Hawaii, Oslo (Norway, 2004)

The stories of five different characters come together in a car accident. In one story, a young woman is looking for his boyfriend to get married because she had made a promise 10 years ago. In another story, two kids live by themselves and do graffitti paintings in the walls of downtown Oslo. Their mother tried to commit suicide but finally decides to look for her children. Another story involves a newborn child with a heart deficiency, whose expensive operation is the only option his parents have to save his life. The father decides to go and rob a bank, and by the last scenes all the stories start to come together. The background music is eerie and mysterious, and the photography of downtown Oslo is really good. Why Hawaii? That is the name of a bar in the city, and the place where one of the characters wants to take his brother, who is kept in a mental institution. This film was proposed for an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film in 2004.

The Sweet Hereafter (Canada, 1997)

Director Atom Egoyan explores the feelings and strong emotions of a small community struck by a tragic car accident. A school bus suddenly slips down the road and ends up in a frozen lake. Needless to say, all passengers die and the bus driver is to blame. A lawyer, who at the same time is dealing with his drug-addict daughter, decides to take the case in his hands and interview some of the kids' parents. It is an intense flashback of memories throughout the film, and it's depressing atmosphere will leave viewers wth a bitter, and not sweet, aftertaste. A very emotional and sad made for TV movie from one of Canada's most acclaimed film directors.

A small church and big stop sign somewhere in Québec

Woody Allen: three comedies
Hollywood Ending (2002), Anything Else (2003), Zelig (1984)

I got to see three Woody Allen comedies, and although he is not one of my favourite filmmakers, his movies are always original and sometimes sarcastically funny. What I find amazing is Woody Allen's capacity to come up with so many stories in such short periods of time.

In Hollwood Ending, Woody is about to start in an interesting project. He plays the role of a movie director. His former wife proposes a movie project, and he is chosen as the director. Right before shooting begins, he becomes completely blind! According to the doctors it is all merely psychological; there is nothing wrong with his eyes. With the help of his assistant, Woody goes through the whole shooting without ever seeing what he is directing. Nobody suspects until the end, where the plot gets more complicated and poor Woody sees his movie slowly turn into a fiasco.

Anything Else tells the story of a couple, whose unstable relationship affects others in many ways. In this movie, Jerry is a stand-up comedy writer, whose girlfriend (Christina Ricci) always makes his life impossible. She is a wannabe actress who takes too many pills and is only concerned with her weight. Jerry's friend, David (played by Woody Allen) is a neurotic university professor who gives good and bad advices to his friends. Together they make Jerry's life nearly impossible, until David suggests an escape that can save Jerry's career as a writer.

Zelig is a strange film. Shot in black and white, is sort of a fake documentary about the life of a man known as the Chameleon Man, Mr. Zelig (played by Woody Allen) in the 20's and 30's. The Chameleon man was able to change his physical appearance depending with whom he was hanging around. As preposterous as the plot sounds, the excellent cinematography and effort put into creating every character and fake interview make it look like the real thing. Particularily funny are the scenes where the Chameleon Man appears at an outdoor Nazi congregation in Munich, and we see the scene of Hitler giving his speech and in the background the Chameleon Man is waving, or when he interrupts in the middle of a Sunday Mass given by the Pope, appearing in the balcony of the Vatican! A truly original and well done film.

Sophie Scholl (Deutschland, 2006)

Sophie und ihr Bruder haben in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus Propaganda gegen das Regime verbreitet. Sie waren selbstverständlich gegen Hitler und seine gesamte Kriegspolitik. Gemeinsam mit anderen Freunden haben die Geschwister Propaganda-Blätter geheim gedruckt. Dann haben sie diese Blätter in Schulen und Universitäten verbreitet. Eines Tages sind Sophie und ihr Bruder von einem Professor erwischt. Sie sind schnell verhaftet und verhört worden. Der gesamte Film handelt von Sophies Verhör.

