End Of The Week Shorts #66
Glorifying without romanticising, Army of Shadows depicts the resistance within occupied WW2 France with meticulous attention to process and a diligent commitment to the state of unknowing. The end result is a narrative about subtle and hidden efforts of good that, whilst they have a greater purpose, exist so far within the belly of the beast and under a cloud of inevitable failure that they run with emotionless autonomy. The experience that this film provides is then intentionally dry, confusing and rather hopeless. However, whilst the intentions underlying this are bound to logic and easily sussed, I think there should have been a greater intensity about characterisation (something better felt in Le Samouraï) that would have left some engaging material. Upon this watch, I have to admit to having had difficulty paying full attention or even engaging the rather tasking run time. Alas, what rings through past the dry noir-esque hopelessness is heroism, and such is something to hold onto.
Most certainly heart-warming, but not perfect.
PK sees an alien land on earth before soon having his communication device stolen, which leaves him lost and in search of it. In his haphazard quest, he falls in love. In essence, a combination and expansion of E.T and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, this is about innocence and the truth. Far more self-reflexive than either E.T or Bajrangi Bhaijaan, this then becomes a film about lies of the highest order - those who people claim to have come from god. (In such, this aligns itself very much so with Satyajit Ray's The Holy Man). The best elements of this film lie in its ability to imbue romance and character into its social commentary - which, admittedly, is expressive, but maybe not as nuanced as it could be. Looking past some bad sound design and a few contrived plot beats, this is then a real joy to be lost in. Highly recommended.
The Valley of Gwangi, or, to take away all of its mystique, Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs, is what its should have been its true title says it is: cowboys in Mexico find a valley of dinosaurs and a T-Rex gets loose, leading to a dino version of the original King Kong within the confines of a 50s Western.
The faults in this are all too obvious: the acting and writing aren't too good, its cliched and predictable, the sound design is often horrible (especially the adr) and the characters are all rather flat. I won't criticise this too harshly, however, as I have a soft spot for 50s/60s stop-motion animation and this does try to formulate a commentary on the regression of society, on cowboys using love and heroism to move forward in life instead of devolving. So, if you're feeling in need of a mediocre dino blockbuster from 1969, this might just be for you.
Having seen many negative reviews before going into this, I have to say that Acrimony is nowhere near as bad I thought is was going to be.
This is a melodramatic tragedy that follows a fool's fool; a woman who does all she can for a man who probably doesn't deserve it. However, the fool, for all his sacrifice and incaution, is finally gifted by fate. But, too late for the fool's fool, who has decided to finally turn away from him. In doing so, she misses out on the fortune that she earned but threw away at the last moment - and this tears her apart.
For the eloquence and structural clarity with which this story is told, Acrimony is well worth the watch. It is, however, too long and the third act falls apart when mental illness becomes spectacle and the melodrama loses its ambiguity. That said, thanks Aimee.
Whilst this is very simple and subtle, I am deeply fascinated by this documentary's presentation of celebrity and, more specifically, the character and place of a (young female) crowd. This is why I've made a return to this yet again - that, and the music.
Very much so a captivation of a moment within a larger moment, this zooms in and brings to life a snapshot of Anka's career and perspective that is very much so immersed in the early 60s. This then takes a moment - and not a minute more - to pause and question the simultaneously superficial and genuine phenomena around Anka and his music. The encapsulation of this music is then a shot of his fans, screaming, not even listening to his music, but seemingly lost in love. Is there a way to rationalise with or even understand this strange, hyper-teenagery state? I don't think there is, but it's displayed here fantastically. Much more could be said, but I should only urge you to watch this.
Absolutely brilliant. Maybe the best special Jefferies has put out - and a huge return to form. I found Freedumb somewhat funny, but it lacked a personal edge and was just a bit too obnoxious. This Is Me Now touches on politics and some of the more 'high brow' comedy topics (if such a phrase makes any sense) briefly before zeroing in on Jefferies' personal outlook, elements of his current life and recent past. Here, he thrives. It is this combination of opinion and personal storytelling that sees Jefferies shine - as in bits about his friend with cerebral palsy, the egg, his mother, Gunta, and more. More comes to light in This Is Me Now with bits about the show at Mariah Carey's house, food poisoning and more. With each of these stellar bits, you can't help but want more - and I was honestly disappointed to see this end after only 70 minutes. Nonetheless, I recommend this to anyone who likes Jim Jefferies. If you don't like comedy from a foul-mouthed, no-boundaried Aussie, better give it a pass.
I had such a good time with this Incredibles 2. This is probably because of the company with which I saw it, and also because this is a first watch, but, nonetheless, this was a true blast. In short, this is simply hilarious; I snickered consistently (in fact, I was even laughing before the movie at the new Winnie The Pooh trailer) and never felt anything to be particularly cheap or invalidating - invalidating the need for an Incredibles 2.
This is not perfect, however. The writing around the serious and realist dramatic sequences lacks a natural rhythm and genuity, which means this only feels comfortable when the action starts up or when an opportunity for comedy arises. Furthermore, the plot is rather so-so; I saw the end coming the instant certain characters were introduced, as I'm sure most people did. In the end, whilst I fear this won't hold up over further re-watches, I am very grateful for the fun and entertainment that this provided today.
This played before the screening of Incredibles 2 that I attended, and it was quite a treat.
With pristine sound design, this is about a mother who comes upon live bao (dumpling) who she cares for like a son until he is grown and moving out of home. The minor allegory that this formulates is rather powerful, though not very complex (maybe there are a few moments of Freudian drama, but... let's leave Freud out of this one). Its greatest achievements, however, lie in its cultivation of character through a very simple interaction between sound and image. Furthermore, this does quite a lot in terms of a narrative arc in just 10 minutes. So, like most Pixar shorts, this is well worth the watch; a brilliant demonstration of how to drive deep into the heart of a character with cinematic language alone.
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Saturn Devouring His Son - Whole Decimation Pt. 2
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The Stanford Prison Experiment - The Rain & The Rainbow
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