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Mini-reviews by BAILA LAZARUS
(Ratings out of five *)
Most likely to come to first-run theatres
(or television):
Water (Fiction, Canada, Dir. Deepa Mehta,
with Lisa Ray, 114 min.) ****
Really well-acted, beautiful but sad movie about widowers
in India.The movie takes place in 1938 when woman (as young as eight)
whose husbands have died were forced to live together in Hindu Ashrams.
The movie shows the less-than-basic living conditions and how some
women were forced to be prostitutes in order to raise money for
the Ashram.
The Squid and the Whale (Fiction, USA, Dir:
Noah Baumbach, with Jeff Daniels, Laua Linney, William Baldwin,
81 min.) ****
Although I think this only deserves a three out of five,
I gave this one an extra star just for William Baldwin. The character
study in the film is great and the acting is superb but I found
the story a little slow in this look at a family going through separation.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Fiction, USA, with
Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michell Monaghan, Corbin Bernson,
103 min.) ****
Yeah, it's your typical Hollywood detective-comedy with your
standard mistaken identities, car chases and unbelievable scenarios,
and yeah it has so many plot twists, you need a manual, but it also
makes fun of the very genre it belongs to and Robert Downey Jr.
actually does a great job. Hilarious and not too heavy on the relationshippy
stuff. A great date movie.
C.R.A.Z.Y (Fiction, Quebec, Dir. Jean-Marc
Vallée, 129 min.) ****
Quebec directors continue to produce some of the most insightful
and touching films in the world.C.R.A.Z.Y. is no exception.
Taking place in the 1960s and 70s, the film follows a Quebec family
and the growth of four boys, one of whom is gay. From the opening
scenes, which are hilarious, the film perfectly captures the relationships
between the parents and the four boys.
The Gronholm Method (Fiction, Spain/Argentina/Italy,
115 min.) *****
How far would some people go to eliminate the competition
for a job? In The Gronholm Method, seven candidates come
for an interview but end up stuck together in a boardroom, following
orders they get from a computer, never even seeing who they're dealing
with. They work through several scenarios in order to discuss (and
vote on) who deserves to stay and who to go. The brilliant part
is that not even the audience knows what's really going on. Fascinating.
Hell on Wheels (Documentary, Germany, 123
min.) ****
Behind-the-scenes with the German Tour de France team Mobile.
What it takes to be a national biking champion. Absolutely amazing
footage, right in with the bikers through the entire 2003 tour.
If you don't like biking or think the Tour de France has something
to do with getting drunk at wineries around the country, go see
something else.
Fateless (Fiction, Hungary/Germany, 140
min.) ***
A Holocaust film that follow a teenage boy from his comfortable
home in Hungary through Auschwitz and Buchenwald. I thought this
was a good look at daily life in a hard labor camp. Although there
were some unrealistic scenes (such as how a group spent four days
travelling in a train car without food or water, yet come out looking
as healthy as when they started), and some questionable turns of
events near the end of the movie, I thought it was quite riveting.
Paradise Now (Fiction, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/France,
90 minutes) ***
Two would-be suicide bombers in the West Bank start out on
a mission together and then get separated. Although the acting was
excellent, I thought the script was lacking. I didn't really see
the development that would have led to the change in character of
the two men.
Five Days in September (Documentary, Ontario,
72 min.) **
If you REALLY love everything symphony, you'll enjoy this
but I found it to be a tedious puff-piece. It's about the first
five days of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's first season under
the new music director Perter Onundjian. Nothing controversial,
nothing really inspiring. In fact, given the name is reminiscent
of the film One Day in September, about the Munich massacre
of Israeli athletes at the Olympic games, or conjures up references
to 9/11, I though it was going to be some riveting drama. Big disappointment.
This Divided State (Documentary, USA, with
Michael Moore, 89 min.) *****
When two members of the student council invite Michael Moore
to speak at a university in Utah, the most conservative, Mormon
state in the US, the battle lines are drawn and the gloves are off.
The two novice filmmakers just turn the cameras on and let both
sides support and hang themselves. Using dozens of amateur camera
operators pulled from the student population, we get all sides all
the time in this often hilarious look at two very opposite views.
Will probably come to the Ridge some time:
Angry Monk: Reflections on Tibet (Documentary,
Switzerland, 97 min.) **
I was actually hoping to find out a little more about the
situation in Tibet through this film but it turned out to be a monotonous
trip through history following a monk whose relevance is only explained
in the last 15 minutes of the movie. Up until that point we constantly
hear about how he likes to "smoke, drink and f**k" contrary
to the laws of Buddhism. And the narration is just one date after
another like a long, boring history lesson.
Crash Landing (Documentary,
Quebec, 50 min.) **
A really superficial look at Canadian soldiers returning home suffering
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Although the stories the soldiers
told are important to hear, there was absolutely nothing regarding
what the Canadian government is doing about it. One soldier complains
that the vets have been forgotten but the movie includes no one
who responds to the accusation; it's simply one story after another.