Am Anfang habe ich gedacht, der Film würde langweilig. Aber im Laufe des Films war ich von dem Dialog zwischen Sophie und der Polizei sehr beeindrukt. Der Verlauf des Verhörs ist sehr interessant. Schliesslich wurden Sophie, ihr Bruder und andere Freunde, die auch an der Vorbereitung der Propaganda-Blätter teilnahmen, vom Gericht zur Todesstrafe verurteilt. Die letzten und traurigen Szenen erinnern den Zuschauer an den Mut und die Stärke dieser jungen Menschen.

Volver (Spanien, 2006)

Der neueste Film von Almodovar handelt von drei Schwestern. Eine der Schwester (Penelope Cruz) hat eine Tochter. Sie werden plötzlich mit dem Tod ihres Mannes konfrontiert. Es geht eigentlich um einen Mörder. Mutter und Tochter verstecken die Leiche des Mannes. Inzwischen taucht die Mutter von Penelope auf. Sie war vor vielen Jahren gestorben! Ist das die wahre Mutter oder ein Gespenst? Warum ist sie zurückgekommen? Diese Mischung von Realität und vielleicht Fiktion gefâllt mir am besten. Almodovar versucht auch ein bisschen von Spanien zu seigen, indem Penelope, mit Hilfe zwei Musikantern, ein typisches spanisches Lied singt. Hier gibt es keine komische Charakter, oder geistlich zerstörte Männer. Der Film ist insgesamt unterhaltsam und zum Teil lustig. Die Geschichte ist selbstverstândlich mit Almovars Stil stark geprägt.

Babel (2006)

The last film in Inarritu's trilogy deals about human solitude and desperation. Three different stories happenning in three countries are told alternately. In the first one, two Maroccan brothers shoot at a tourist bus hurting one of the passengers. In the second story, a Japanese girl tries to overcome her solitude and the death of her mother in a very unconventional way, and in the last story we see the tragic destiny of a Mexican babysitter after having problems with the border patrol police. We do not get happy endings, the movie might feel a little pessimistic and sad, but there is anyways a slight chance for hope and a better future. As Inarritu stated, he tried to show how human beings, even with modern communication technology, are still having problems understanding each other and accepting their differences. This is one of the best films I saw in 2006.

Saraband (Schweden, 2005)

Dies ist der neueste Film vom schwedischen Regisseur Bergman. Hier geht es um eine Frau, Marianne, die sich plötzlich entscheidet, ihr Ex-Mann zu besuchen. Er wohnt allein auf dem Land, und ist seit langem in den Ruhestand gegangen. Die Geshichte ist einfach; Hier gibt es keine parallele Geschichten. Später lernen wir Karin kennen. Sie ist das Enkelkind des Ex-Manns. Sie will Musikerin werden, und dafür übt sich viel den Bass. Ihr Professor ist ihr Grossvater, und zwischen beide entwicklet sich eine komische und erotische Beziehung. Berman gehört zu einem meiner Lieblingsregisseure. Seine Filme sehen wie Theaterstücke aus. Saraband, zum Beispiel, ist ganz in einem Studio gedreht worden. Der Zuschauer fühlt sich wie bei einem Theater. Das Wunderbare daran ist, das alles was Bergman erzählt, ist mit Emotion und Spielkunst bedeckt. Die Schauspieler sind hervorragend, und obwohl es fast keine spannende Szenen gibt, die zaubernde Erzählungskraft Bergmanns genüngt, um einen guten Film zu haben.

Kontrol (Hungary, 2003)

This is a darkly comic thriller set in the Budapest metro. The plot revolves around Bulcsú (Sándor Csanyi) a metro ticket inspector. He works with a team of quite crazy people. Together they inspect people and check if they have their metro ticket with them. They meet with many different types of crazy people. We get the impression the Budapest metro is world in itself, a world of psychos and weirdos. There is also a small love story between Bulcsú and the daughter of a metro train driver. Some dream scenes near the end make up for both an entertaining and original movie.

