Entchen25

Two more left for 2010! The first one was the very nice and very stylish French thriller. "22 Bullets" (L'Immortel) by Richard Berry. Starring Jean Reno as Charly Matteï this one tells the story of gunned down 'retired' crime boss who, after miraculously surviving being hit by 22 bullets, goes on a revenge killing spree against his perpetrators. Honor amongst thieves is a rare good these days. Or so it seems. Because the person ordering the hit is a childhood friend of Monsieur Matteï, a sworn brother who vowed to stay "a friend till death" which, at least for Matteï, includes not trying to kill a friend or his family. But when it comes to business there's a gray area of necessities not respecting moral and values. Matteï, being retired from 'The Game', is still bound to those values and expects others to respect them too. After another friend is brutally slain, he finally realizes that appealing the conscience of his friend ain't gonna work and he starts a more hands-on approach. Richard Berry delivers a solid piece of work with "22 Bullets" which entertains very well but isn't a revelation.
The last one of this season is so special, so wonderful, so hilarious, so funny and almost impossible to describe. Quentin Dupieux is Mr Oizo in his day job (see here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv6Ewqx3PMs ) and for the closing night of 2010s Fantasy Film Fest he blessed us with "Rubber". There are no trailers on the net for this little gem and that's a very good thing, because it's IMPOSSIBLE to capture its essence and brilliance in two and a half minutes. Even words can describe it only up to a certain point. "Rubber" is a 'Trust-me-on-that-one'-movie. But, to heighten curiosity, a few words still: "Rubber" is about movies and that most good ones contain scenes for 'No Reason'. This extraordinary one EXISTS for 'No Reason' :-) The first few scenes may set the mood: a desert road with chairs set as a slalom course. A car arrives, follows the set course perfectly while hitting all the chairs. Cut to the trunk. The local sheriff climbs out of the trunk and starts speaking to us. The viewers of THIS movie. Then a bunch of other viewers arrive, settle down and start watching THEIR movie unfold in the valley below them,  starring - a rubber tire. Enough said :-). Go. Watch. It. As. Soon. As. You. Can!

Takeshi Kitano has done it again! After 10 years without a Yakuza movie (last one was "Brother" from 2000), he blessed us again. Takeshi Kitano starred in movies like "Battle Royal" + sequel, "Ichi the Killer", and quite a few more - most of them he also directed or at least wrote the script. For me he's THE Japanese actor. And the word stoicism seems to have been invented for him. Only in very small body movements his emotions show, his face normally is carved in stone, the seldom occurring emotional outbreaks give him a look as if he's startled by it. The new movie is called "Outrage" and tells the story of a Yakuza underboss (played by Mr Kitano) who's caught in a mace of conspiracy caused by an internal power struggle within the leading Yakuza family and tries to keep his head above the water. Story-wise there isn't much more, the characters are mostly stereotypic but Takeshi Kitano wouldn't be himself if the execution of storyline and setting wasn't top-notch. Beautifully filmed, garnished with impressive versions of brutality and torture, all delivered in a stylish and laconic way without any glorification. Just simple matter-of-fact. The film is nothing fancy or extraordinary but as everybody knows what to expect the delivery is flawless.
The second one of the day was another French one. "Sphinx" (Gardiens de l'ordre) features the wonderful Cécile De France in a standard and somewhat uninspired thriller. The story is about two Flics who, responding to a noise complaint, get into a shoot-out with the drug crazed son of a politician in which he's hit and put into a coma. To cover up the drug use both are forced to do desk duty and sign a fake report. They decide to clean their names and start an investigation of their own into the drug ring that's swamping the city with a new designer drug called 'Sphinx'. The problem I have with the story is that it's just not fit-to-wear, but forcefully bent and jerked. Therefore some developments just don't feel right. Some directors and movies can pull off such a detachment from reality, this one can't. Watching it ain't suffering though. But real entertainment is something else.

"The Disappearance of Alice Creed" written and directed by J Blakeson is mean piece of work ;-) The twists and turns this one takes (and taking the viewer with it) are just cruel. EVERYtime you think you got it, all's smashed by the next change in the story *grmbl* But hey, that's what makes an extraordinary movie isn't it? The set-up is pretty trivial though: a society girl is kidnapped by two guys (that's the entire cast!), held for ransom in a secluded apartment, meant to be released after the pay-off. That's it. Yawning should have started after the first part of previous sentence ;-). But that movie wouldn't be as good as it is, if there wasn't a trick. Nothing is as it seems. Nothing. And that's the point where the recount should stop. At least for those who might want to see it. I say. Hell yeah, do it! Please? It's a brilliantly executed mystery. Just go for the ride. Have as much fun as me.

