. The modern feel is also visible in the way the film is directed - the pace is faster than in most mainstream films back then and there are mobile camera shots as well as plenty of cuts. Even though the film had a relatively low budget, it looks quite nice - partly due of course to the restoration of the BFI.

7/10

I also have to mention how much effort BFI puts into the releases of these small underground films. They are presented in pristine high definition quality and include plenty of extras such as two interesting short films from that era. A beautifully illustrated booklet completes the great package.

Viewing pleasure: the BFI Flipside series

Saturday Night Fever (USA 1977)

I wasn't really in the mood to go out yesterday night so I decided to get the night life into the comfort of my living room by watching the modern classic "Saturday Night Fever" - the film that launched the disco fever of the late 70s.

It's the film that made John Travolta famous and it's easy to see why: his performance is still one of the best of his entire career. He really IS Tony Manero. The film is best known for its dance sequences but it is actually a rather serious drama about a young Italo-American from a bad neighborhood who has big dreams. There are funny parts to be sure - some of them unintentionally because the film has aged quite a bit - but its overall tone is much closer to the early films of Martin Scorsese than to "Grease" and "Dirty Dancing". It is also no coincidence that Tony has a poster of "Rocky" in his room.

That said, comparisons like that don't help much because "Saturday Night Fever" is in fact not a particularly good movie. It's at times clumsily directed, some of the more serious scenes at the end do not really work and it feels strangely outdated from today's point of view. It still works as a portrayal of a certain time and place but not really as a serious melodrama. But why is that so many people (me included) still like it? The reason is that it has that special "something" that other, more "perfect" films lack. It feels true, has charm and some of the good scenes more than even out the bad ones. Above all, Tony Manero is an interesting character that one can easily identify with.

The film touches something in many of us. After all, who hasn't dreamed of escaping the average life and who doesn't have a certain ability or passion that makes them feel special? I was never much into dancing myself but I can totally understand what it gives to Tony Manero: a sense of freedom and self-respect.

7/10

Dancing Star: John Travolta

Brownian Movement (Netherlands 2010)

Yesterday I travelled about 240 kilometers in one day just to see the opening film of the Crossing Europe Film Festival in the Upper Austrian capital Linz. That probably sounds crazy to anyone who is not obsessed with cinema and who never felt the urge to see a film as early as possible. And while I do not do this on a regular basis, the prospect of attending the premiere of a film at a film festival followed by a discussion with the director always gets me excited...

So what was the film that I desperately wanted to see? It's a Dutch film that couldn't have been a better choice for opening a festival whose focus is on smaller, non-mainstream European films. Its title -  "Brownian Movement" - a reference to a scientific term - is as enigmatic as the film itself. It is directed by Nanouk Leopold, one of the more interesting female directors working in Europe right now - which is why the festival also shows a retrospective of her earlier films. She studied art and it certainly shows in her reduced framing, her eye for perspective and in the way she implements backgrounds and architecture into the compositions. Above all, this is a film where the images tell the story. That is, if one can talk about a story at all since the plot of the film is actually paper thin. It's about a young doctor who - despite being in a happy relationship - rents an apartment to have sex with random, mostly unattractive men.

Nothing much else happens and nothing at all is explained in the course of the film which is divided into three parts. The third part does not really add much to the previous two but this might also be because of the reluctance of the director to give easy answers. But since the topic of the film is that everyone has secrets and not everything in life can be explained, this feels rather coherent. And she also forces us to think which is always a good quality in a film. Another reason to see the film is the performance of Sandra Hueller which is on par with the one in "Requiem" for which she won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale in 2006.

"Brownian Movement" could be seen as representative for the whole festival since it embodies the cinema of anti-Hollywood. In a tradition that goes back to masters like Antonioni and Resnais, this quintessential European art film leaves its viewers with an overall impression of uncertainty.

