Berlin & Beyond Film Festival 2011 – Young Goethe In Love Review and Trailer

Having the production quality of a BBC miniseries but suffering from a rather formulaic plot, Young Goethe in Love still manages to entertain and enlighten and does well in recreating a bygone time. It offers a unique glimpse into the tumultuous early years of German writer Johann Goethe.  While not being the most exciting film of the year, it has an innocence that is charming and refreshing.

Trailer and Showtimes after the jump

The Sleeping Beauty Review and Trailer

This week I chose to review The Sleeping Beauty, by avant-garde French filmmaker Catherine Breillat.  I can honestly say that I regret this decision more than any other decision I’ve ever made in my life.  A statement that speaks volumes, seeing how I’m covered in bad tattoos and have been arrested numerous times.  But at least those unfortunate occurrences in my past have left me with stories to tell and anecdotes to recall, whereas The Sleeping Beauty left me with nothing but a dull headache and a general disdain for elitist art house cinema.

Happy Happy Review and Trailer

Happy Happy is a film about love, and not so much the falling-in part as the trying-to-stay-in part.  It is a film about couples and how they can drift away from each other, but also about individuals and how they can drift away from themselves.

Of course, none of this is new to cinema.  Woody Allen alone has touched upon these themes in practically every film he has made over the last thirty years.  But unlike Woody Allen’s films, Happy Happy is not set in New York, and somehow this makes all the difference.  Happy Happy is set in rural Norway, and therefore the film assumes a more organic quality.  This setting gives to the story a sense of isolation and simplicity that heightens the overall emotional intensity until it almost feels like you’re watching a Chekhov play.

Mill Valley Film Festival 2011 – “The Artist”, “Pina” and “Piriah” Reviews and Trailers

Movie: The Artist

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Showtimes: Sunday, October 16th, 2011 @ 5:00pm – Sequoia Theatre, Mill Valley CA (Tickets)

The Artist is a silent film, and yet its heart beats louder than any conventional film I’ve seen in recent years.  I hesitate to even call it a silent film, for the rich musical score manages to convey the film’s emotionality better than spoken words ever could.  But it’s the film’s keen self-awareness that gives to it a cheeky postmodern twist. I loved this film, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys feeling their soul being uplifted.

Trailers for all films along with reviews for Pina and Piriah after the jump

John Turturro’s Passione Review and Trailer

John Turturro has long since been considered one of his generation’s greatest actors. But what not everyone knows is that he has also become one of its more competent directors. And his latest film, Passione, does nothing to discredit this truth.

Passione is a documentary about the rich musical history of the city of Naples, and I assumed going into it that the title was meant to describe the music itself — which it does quite fittingly.  But I realize now that it also describes Mr. Turturro’s feelings toward this particular type of music. And in my opinion, it is this passion of Mr. Turturro’s towards the subject matter that makes the film such a success.

Shaolin Review and Trailer

I’m not going to lie; I only asked to review this film because I thought it had something to do with The Wu-Tang Clan. As it turns out I was mistaken. And what a wonderful mistake it was. For with all do respect to RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, this movie was captivating in a way that a hip-hop film could never be. That having been said, it’s hard to know where to start heaping the praise, since this film succeeds on so many levels. I guess I’ll just start at the bottom and work my way up from there.

I’ve always felt that the backbone of any good film is the writing. It’s easy to hire a gaggle of computer geeks to create CGI that’ll blow the audience’s mind, but if the audience can’t stay awake throughout the entire film because of the inane dialogue than what’s the point. And yes, I’m talking to you James Cameron. And that’s the foremost reason Saolin is such an amazing film: it simply has great writing. It is subtle and poetic when it needs to be, and at other times it is intense and brutal.

35mm Uncut Print of Nicolas Roeg’s Sci-Fi Epic The Man Who Fell To Earth Review and Trailer

It’s only fitting that my first review for Filmbalaya is for the movie, The Man Who Fell to Earth; for not only do I lack the experience to write a cohesive review, but also the movie lacks the cohesiveness to be reviewed.

The difficulty of my task is heightened only by the fact that I’ve always held to the fervent belief that David Bowie actually is an alien from outer space. For the first hour of the film, I truly believed I was watching a documentary.

Documentary? Fictional film? It doesn’t matter. All I know is that it was difficult to watch. What with the new uncut 137 minute running time, the atmospheric vibraphone prog-rock, the strangely unsettling sex scenes, the bizarre cinematography, and the outdated style of acting. The truth is I came away from this film knowing only two things for certain: that people in the 70’s obviously took a lot of drugs, and that I never again want to see David Bowie naked. Not in a movie, and not in real life.

Griff The Invisible Review and Trailer

The title Griff the Invisible is very apropos: for not only is the protagonist of the film a lonely introvert who goes unseen by many of his coworkers, but also he is building a suit of invisibility to aid him in his one man war against crime. But there is far more to this film than the story of a lovable nerd who leads a double life. It is about growing up, about holding onto your dreams, and about being brave enough to share those dreams with someone you love.

It tells the story of Griff, a shy and emotionally stunted young man, who spends his days in a cubicle and his nights prowling the streets of his London neighborhood in a suit of shiny black rubber. But the deeper he delves into his nocturnal fantasies, the greater the loneliness he feels during his days. His delusional self-image as a mysterious vigilante is encroaching on his ability to function in the real world, but his conviction to his cause is unwavering as he embarks on the laborious task of constructing a suit of invisibility.