"Devil's Playground" by Mark McQueen is a version of "28 Days later" - and not a bad one I might add - with a twist. On a principle it's not a bad idea if a pharmaceutical company tests their upcoming revolutionary enhancement drug before they flood the market with it. Even 30,000 people as a test group seem to be just a notch over the top. With such a mass of test subjects one or two with a, well, bad reaction to the drug don't seem to be such a huge thing. But: if that reaction's transferring those poor fellows into mindless (and hungry) Zombies? Well, that's an entirely different matter. And spreading it around is a really nasty touch. One is spared though. Hunted by all the other 29,999 with only a few non-infected by her side, that drug trial turns into slaughter and mayhem. The chase through the otherwise deserted city of London with quite a few encounters of the zombie kind is staged very well and those - and the dynamics of the group - make a good movie of that kind for my. Quite enjoyable.
"Higanjima" - the second one of the day - is a 2009 Korean/Japanese co-production which reduces the whole 'Twilight' franchise to an absurdity. Don't watch it with the expectation to see a horror/slasher movie though. There may be a few adequate scenes but the whole thing is coated in irony and humor. The characters are well overdrawn, the setting - a deserted island off the coast which isn't on any map combined with a bermuda-triangle-effect - is stereotypical as can be and the vampire overlord looks too, well, gay to actually be the kind of manifestation of evil as he should be. The story is straight forward: a bunch of kids are lured to the island by a beautiful woman - you guessed right :-) - to 'act' as the next few meals for the community of vampires who have taken over almost the entire place. The fact that one of those quirky kids 'lost' a brother to the island a few years back helps convincing them to come. After their arrival its capture - break-out - finding of the brother - meeting with some rebels - heading for the fight (alone) - getting help by the others - reconnecting with the brother - endgame. But all is nicely done and quite neat. If you can enjoy the comedy there. If not, it may be more of a torture than enjoyment.

First one of day 5 was "Tony" written and directed by Gerard Johnson. A crude (regarding its theme) but brilliantly shot first feature. This one takes a look at London from the bottom up. Tony is the essential weirdo, living off unemployment benefits for twenty-odd years, he has arranged himself quite well in that state of non-existence. The outside world has nothing to do with him and doesn't want to either. Tony as a character is disgusting, desperate, despicable and determined. The latter is his sole motivation of keeping his life exactly the way it is. Anything disturbing that is eliminated. But wait! He's by no means heartless, but extremely inexperienced when it comes to actually using it. There's one scene showing Tony visiting a hooker. The price table on the wall clearly busts his tight budget, but leaving the place isn't an option. So he asks her how much a cuddle would be - and gets instantly thrown out. That's just one scene (of quite a few actually) where you catch yourself pitying him. There's not much gore and the movie doesn't need it at all. It's not about the actual kills. It's about that man who just wants to be liked but has no means of actually connecting to others. They are repelled and disgusted and he answers the only way he knows: kill them. In a review by the Daily Mirror I read the following which describes the film very well: "Johnson’s script is a revelation. The only drawback is … the fact you’ll want to take a long bath afterwards.”
"We Are What We Are" (Somos lo que hay) is a 2010 Mexican film, who walks in the steps of films like "Let the Right One In" but setting the focus on an impoverished family. It's a quiet one, a coming-of-age story with a not so usual theme: cannibalism. The family looses his bread-earner to one too many meals of a sick prostitute and starts struggling with the new situation. One has to step up. One has to take the role of the family's leader. Alfredo is the eldest, but has to cope with problems of his own, Julian, the younger brother, has a temper, which makes him unreliable. Sabina, the youngest, already got the grip on what has to happen for the family to survive, but she got no means to actually provide. The mother's turmoil is caused by the fact that her SOB husband cheated on her and died from performing 'the ritual' of catch, kill, eat once too often. Therefore she tries to break free from that cursed way of life but an alternative hasn't come up yet. The long shots and slow pace of the movie give way to a more exited approach, when Alfredo's first self caught prostitute - it worked for the old man, hasn't it? - is killed by mom in a rage and dropped back on the streets with every other girl there to see. The family's ultimately seen as enemy when another of Alfredo's catches - a gay boy this time - manages to escape and alert the authorities. The result is mayhem and dire consequences for the family. Definitely worth watching, but nothing really spectacular.
The third one has a completely different theme, is set in completely different time and place, but fits well into the global "who's evil here"-setting of the day. "Black Death" by Christopher Smith. It's the 14th century and the plague has its deathly claws dug deep into the flesh of the countries. The two most common explanations for the fast spreading illness are either wrath of god or curse of evil. The latter one sanctioned by the Catholic Church. And all evil has roots. Get to those and you destroy evil. Plenty of 'manifestations' of evil have burned on countless piles over the years, but the actual root doesn't seem to have been one of them. And then it is rumored that a small village somewhere out in the nowhere isn't affected by the plague at all. A bunch of mercenaries lead by the charismatic knight Ulric is sent out to have a look. They take the troubled monk Osmond as a guide with them but when they arrive at said village nothing is as it seems at all. The movie isn't very deep and not a study on ambivalence, but it manages not to take sides. There's evil in the world but it is cloaked and appears in many different ways. Love and hate are quite near to each other and stepping over from one to the other is much easier than holding on to one of them. Filmed in rural Sachsen-Anhalt, the art department hasn't had a tough job to recreate a medieval environment and thus setting the mood. It's gritty, dirty, dark and unappealing. But those were the times, too. And we are all glad that they have gone by.

