ESSIE SPEAKS OF A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : PEDRO ALMODOVAR

Soo, what do we have on the menu this week?

Well, I thought it might be nice to focus on a single master this week. Themes are well and good but nothing beats a good old retrospective. I have for you a man whose films have at times created scandal. There is every chance you might be prejudiced against him for any number of reasons. I sincerely hope that the reviews will push you to overcome at least a few of these and at least give watching his work a go before deciding. Colorful, saucy, inimitable, I give you Pedro Almodovar.

I hope you enjoy - I know I did!
Essie

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "ATAME"

The name “Pedro Almodovar” goes hand in hand with the term “controversial” - even the most novice cinephile, I suspect, knows this already. Even so, as I start this week’s work on this rather unusual (to say the least) director, I feel the need to add a disclaimer. None of this guy’s work is for the faint of heart… And nothing, I mean nothing is sacred. Nevertheless, Almodovar starts small in this film. Atame is a psychological thriller, no doubt whatsoever on that count. But, when looked at up close, it is also a stinging criticism of the institution of marriage, or rather some marriages. Let’s take a look at the storyline first, shall we?
Ricky (a young and VERY dishy Antonio Banderas) has spent most of his life in homes and institutions, the latest and longest stretch being in a mental institution. However, years later the authorities are convinced that he is now cured, and turn him loose on society to build his own life. Ricky is quite clear in his mind what he must do: get married, find a job, have kids. He even knows who he’s going to marry; Marina, a porn actress with known drug connections who he idolizes. This may seem like a pipe-dream to most people, but for Ricky it is as real as the nose on his face. On his very first day out of the institution, he heads off to the studio, follows Marina home, steals a set of her house-keys, abducts her and explains that he has only done this so they could get to know each other better, after this, they will obviously get married. Marina struggles against this captivity as best she can but if Ricky is a very disturbed young man, stupid he most definitely is not. And then something funny begins to happen… The more time Marina spends with him, strangely and inexplicably, the more loveable Ricky begins to seem… Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship?
Ok, so, we all actually know marriages like this. One side may well be completely miserable with her lot on level, and yet it is as if they have been bound hand and foot; they cannot seem to be able to leave… Many excuses are found for the phenomenon, I am staying for the children’s sake, he/she loves me really… And yet the marriage may be closing in on one of the parties like a noose around their necks… Or, if love does actually exist in the relationship on some level, it could well be some kind of “Stockholm Syndrome”, born of spending so much time with your “captor”. This is a tough one to explain to the western world, but the further east you go, the commoner this way of thinking becomes. In all “macho” societies the woman is expected to marry. She is expected to take care of her husband and children. Socially speaking, there is no other way round it; living on your own, not marrying at all or just living together with someone is considered quite… Well… And so, women go into the marriages often “gagged and bound”.
Almodovar gives the feeling of slow suffocation with such great success that I personally had great trouble watching the film to the end. Every attempt at escape on Marina’s part is foreseen and blocked by Ricky; he is everywhere there really seems no escape from the man. And if you had any doubt at all about the true aim of the film, one iconic scene where the couple (for reasons you can watch the film and find out if you’re curious) have to change apartments and Ricky picks Marina, tied hand and foot and gagged too, up in his arms and carries her as if over the threshold, with the long ropes binding her trailing behind them like a bridal train, says it all… I think you should really grit your teeth and watch this one, even though you may have to pause and “catch your breath” a few times. It is a very, very intelligent film and very well done.

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "CARNE TREMULA"