The Dying Gaul (Fiction, USA, Dir: Craig
Lucas, with Campbell Scott, Patricia Clarkson, 105 min.) ****
This might be a little too esoteric for some but I love Campbell
Scott in indy films so that's all that matters, really. He plays
a very high-powered, bisexual, married Hollywood producer who has
a homosexual affair with an up-and-coming writer. Scott struggles
with his rationale for the affair and for his marriage. An emotionally
and intellectually challenging movie.
The Fever (Fiction, USA, with Vanessa Redgrave,
Michael Moore) ***
An oddly styled feature, and a last-minute to this year's
film festival, The Fever stars Vanessa Redgrave who, on a trip to
Africa, lapses into a fever overnight. In her delirium, she thinks
about the relationship between the rich and poor and how world economics
works. At times a history lesson, at times what sounds like a C-level
economic student's oral exam. Leaves a lot to think about but if
your background is in economics, you might find this too simple
minded.
Giuliani Time (Documentary, USA, 130 min.)
***
What to say -- a close-up look at the mayor whose career
was saved by 9/11. If you're interested in Amercian politics, especially
municipal policies, relax and soak it up. Even so, it gets to be
a little too much information when you start hitting the two-hour
point.
I am a sex addict (Fiction/Doc? who knows.
USA, 90 min.l) ***
On the eve of his third wedding director Caveh Zahedi, speaking
directly to camera (and doing narration), describes his past relationships
and his difficulties overcoming an addiction to prostitutes. Hilarious!
Little Man (Documentary, USA, 107 min.)
***
This is a very hard film to watch, whether you're pro-life
or pro-choice because watching someone trying to save a premature
baby weighing under one pound is horrific. But the film does do
a great job showing exactly how far science has come in rescuing
"preemies", how hard the doctors and nurses work and what
it means to the parents (in this case a lesbian couple, one of whom
desperately wants to save the child, the other of whom questions
whether the pregnancy should have been brought to term).
The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror
(Documentary, USA, with Noam Chomsky, Zbigniew Brzezinski, 83 min.)
***
Though most informed individuals are aware that control of
oil reserves is behind many of the conflicts in the Middle East,
seeing it laid out in such a logical and persuasive way is as interesting
as it is frightening.
Souvenir of Canada (Documentary, Ontario,
69 min.) ***
I was expecting to dislike Douglas Coupland's homage to all
things Canadian, thinking it would be self-serving and boring. But
it was actually really creative and a lot of fun. And I learned
stuff.
Why We Fight (Documentary, USA, Dir: Eugene
Jarecki, 98 min.) ***
Although this film starts off looking like it will be an
in-depth examination of the various factors propelling the US wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, only about half of it has anything to say
about the Military Industrial Complex and the attempt to control
oil reserves. The rest is quite maudlin, looking at some laypeople's
views on Bush, 9/11 and the war. Still, if your knowledge of the
role of the Military Endustrial Complex in US history is weak, this
is the perfect forum in which to improve it..
Wrong Side Up (Fiction, Czech Republic,
107 min.) ****
This is why I always make sure to see the Czech comedies.
Hilarious dark humor, absurd situations and hapless hero made this
one of my favorites this year.A postal worker tries to reunite with
his ex-girlfriend while dealing with a neurotic mother, philandering
father and next-door neighbors who want him to watch them have sex.It
consistently sold out.
Not likely to come back:
Citizen Dog (Fiction, Thailand, 99 min.)
***
If you're not into magic realism, give this movie a miss.
But if you liked the movie Like Water for Chocolate you'll
probably love Citizen Dog, a love story about two young Thais.
Brilliant color, fanciful metaphor and small doses of animation
make this a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it needed to be cut about
10 minutes from the end. The last few scenes are completely unnecessary
and a bit boring.
Skritek (Fiction, Czech Republic, 87 min.)
**
A Czech version of Mr. Bean. Good for some laughs but I had
a hard time liking any of the characters.
Hell (Fiction, France/Italy/Belgium/Japan,
98 min.) *
Is that the name of the movie or what you're going through
watching it? How is it the French manage to ruin what could be potentially
beautiful movies with the most mind-numbingly boring direction in
the world. The film follows three grown sisters who followed rather
dysfunctional paths due to a dark secret in their family. How their
three lives come together again would have been of some interest
if an axe was used in the editing room instead of a scalpel.
New World (Documentary, Austria, 100 min.)
*
Director Paul Rosdy takes the audience through Eastern Europe
comparing descriptions from turn-of-the-last-century newspapers,
and old newsreels with present-day slices of life. Unfortunately,
not all slices of life are interesting to watch in any century.
And the voice-over is just too monotone for words.
Shape of the Moon (Documentary, Netherlands,
92 min.) **
Another slice-of-life doc, this time looking at the life
of one family in Indonesia. You'd think watching the film something
would give away the fact that you are actually in Indonesia but,
aside for a little bit of footage of protests here and there, the
family could be anywhere in the world. Some cute scenes and touching
moments but overall, pretty boring. God knows what the judges were
thinking at Sundance this year.
Souls of Naples (Documentary, Netherlands,
94 min.) *
See above but replace "Indonesia" with "Itlay"
and take out the part about Sundance.
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