xSelent Film Reviews
I'm a big fan of watching quality movies. So I end up watching
a lot of non-hollywood movies playing at repertory cinemas
such as the Ridge. If you want to watch foreign films you have
to leave the soulless suburbs with their multiplexes.
Various movies that I've seen and what I thought about them with
my own subjective rating on a scale from 0 - 5.
Most of them were seen during the Vancouver International Film Festival:
Bang Rajan: Legend of the Village Warriors
Thailand's biggest budget movie about the true story of when a mighty
Burmese army was defeated and delayed by a small Thai village until
more reinforcements come. Somewhat like Alamo in Texas during the
American-Mexican war.
This is a combination of a melodramatic war story and romance. Even the
women get to fight and tragically die for their country. The acting and
characters are over the top but it's still enjoyable.
VIFF 2001 3/5
Before the Storm
A Swedish film about the problems immigrants from the
Middle East have in adjusting to life in the "West". With
brutal bullying going on at school and pressures from terrorist
groups back home it's impossible to just "fit in" no matter how
hard you try. The tension rises higher and escalates into
unforeseen territory as there is no escape from consequences
and limited control over what choices you have.
2001 VIFF 3.5/5
Bread and Roses
About an illegal immigrant and the effort to unionize
janitors. I found this film to be a bit "hollywood" with
overly melodramatic situations. The union organizer is
unbelievably good. It's an entertaining movie combining
romance and "progressive" politics.
2000 VIFF 3.5/5
Brotherhood of the Wolf
A big budget schlockfest from France. A combination
of a martial arts flick with a horror movie about the hunt
for a mysterious wolf like creature that is killing
the local rural populace. Set in France around the mid 1700's
there's some foreshadowing of the tensions to come in the
French Revolution. Lots of mystical action going on
with a mysterious Mohawk from Quebec with his "pagan" rites.
The plot doesn't make much sense but there's lots of action
and costumes being worn and the special effects for the
beast are decent.
2001 VIFF 3/5
The Cabbie
A film from Taiwan and although it's a different director
it reminds me of Eat Drink Man Woman. It's a
romantic comedy about a cab driver who falls in love with
a cop so he breaks every driving law to get her attention.
A very funny comedy about relationships with a plot that
you think is predictable but always has some surprises.
One of the best films that I've ever seen.
2001 VIFF 4.5/5
Cafe Ole
A simple love story set in Montreal, which is not
to say that a love story is simple. Good production
values, well acted, good script. A strong
point is that even the minor actors in the
background had depth to them. This is the best
film that I saw during the 2000 VIFF.
2000 VIFF 4/5
Culturejam: Hijacking Commercial Culture
I watched this on a sunny October Friday afternoon in a sold out theater.
The two gal pals with the rainbow decals and unusual amount of female
facial hair and piercings were not unusual in the audience. I recognized
Jaggi Singh in the audience. He was the activist arrested in Quebec
City on a bogus weapon's charge related to the catapult that launched
Teddy Bears at the April 2001 FTAA summit in Quebec City. Who am I
to sneer at all these "weirdos" with no job to go to when I'm also here
and don't have a job at the moment.
The notion of ClutureJamming is not new to anyone who has seen an
AdBusters magazine. The movie covers some entertaining material about the
type of people who "vandalize" advertisements. There's surprisingly a
lot of effort and originality involved in "defending" against corporate
propaganda. Advertising above a urinal is just asking for a response
back. And the shock in saying something unconventional such as the evil
of Disney is provocative to many people. Shot in Toronto, Vancouver
and San Fransisco it was fun to watch a film that had scenes which
were only a few blocks away from where I was watching the movie. My
biggest complaint is that this movie is too short at just one hour.
2001 VIFF 3/5
Happy Man
A truly horrible film from Poland. About a layabout
writer who still lives with his mother at the age of
30 and who finds out his mother has a terminal illness
so he tries to phonily fake happiness to cheer her up.