Ok, confession time. I did not start viewing Mr. Almodovar’s works in an as prejudice-free a manner as I usually do. In fact, from the outset I was quite prepared to hate them. Why? Well, first and foremost I somehow got the impression that they were in fact mostly about sex. In fact, don’t ask me why, that they bordered on pornography. One thing has to be made clear of course, sex features greatly – and openly – in all of his works, but it is not as “seedy” – for lack of a better word – as I thought it would be. Far, far from it. It is there as a normal continuation of passion, it is well placed. And of course it isn’t the only “thing” in the story. And the films themselves are generally so good, so deeply emotional and just such good quality that it really doesn’t matter. I had previously watched two films by Almodovar. One was “All about my mother” – that one I liked – but the other one was Habla Con Ella which I distinctly disliked and I discarded the director’s entire body of work until “a later date”. Well, that date seems to have come and never before have I been more pleasantly surprised to be wrong… Well, how can one be when discovering one’s mistake opens up such wonderful worlds for one?
Victor is a young man in love. He has fallen in love with Elena, a young woman he has met (and, we learn made love to) in a nightclub. They make a date to meet again, Elena – who was completely drunk at the time – doesn’t even remember him, the “confusion” turns into a passionate argument, the neighbors call the police, a gun goes off wounding a police officer. Victor goes to jail, David, the wounded police officer (played by the ever excellent Javier Bardem)is left paralyzed from the waist down. However, the whole thing isn’t such a dismal tragedy as one may think, as Elena and David then fall in love and get married. Victor, in the meanwhile, gets out of jail and is not best pleased to hear how Elena’s story ended. Someone needs to pay for the six years of his life he lost… So starts the path to revenge… At least, that’s what the path starts out as. Where it will end however, is another story all together…
Carne Tremula – Live Flesh doesn’t exactly invoke feelings of “artistry” in one at the offset it is true. The name alone carries a sense of what to expect, the cover of the DVD or the poster of the film depending on where you’re viewing the film depicts naked bodies… And yet the film speaks of love, passion, obsession, jealousy all human emotions and the whole thing is done in a very human way, without “overdoing” anything. The story, full of curveballs and surprises as it may be is still believable. True, there are a few coincidences, and we all jump down the throats of coincidences don’t we, but really, even they are not out of place.
In this film, we see two things that a lot – if not all – Almodovar’s films seem to be about or at least contain on some level. First of all, as I said before, sex. Seasoned viewers will know that male nudity is to Almodovar what women’s feet are to Tarantino. And it is so tastefully done (and OK, the “subjects” are so well chosen =) ) that I really am not complaining. But the love-making scenes in Carne Tremula deserve to be mentioned if only for their sheer beauty. I mean, it is what it is, and it is passionate sex; however, Almodovar has also very successfully captured the sheer physical beauty of the act itself. And believe me although I appreciate a nude male body when I see one, I am not so easily impressed by sex scenes. Secondly, there is the matter of male obsession. Of course the parallelism between Atame and this film is as obvious as the nose on my face. But although they start out as looking similar, Ricky and Victor are two very different characters. While Ricky goes “straight for the jugular” as it were, Victor is more patient. He still loves Elena, resents her marriage and wants revenge enough to be able to work at it slowly, step by step. And Almodovar successfully keeps every step up his sleeve until the last minute, keeping us on edge right until the end… Leave your prejudices at the door and prepare for a rollercoaster of good art…

PEARLS FROM A CONTROVERSIAL MASTER : "LA MALA EDUCATION"