Only one movie on Day 4, but holy sh.. what a tough one to even describe let alone recount or review! "Enter The Void" by Gaspar Noé. Some may know the Argentinian native as the writer, director, producer, cinematographer of the extremely disturbing - but nonetheless commercially successful - "Irréversible" of 2002, as some say 'the most walked-out off movie of the year'. I intentionally didn't prepare beforehand, but was of course unintentionally expecting something of the likes of "Irréversible" with his new one. Well, expectations can be fulfilled or not :-). "Enter The Void" is a trip, literally. And a long one. The directors cut - which we were exposed to - clocks in at 161 minutes. Gaspar Noé was present at the screening and told us about the genesis of his opus magnum. As a seven year old he was watching "2001 - A Space Odyssey", Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece, with his parents - completely stoned. I'm not kidding here! High as a kite this kid sat there and had the trip of his lifetime! And his sole purpose of being during the following decades was to recreate that experience. But even with the help of most hallucinogen substances known to man ;-) he didn't manage to "get there" once again. For 15 years he struggled to get "Enter The Void" backed and financed with which he tried to at least get as near as possible to the feelings and thoughts he had as a kid back then, having learned by experience that actually recreating that state of mind is impossible. Thanks to the success of "Irréversible" and the highly advanced technical possibilities of digital producing, he finally got it done. And I went along for the ride. It was extremely exhausting, terrifying and wearisome. Watching this experiment takes a lot from you, but essentially you get it all back. After having done a lot of thinking about the themes, pictures and sounds. And of course after letting that movie do it's work on your subconscious mind. There is a story, there are characters, there is a location and there is a 'message' if you like. But all of which aren't working the way an unsuspecting movie audience expects them to. It's one of those rare examples of film that creates an unique experience and evokes equally unique reactions on each and every viewer. You have to have an extensive amount of steadiness to get through it, because any interruption may shatter what's been building up inside your body, brain and soul while watching it. But fear not! Because of its length a bathroom break(-out) somewhere in between ain't a deal breaker :-). I'm gonna try now to outline some of the story elements and philosophical ideas I was seeing and perceiving last night and it surely is just a mere attempt and only one possibility: Oscar and Linda, brother and sister, are bound by a pact. After a disastrous car accident killing their parents, they swore to be there for one another for all eternity. Being apart for some years due to different foster homes they reunite in Tokyo, where Oscar has built an existence from selling drugs. Apparently a high risk job in Japan ;-) because it gets Oscar shot by the police quite soon. Following that is a metaphysical contemplation on life and afterlife, artistically and visually the best I've ever seen. Going full circle more than once, Noé presents a magnificent vision of what life's about, making it abundantly clear that all decisions you make, all turns you take (and of course all those you don't make and take, too), have an impact on the surrounding world and the people in it. There's no rewind button here. And even in the afterlife, one is forced to only watch and therefore see, what impact those decisions had. But this observing state isn't restricted to your own life. The whole world is a shared experience now. There are quite a few images on that journey which are disturbing to say the least and Noé bathes in them.
As I mentioned before, steadiness is the key here, because this part of the movie absolutely is too long. Way too long. When Gaspar Noé introduced the movie, I got the impression that he sees himself as an unrestricted human being and therefore he didn't put any restraints on him while doing "Enter The Void". But two hours would've been plenty. I was glad though that I made it trough - sane and in one piece ;-) because THAT experience I wouldn't wanted to have missed. Not for the world.