Unappealing characters, with drab city slum surroundings
and slooow pacing makes this movie a bore. One of
the worst movies that I've ever seen.
2001 VIFF 0/5
Hidden Wars of Desert Storm
A documentary about the events leading up to the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait and the post war aftermath. Not a film
to watch for entertainment but one to watch for political
impact. Using a variety of sources of information it made the following
claims:
1. Diplomacy could have stopped the invasion from taking place
in the first place.
2. The US lied about the size of the Iraqi army in Kuwait and
the threat they were to Saudi Arabia to scare S.A. to allow
US troops to setup base in their country.
3. The Iraqi conscripts forced to fight did not put up serious
resistance.
4. The ground war was stopped even though there had been no real
Iraqi resistance. Norman Schwarzkopf himself says they could
have taken Baghdad in another 24 hours.
5. Actions taken post-war have helped keep Hussein in power. With him
as a threat there is still an ongoing "need" for a US
military presence in region.
6. Munitions using depleted uranium are not healthy but its one way
to get rid of the Department of Energy's toxic waste stockpile.
These munitions have also been used in Kosovo. The US Army is
playing the same game about denying any health risk to veterans
as was done for agent orange in Vietnam.
7. A million Iraqi civilians have died due to the ongoing sanctions.
To quote Madelaine Albright, "It's a hard decision to make but
the price is worth paying."
8. Post war arms sales to the region (excluding Iraq of course which is
embargoed) are $1 Billion USD every month.
The production values for the movie itself varied due to the use of
various sources of info and there were times the sound quality was bad
and what people were saying was out of sync with what their lips.
However I did find it educational based on the above points which were
brought up during the movie. There was a lot of interest in it as it
was sold out and another screening took place immediately afterwards
so another couple hundred people can see it.
2000 VIFF 1/5 for a movie per se 4/5 for political agi-prop impact
Italian for Beginners
A DOGMA 95 film from Denmark by a first time director. Mainly
a romantic comedy with various detours into serious territory covering
aging, death, grieving and theological debates.
2001 VIFF 4/5
Oh Grow Up
A bunch of shorts dealing with childhood in Canada. A mixed
bag of movies. Frog Pond and Watching Mrs. Pomerantz were
the best movies of the 7 that were shown.
2000 VIFF 3.5/5
Kandahar
An Iranian film based on a true story of a Canadian immigrant from
Afghanistan who returns and tries to reach the Afghan city Kandahar before
her sister will commit suicide due to the Taliban restrictions choking
the ability to live as a woman. Stilted acting but very impressive
scenery of the mountainous area and the wretched lives of the people in
the region. Amputee victims of landmines fight amongst each other for
the inadequate supply of artificial limbs. I watched this film in the
sold-out Vogue theater and there was an awkward silence for 20 seconds
after the movie ended and then applause. It's not an 'entertaining' film
but it is very educational and moving about the misery of Afghanistan
after years of war and life under the Taliban/Taleban.
2001 VIFF 1.5/5 for a movie, 4.5/5 for political impact
The Land of Wandering Souls
A documentary about wretched poverty in Cambodia with desperate
impoverished workers paid a pittance to lay a fiber optic cable for
Alcatel. People who don't even have get enough to eat and don't have
electricity (if they even have a home) are laying fiber so that video
and data can be sent/received which they will never benefit. Among the
hazards they need to deal with are landmines and human remains when
digging and corrupt supervisors who under pay their workers. This is a
very disturbing film that makes you mad about poverty. 2001 VIFF 3/5
Last Wedding
It's Canadian and it doesn't suck! A romantic comedy set in Vancouver
about a couple who marry shortly after getting together and then discover
what each other is like. As well the relationships of some of their
friends are also covered. Interesting juxtaposition of the male who
wants to talk about the relationship and the female who doesn't see
any problem. I wish they had showed more scenes of Vancouver since the
outdoor scenes are mainly unidentifiable generica, however the dialog
and plot dish out Vancouver images such as dissing Surrey country music
(YeeHaw!) and rotting condos.