By the time I got to Mala Education, thanks to the positive effects of Carne Tremula and Atame (see above) I was already very, VERY positively inclined towards Mr. Almodovar. After La Mala Education, I actually became a fan. This film has soared into my top ten of favorite films of all times, I was so bowled over by bits of it, I am very much afraid this humble review will not be able to do it justice. Be it the actual structure of the story, be it the beauty of the shots, be it the sheer level of emotion so successfully portrayed in the film, no matter which way you look at it I guarantee that you will find something to bowl you over in this one… (Good Heavens I haven’t gushed like this about a film in AGES!! I must be becoming jaded! :S )
Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) is a young and successful director. He is suffering from mild writers block and is searching, along with his production manager, for their next project. The search is proving unusually fruitless until an actor looking for work barges into the studio. Enrique is prepared to chuck him out but the young man (Gael Garcia Bernal) tells him his name. He is Ignacio Rodriguez, Enrique’s first love from back when they were in boarding school when they were very young. He is looking for work, but he has also brought Enrique an idea for a film; it is a story based on their childhood experiences. They are not all very happy memories. The whole experience bowls Enrique over, although it was many years ago, he has never quite forgotten Ignacio, the boarding school or the things that happened there. The trip down memory lane however, will lead to dark places and the revelation of secrets Enrique couldn’t have even dreamt of in his wildest imaginings…
I am chomping on the bit to tell you what happens next. Believe me. But the surprise factor is the whole point of this film, and it is the way the surprises slowly come to light, hinting at their existence first, then slowly unfurling that make this film such a beautiful work of art. Having a good story, we have often said, is the crux of making a good film. The way one actually tells the story however, is also important. And if one has a brilliant story that one is capable of telling in a beautiful way, well… One becomes as famous a director as Almodovar.
Male obsession is again at the forefront of this film. However, the consequences of the obsession are under the microscope for this performance. And the obsession is not quite the same as the one in the first two films we looked at. Ok, I think you all probably heard at some point that this film speaks of child-abuse. Putting two and two together you have probably figured out that the abuse took place in Ignacio and Enrique’s boarding school. However, the obsession of Father Manolo (the perpetrator of the abuse) has results that are longer lasting than any of us can imagine – and I don’t just mean to the abused, I’m talking about the people around the abused, the “outer ripples” of the pebble thrown in the water if you will. But it isn’t only negative feelings that live on. The young love between Enrique and Ignacio, we find, has lived on despite not being together for years. And while they are never able to actually speak of their love face to face again (I’ll let you watch the film and figure out what that means) they still communicate, and the way this emotion lives on is simply beautiful. The third thing Mr. Almodovar explores in this film is the lengths to which human beings are prepared to travel to get their desire. Some people will give up anything, change completely, do absolutely anything and stoop to any depth to get their heart’s desire, be it success or revenge. And even though they may seem monstrous in a way, if we look at them objectively, we can’t help but pity them. Especially if we see where and how this driving ambition was born.
I am sure you are as aware as I am of the parallel themes in Almodovar’s films. The truly astounding thing is that although similar themes exist, they are never “the same”. Each one is a variation, a beautiful variation on the same theme and a masterpiece in its own right. This film is a brilliant look into the human soul, warts and all. Don’t let the subject matter (child abuse) put you off watching it. It is harrowing and very much a part of the film but the whole thing is tasteful. And the consequences of such an act… Well that at least is something we owe the victims to open our eyes and look at, no?

ESSIE SPEAKS OF WAR

I want to get one thing clear from the start : I think war is horrifying. I am a pacifist in every sense of the word you can think of and therefore it may seem odd that I have chosen to do a slot on war films.
Well, first and foremost, one mustn't forget that although some war films are all about the action, blood and gore, many speak of the tragedy of war and make us think about the deeper stuff as well. I have tried to reflect this in my choice of films for the week, be it political, ethical or simply personal tales of war...

happy viewing!
Essie

UNFORGETTABLE TALES FROM THE PAST : "PLATOON"

Now, as you know, I am on a mission to watch as many of the big classic movies as fast as possible. I am, generally speaking, quite “hungry” for movies, planning ahead what I will watch the next day, constantly failing to decide… But boy oh boy did I drag my feet when it came to watching Platoon… I had never watched it before like so many of the greats but I just knew it was going to hit me like a freight train… There is, however, no earthly point in putting off the inevitable so I went for it this morning. It did not disappoint in more ways than one : It was a brilliant movie AND it hit me like a freight train…
The year is 1968 and Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a college student. Or rather he was a college student. He “wasn’t learning anything” so he actually dropped out of college and volunteered to go and fight in Vietnam. He arrives at the base camp, as green as you please and stuffed to the gills with ideals. He is full of hope and thinks that by fighting the war and doing his bit he will become a man. The constant danger, sleepless nights filled with violence and the in-fighting in his own platoon split down the middle by two rival commanders will definitely make a man of him… The question is, however, what kind of man he will end up becoming…
One of the main reasons I gave this film a wide birth was the fact that I assumed, being a war film, that it would be all blood guts and gore. First of all, let me reassure you, it isn’t. I mean, it’s the Vietnam War for Christ’s sake, naturally there is blood and guts but they do not take such prominence on the screen. What the film is mainly interested in, and what is profoundly more frightening than any amount of blood and guts, is the changes that take place in the minds and spirits of the men themselves, from the foot soldiers right up the chain the lieutenant. The film questions mankind’s seemingly endless capacity to harm one another and be cruel, and violent. It also wonders whether or not this potential is actually latent within all of us… You may point out – and rightly too – that there have been a LOT of films who have tried to capture this change in their heroes and heroines and point out the cruelty and pointlessness of war. You would, however, be hard put to find a film that captures this waste of human life, be it the fallen on the battlefield or the survivors, so deeply scarred that they can never be the same again, so well. It may have something to do with the fact that it is partly based on director Oliver Stone’s actual experiences as well… Partly, it is the outstanding cast of the film, starring veterans such as Tom Berenger, Willem Defoe and Forrest Whitaker (and as a bonus a VERY young Johnny Depp!) In any case there is definitely a reason for this film to be awarded all the Oscars® and awards it got. In view of what is going on in the world these days, I am also rather sorry to add that the sentiment it portrays is still very, VERY relevant today. Watch it. It will give you a lot to think about. Oh, and have some tissues handy, unless you are actually made of stone you will be needing them…