This is where I work, at Boulevard Cavendish, St-Laurent

Le Temps Qui Reste (The Remaining Time, France, 2005)

This is the story of a 31-year-old Parisian photographer who suddenly finds out he has a tumor and that his chances of surviving are low. He decides to leave aside his successful career and embarks on a road trip to visit his grandmother and other friends along the way. He has some family problems (especially with his sister) and he tries to solve them. He says goodbye, in a very subtle way, to his family and friends, and at the end he just lies on a beach in a French city somewhere on the Mediterranean coast.

Director Francois Ozon (Sous Le Sable, Swimming Pool) makes these somewhat slow-paced movies that always intrigue because we do not know if there will be a surprise ending or plot twist (as is the case in Swimming Pool, my favourite Ozon film up to now). This movie has little surprises, but the pace is calmed and relaxed, and it feels as though we are travelling along with the main character.

Three... Extremes (Japan, China, South Korea, 2004)

These are three completely different stories in one movie, each from different contemporary horror directors. The first short story comes from China, and it deals with "delicious" dumplings made out of human flesh. The second story from Korea is a revenge story where an actor playing an extra takes revenge on the film's director and his wife with horrible consequences. The last part (from Japanese Takachi Miike) is a more surreal story about two contorsionist twin sisters, one dying when the circus where they work catches fire and leaving the other sister traumatized for life. These are three very different tales about horror in our modern world worth watching for entertainment's sake.

Edmond (USA, 2005)

The film tells the story of a businessman who one night decides to leave his wife because he is fed up with his life in general. He goes out the street, and starts to wander in the downtown streets of the city. He feels the urge to satisfy himself sexually, and decides to look for a prostitute. From here on, all goes downhill for the poor guy; he gets robbed, stabbed, kicked. When he finally meets a waitress, and they both go to her appartment, he violently kills her with a knife, later that same night she gets caught by the police and sent to prison. He wanted a change in his life, and he definitely gets it by the end of the movie. It is a very strange movie in the sense that everything goes wrong, but as a viewer you never know what will happen next.

Transamerica (USA, 2005)

Ich möchte heute über den Film "Transamerica" schreiben. Hier geht es um einen Mann, der zur Frau werden will. Er, oder sie, hatte ein Kind, das er seit langem nicht mehr gesehen hatte. Er hat vor einem Jahr eine Geschlechtsveränderungsoperation gebucht. Kurz vor der Operation empfiehlt seine Psychologin, seinen Sohn zu besuchen. Das würde ihm helfen, so die Psychologin, alte Wunden und Probleme zu schliessen, und einfach klar und beruhig zu sein. Er geht zu seinem Sohn, und beide beginnen eine Reise durch die USA bis nach Kalifornien. Diese Reise erweist sich als eine wunderschöne Gelegenheit, seinen Sohn besser kennen zu lernen. Sie kommen endlich nach Kalifornien und dort treffen sie die Eltern des Mannes. Dieser Besuch wird zu einer emotionalen Tragödie, aber am Ende geht es allen gut. Der Mann wird operiert, und als Frau wohnt sie alleine und arbeitet in einem mexikanischen Restaurant. Sie scheint auf jeden Fall glücklicher zu sein, als am Anfang des Films.

The Scarlett Express (USA, 1934)

Es geht um einen historischen Film von dem Jahr 1934. Hauptdarsteller ist Marlene Dietrich. Sie spielt die Rolle von Katherine II von Russland. Der Film erzählt die Geschichte ihres Weges zum Königreich. Dietrich scheint am Anfang sehr naiv und fromm zu sein. Am Ende wird sie schlau, habgierig und machtlustig. Zuerst wird eine Folterszene gezeigt. Ist es die Zukunft von Marlene in diesem Film? Zeigt es das damalige Leben im Russland? Übrigens ist Katherine profitgierig und bestechlich.

Today I would like to write about one of my favourite film directors, Ildiko Enyedi, born in Hungary in 1955. Her style is very unique and has always interested me. She has done very few films unfortunately; four in total. I saw her first film a couple of years ago, and this week I had the chance to see two more films from her. I will briefly discuss each one.