I had three totally different movies on my list for today. Two of which turned out to be good, one actually great and the third one was more of a 'special interest' thing. But let's start from the beginning.
"Little Big Soldier" written by Jackie Chan, starring Jackie Chang, delivering Jackie Chan. Meaning: you get what you'd expect :-). Set in 220 BC the film tells the story of a peasant forced to fight a war he doesn't belong in, a war he doesn't start, a war he wants to get the hell out off as soon as possible. Fortune isn't exclusively packed into cookies. Sometimes it comes in form of a supposedly slaughtered enemy general. "Capturing" an enemy combatant that high on the food chain may be his ticket out of the force. Especially if he comes with a prize on his head: a piece of land, a permanent leave from the force and some cash! And from that moment on they are tied to the hip, literally. The rest is mayhem, chopping and kicking, screwball comedy and odd characters. Nice one.
"Evil - In The Time of Heroes" is a Greek(!) Zombie Splatter. A sequel to a supposedly zero-budgeted amateur movie from 2005. Well, this time around they had more money to spend - and the Greek economy will thrive from the success of the new installment. I see tons of merchandising, flowing taxes and new found wealth all over the country ;-) This flick is SO over the top and the plot holes and empty characters are filled and plastered over with insanely high amounts of fake blood. Well, for those who like that stuff...
"The Loved Ones" is a gem. Written and directed by Sean Byrne this extraordinary Australian movie totally made my day. It combines two elements which seem to have fit quite well in the past counting the numbers of teeny splatter movies over the past few years. BUT this one is more "Carrie" meets "Misery" (as one reviewer wrote) and it is so f....... good! The tag of the trailer is 'What Lola wants, Lola gets' and it perfectly describes the ground rules on which all is based. That one is better seen than told so I'm hopefully spoiling not too much with the mere basics: Highschool - Girl wants boy - boy doesn't - what Lola wants, Lola gets - a 'private' dance with daddy at home. Please, please go and see for yourself. But BEWARE! It's not for the faint hearted! But worth every peak through the fingers covering your eyes :-)

First one was "Centurion" by Neil Marshall. What a nice sandal-bearing wild piece of film! Set at the beginning of the dawn of the Roman empire the film tells the story of seven Roman soldiers - 'left-overs' from a desperate and doomed attempt of defeating the Picts on their own turf. Mr Marshall manages to picture both parties equally barbaric in their own way; both trying to survive in a hostile environment living on their own terms. And the daily dish of An Eye For An Eye is best served cold. The film doesn't take sides and is filled with stunning vistas of Scottish High- and Lowlands. Strong characters (played by amazing actors who deserve to move up from the B list) and a compelling story complete a highly enjoyable movie.
The second one was "Monsters". Written, directed and filmed by Gareth Edwards. Oh, he thought up the special effects, too :-) Made on an insanely thin budget of around $ 15,000 he manages to make it look as if there were a few more digits on that number. 'Thanks to Adobe' it says in the credit which seems highly justified on the account that all effects have been made on AfterEffects and the cutting on PremierePro. It definitely isn't a standard SciFi movie. I'd like to call it an intimate play, set in the equally wild (see above) Mexican jungle south of the American border. The story isn't that complicated but told with style and many hints of an underlying depth of truth and philosophy. A photo journalist is told to 'babysit' and escort the bosses daughter through the so-called "Infected Area" back to the States. Infected how? you may ask. Well, because of a NASA probe destroyed and scattered all over northern Mexico an alien living form calls that area their home. And what man doesn't understand he fights. The film isn't mainly about that conflict - even though a few encounters are shown. It tells the story of that somehow odd couple. And it's about understanding. Each other and the aliens. And it's about the role of mankind on this planet and made me think if the foot prints we leave here actually are as deep as we like them to be. Five of five *****