(Crossing Europe Linz)

7/10

The secret in her eyes: Sandra Hueller

Die Vaterlosen (Austria 2011)

As announced in the introduction to this blog, some of the reviews for German language films will be in my native language German. If you don't understand it, you can use Google Translate 

"Die Vaterlosen" ist ein Glücksfall von einem Film und ein absolut würdiger Gewinner der diesjährigen Diagonale. Es geht um eine der in den 70er Jahren typischen Hippie-Kommunen aber das erfrischende daran ist dass nicht die Kommune selbst mitsamt der üblichen Klischees im Mittelpunkt steht sondern die daraus entstandenen Kinder, die sich nach dem Tod des "Familienoberhaupts" nach über 20 Jahren wieder treffen.

Man ist den Charakteren sehr nah in Marie Kreutzer's Debütfilm und noch dazu sind diese Charaktere authentischer und besser gezeichnet als in den meisten anderen österreichischen Filmen der letzten Zeit. Es ist fast als habe man den Ausflug in die grüne Idylle gemeinsam mit ihnen verbracht und sie dabei ein wenig kennengelernt. Dass dies trotz der vielen unterschiedlichen Figuren gelingt ist nicht zuletzt dem guten Drehbuch zu verdanken. Aber auch die Regisseurin Marie Kreutzer geht bei der Inszenierung originelle Wege. Sie schneidet etwa Köpfe von sprechenden Figuren ab und spielt mit der Schärfe indem sie in manchen Szenen alles bis auf die fokussierten Objekte extrem unscharf lässt um auf diese Weise die Entfremdung der Figuren auszudrücken. Sie bleibt dabei aber stets subtil genug um sich nicht in den Vordergrund zu stellen sondern ihren Darstellern das Spielfeld zu überlassen.

Der Film funktioniert einerseits über die Atmosphäre und darüber hinaus auch über die essentiellen Fragen die er aufwirft. Feste Bindung oder Freiheit? Aussteiger-Leben oder kapitalistische Unterordnung? Es wird kaum einen Zuseher geben der sich nicht wenigstens ein bisschen darin wiederfindet...

8/10

Eine schrecklich nette Familie

Orphée (France 1950)

I mentioned Cocteau in the introduction to my blog and since I'm afraid not everyone is familiar with his films, I decided to make his magical film "Orphée" my first review:

After the hand-painted opening credits of the film, the voice of the master himself announces after telling the basic outline of the Orphée myth:
"It is the privilege of legends to be timeless."

This, of course, is true for legendary films as well. People will still be able to watch "Orphée" 50 years from now and be mesmerized by the sheer beauty of its images. One thing has changed though: when the film came out in 1950, some critics instantly saw it as a landmark film while countless others dismissed it as being merely a visually great but shallow fantasy of a pretentious artist. Partly this was because of the use of "special effects" which were revolutionary then but are quite subtle - if still stunning - by today's standards. The big difference is that no contemporary critic would dare to call "Orphée" superficial - a sure sign how much more intellectually demanding the average film was back then compared to now.

In fact, there are endless ways to read this film and in an interview with Cocteau from 1950 printed in the booklet of my DVD, he actively encourages that. He compares himself to a cabinet-maker who builds a table. It is - in his words - up to the 'consumer' to use the table as he thinks best. Following his advice, for me the film is on one level an allegory about the choices we make in life. Orphée seems to make his decision to stay with his wife rationally and not by heart. He chooses the careless decadence of the bourgeoisie instead of going for the femme fatale he secretly desires. But he and all the others involved have to live with the consequences...

Cocteau saw himself not as a cinéaste but as a poète cinématographique and "L'Orphée" - possibly his greatest work as a filmmaker - is indeed best described as a cinematic poem. Like many other poets, Cocteau was also concerned with darker subjects like mortality for he knew that beauty wouldn't exist without them. It is therefore no coincidence that mirrors are used in the film as gates to the underworld. He even makes this explicit in one line that particularly stayed in my mind: "Look at a mirror for a lifetime and you will see Death at work."

That is why I sometimes prefer cinema to reality - it preserves beauty forever...

9/10

Ageless Beauty: Jean Marais

The idea behind this blog...

"I don't believe in elitism. I don't think audience is this dumb person lower than me. I am the audience."