I discovered her first film, My 20th Century (Az én XX. Szazadom, Hungary, 1989) by chance while renting a couple of foreign movies. I loved this movie so much I have seen it several times now. It is the story of two twin sisters born in Budapest. Each take a different path in life: one becomes a revolutionary / terrorist and the other one becomes a prostitute in the high-class milieu of Hungarian bourgeoisie. They both meet the mysterious Mr. Z, and at the end their lives will meet again thanks to him. This is what I call a “poetic” film full of images, music, very few dialogue sequences and a very original way of telling the story, very non-linear approach. The black and white photography won this film recognition at the Cannes film festival.

Enyedi’s next movie, the Magic Hunter (Büvös Vadasz, Hungary, 1994) tells the story of a hunter in the Middle Ages, seen thru the eyes of a child. At the same time it is the story of a marriage that is menaced when the wife meets a Russian chess player. The movie moves from past to present effortlessly. Again you can recognise several of Enyedi’s characteristics, like transitions from one scene using strong music scores, floating cameras showing landscapes, and two stories intertwined to create one solid picture.

The last movie I saw is called Tamas and Juli (Tamas és Juli, Hungary, 1997). This is a love story between two young people in a mining town in Hungary. Tamas works at the mines. He falls in love with Julika, a nursery teacher. On New Year’s Eve 2000, Juli decides to go into the mine to spend the night with Tamas, who has to work night shift. The cinematography is really good, and although the movie is only 60 minutes long, it delivers an interesting and sad story.

Rhinoceros Eyes (US, 2005)

Director Aaron Woodley tells the story of a very introspective character, Chap, who works at a prop store. One day, a client comes and asks for Rhinoceros eyes for one of her movies. He gets (steals) them for her (of course they are props, not real ones!) but our friend Chap has a very vivid imagination, and he sees strange characters made out of props who talk to him throughout the film. A detective soon shows up. He is investigating the robbery of the props that Chad has stolen to satisfy his client. The story is quite preposterous, but the interesting thing to see how Chad’s imagination takes part in the plot. The movie won an award at the last Toronto Film Festival.

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (USA, 1993)

My favourite Woody Allen film has to be until now “Small Time Crooks” (I haven't seen them all), and this comedy is not bad at all, but unfortunately it does not come up to the standards of Small Time Crooks. Nevertheless, Woody Allen delivers an original story concerning a detective who is cursed by the jade scorpion, and forced to steal jewels from one of his clients. When he is not under the spell of the jade scorpion, he is working hard at finding the thief, only to find out later that it is he who committed the robbery. He still tries to defend himself because of course he does not remember anything. Solid performances by Helen Hunt and Dan Akroyd make up for an amusing comedy.

Manderlay (Denmark, 2005)

The second movie in Director's Lars von Trier trilogy is a powerful story about slavery in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. We follow Grace, the daughter of a gangster boss, who discovers the cotton plantation called Manderlay. In this plantation, black people are still being treated as slaves. Grace decides to stay for a while and try to establish a normal "democracy", according to her. She discovers a book that categorizes each slave according to his or her personality, describing how they should behave or react to certain situations. Things become tense when one child dies of pneumonia, and the inhabitants of Manderlay decide to take revenge on one person who stole the food from the sick child. From this point on everyting goes downhill, and the shocking ending makes you reflect upon American history and its horrible past regarding slaves.

Feed (Australia, 2005)

A guy kidnaps fat women and makes them eat huge amounts of junk food. Not only that: he is showing it live on the internet, and people can actually bet to see how long these women will last before they die. Not only that: he gets sexually aroused when he feeds these women and he is leading a normal life with his wife. Is this sick enough for you? I am fed up of watching sick movies. But this one, I must admit, is actually very well made. The story flows quite fast enough to keep you awake, the editing and score are great, as well as the surprising ending. We follow an Australian police officer who travels to the US in search of this wacko. What he finds out is disturbing enough to make him sick now and then. He nevertheless goes to the very end and is willing to risk even his own life in order to help these kidnapped women. The ending will show that even our Australian hero is a little wacko himself.