2001 VIFF 4/5
The Princess and the Warrior
A German film by the same director and lead actress from Run Lola Run
that explores fate and the borderline between sanity and insanity.
Some scenes were quite gory and disturbing. It doesn't have the
frantic pacing of Run Lola Run but still manages to keep
you involved through the various plot turns.
2001 VIFF 3/5
Protection
About social workers in Surrey having to deal
with a problem family. Depressing topic but
the film does have some humour including an
example of how to use "verbal judo". I found
it neat to see Surrey landmarks that I recognized
during a movie. However there were too many scenes
with shaky camera work 'a la' Blair Witch Project
that made me nauseous.
2000 VIFF 2.5/5
Rats and Rabbits
The worst movie that I saw during the 2000 VIFF. A badly
done farce. I thought it was going to be in French and
sub-titled but it was done in English.
2000 VIFF 1.5/5
The Runner
A classic film from 1985 which was shown as a 20th anniversary special
of retro movies for the VIFF. This film has minimal dialog and not
much of a plot but it has great visuals of life in a port slum with
"standard" Iranian fare of using child actors. There's probably all
kinds of symbolism that I don't follow regarding earth, wind, fire and
water but even without any deep cultural knowledge you can tell there
was some heavy symbolism going on in this movie. I saw this with some
friends and I was the only one who liked it even though I didn't really
"get it". Others found it too challenging (foreign) for their tastes.
2001 VIFF 3/5
Scorn
A disturbing film about the true life local Victoria
psychopath who had his mother and grandmother killed
to get the inheritance money. The production quality
of the film was good but the content is so disturbing
that it is not a film to watch to be entertained.
Some relatives of his accomplices showed up and proclaimed
their sons innocence which made for some uncomfortable
moments during the post movie Q&A. Some children's mothers
are still in denial. This film is due to be
shown on CBC sometime around March I think.
2000 VIFF 3/5
Tokyo Trash Baby
An awful Japanese film about a shallow woman who is obsessed (to a
unhealthy degree) about a neighbour in her apartment who she collects
his garbage and sorts out his junk in her room. She finally manages to
get together with him but things don't turn out as she had fantasized.
A low budget flick filmed with a digital camera that loses contrast
for scenes that had bright light sources... I found the characters to
be unappealing shallow fashionistas who make a big deal about smoking
Marlbaros.
2001 VIFF 1/5
Trade Off
A documentary about the "Battle in Seattle" set of protests during
the WTO meeting in 1999. On a day by day basis showed what happenned and
what the issues that protesters had. Based on multiple independent
media sources.
Footage from various celebrities such as Michael Moore and Jello Biafra
(from the Dead Kennedys) along with interviews of some of the protest
organizers. There is some footage of the battles between the police
and protesters but that is not the main focus. I found it entertaining
and educational.
2000 VIFF 3.5/5
Transit Woes
A number of short films. The best ones were:
- Riding the Bus which is about the relations
for those who are on the "Happy Bus" and others who
drive in traffic with a stock villain in a SUV who
runs down cyclists.
- Jean Laliberte: A Man, His Vision
and a Whole Lot of Concrete about a Quebec businessman
who wants to pave over much of Gateineau park to build the world's
biggest parking lot, even bigger than DisneyLand's! It will draw
business away from downtown Ottawa. If you build the parking lot
then the malls will come.
- 10-Speed was done by
high school students and is about a boy who saves up
to buy a 10-speed but when he finally gets it it doesn't
turn out to be all that he had hoped.
VIFF 2001 2.5/5 (Some good, some bad, but on average none were great)
waydowntown
Echoes of the movie Office Space in showing the
banality of cubicle existence, with the occasional
visit to the local underground shopping mall. They
intentionally used bad lighting for the movie to show
what its like to be indoors all the time which often
gave everyone an unhealthy orange hue. Not a pleasant
sight to see.
2000 VIFF 2.5/5
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