This famous quote from Quentin Tarantino was one of the inspirations for this blog. Growing up with his films as part of the so called "Tarantino Generation", I certainly respect him as director and even more so for his childlike enthusiasm for cinema. But while I do like his quote, it is far from the whole truth. The reality is more that - let's just face it - a huge part of the modern audience actually IS dumb - or at least they seem to leave their brains at the box office when they enter a Multiplex cinema. They want to temporarily escape from their miserable, boring lives and therefore demand light, superficial entertainment. There's an evident void and mainstream cinema tries to fill it. At least Tarantino does it in such an original way that he still reaches the cinephiles as well...

The big problem of this situation that it limits the potential of cinema as an art form. To make the point clearer, I would like to add another quote from Jean Cocteau, who embodied the artist as filmmaker like almost n one else:

"The public is comparable to a child who wants to be entertained at all costs. Stooping to their demands for facile pleasures would mean renouncing all ambitions to make of the cinema an art. You only need to look at the average radio program, to find a confirmation of this truth."

He said it in 1950 and it may be even more valid today then it was back then. The constant catering to audiences and the focus on cinema as entertainment after the success of the first blockbusters in the 1970s has forever damaged the perception of cinema. The public sees it as pure entertainment and among the majority of the establishment, cinema is considered a second-rate art form.

As far as the masses are concerned, their tastes can probably changed only to a certain extent. They are too influenced already by media and advertising. Unless the whole capitalist world order is going to change, chances are the latest Blockbuster or Julia Roberts vehicle will still hit it big at the box office. As I  previously stated, most of the people on the street simply do not possess a particular sense for art - or style for that matter. Which brings me back to the elitist perspective. I fully believe that elitism is necessary - not only in cinema but also for society as a whole. The reason is that it is the enemy of mediocrity. We need independent thinkers who have own opinions, who are able to formulate new thoughts and not afraid of defending them against the masses. Only when cinema is taken seriously it can  live up to its full potential as an art form. For me personally, it is not just that but the meta art, the sum of all arts.

That is where this blog comes into play. I want to provide food for independent thinking and put films in the spotlight that - in my opinion - deserve more attention. Which doesn't mean that I won't review popular or bad films as well since it is actually more fun to dismiss a film than to praise it. By now you might ask yourself, why is he even qualified to judge that? Well, I don't want to go into too much detail here but after being obsessed with cinema since the age of 13, by now I see myself as someone who can appreciate "good" cinema and as someone who can see what others just can't. This bold self-perception may seem arrogant which is why I aptly gave this blog the name of the (German) term "Der Filmsnob"

That said, the blog - like most others - is highly personal and my reviews certainly reflect my personal taste and worldview. Sometimes even I am up for some cheap entertainment and I certainly do NOT see myself as the godfather of films whose opinion is the only one that matters. Quite the contrary - I look forward to encouraging future discussions.

If you happen to live in or around the cinematic wasteland of Salzburg, Austria please do check out the website of my film club and come by some time. After all, real life is still better than reel life (never mind what Truffaut said...)

Mit cineastischen Gruessen,

Der Filmsnob

Welcome to my new blog

Dear film lovers near and far,

I am very glad that you found your way to my new blog derfilmsnob.blogspot.com

Here you will find reviews of both classic and new films I see as well as additional comments on the current state of world cinema. Most reviews will be in English but I will occasionally post reviews and articles about local events in my native language German as well because it just feels more natural to me to write about German language films in... well, German. But if you are interested in the reviews of these films and you don't understand the language, you can use Google Translate

It is no coincidence that I am starting this blog today since today is Andre Bazin's birthday. He would have been 93 today. In case you haven't heard about him, he was one of the most influential film critics ever and the father figure of the Nouvelle Vague. His theories are still discussed today and he is also the author of "What is cinema?", one of the most important film books.

In a time when film reception and criticism is getting increasingly shallow, I find it hugely important to stimulate independent thought which is why I would like to dedicate my blog to him - even though he is way out of my league as a critic...

I hope you will enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them.

If you do (or even if you don't), I cordially invite you to comment on them.

Of course you can also share posts on facebook using the icons below them or you can
become a fan of my blog

Yours truly,

Der Filmsnob

Qu'est-ce que le cinéma?