CURRENT AFFAIRS : "GREEN ZONE"

Anyone who has so much as glanced at world events over the last couple of years can make an educated guess as to what the “green zone” refers to. And where exactly it is. The backdrop for our last war film this week is one of the most recent wars, the war in Iraq. The film has many advantages, a director experienced in the action / thriller genre, Paul Greenglass who can proudly add the direction of The Bourne Ultimatum and the Bourne Supremacy to his list of achievements. The lead actor of the film is also a familiar name, Matt Damon, whose performance in the Bourne Trilogy has gone down in action movie history. Plus of course, there is the marked advantage of it being a recent film about a recent war; emotions concerning the war run high making the audience (potentially anyway) that much more involved in the film and of course there aren’t that many films about it yet; the Second World War and the Vietnam War, although the backdrops of some of the best films in history are now generally considered “hackneyed subjects”. The Iraq war is “fresh” so to speak. In short, the film seems to promise a lot. I am happy to tell you, it delivers.
Chief Warrant Officer Miller (Matt Damon) has been in Iraq for a while now, and he has begun to smell a rat. He and his team are on an important mission; finding the weapons of mass destruction Saddam Hussein is said to have hidden around the country. They receive intelligence report after intelligence report, hit location after location, but they come up with nothing. Miller doesn’t believe in coincidences of such great size and begins to question the sources of the intelligence they are given. After all, the weapons are the reason the army is in Iraq, Miller considers it his duty to sort out what is going on. And the more he digs the bigger the mystery seems to become, Miller will finally be pushed to go rogue to discover the truth… Such discoveries can however, be dangerous. Even fatal.
Another advantage this film has is, without a doubt, is the fact that a lot of us have seen quite a bit of coverage of the war. Greenglass has made a clever choice as far as filming is concerned, favoring a style very close to documentary or news report coverage to show the actual fighting. The pictures are not necessarily clean-cut, they are definitely shaky, in short they are not the squeaky – clean typical action film shots. They do however; give us the eerie impression of watching something that is actually happening. Thus, at the point of getting into the story the adrenalin is pumping already. Then of course the second “layer” of action comes along, namely the discovery and attempt to unmask the conspiracy that is going on. The film is actually based on a book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone")by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Now I haven’t read the book, but the story told on the screen was 24 karat gold. And the suspense doesn’t let up for one minute; although we have all seen our fair share of “conspiracy theory movies” (the afore mentioned Bourne Trilogy being one of them), Green Zone has enough curveballs in store to throw the oldest of film veterans off track. I can understand why one might have a general aversion to war films as a rule. In some examples, there tends to be an over-reliance on action and explosions to the detriment of the story, especially in modern times. Not so this little beauty. It shows us the horrors of war realistically and without getting over-dramatic, it presents a clever plot without getting convoluted and over-doing itself. A good ‘un, no doubt.

AND LASTLY A CLASSIC : "A FAREWELL TO ARMS"

I wondered for a while what I should do with this film. I mean watch it, obviously, but where to put the review? Adaptation? War Film? Although Hemmingway’s classic is by no means to be sneezed at, the presence of the First World War in the film is, well… Great. On the other hand, it is basically a love story. It doesn’t handle the war itself that much. I mean it does, but sort of, as a backdrop. There are clear mentions of the horrors of war (being in a field hospital and all) but they are not our “main concerns”. Then there is the autobiography side of things, Hemmingway, like the hero of the book / film was an ambulance driver in the First World War and thus the book is assumed to be quite autobiographical – wait, should it be under “true story” then? But then again how autobiographical is it really? Are you beginning to see my dilemma? Then I finally reached a solution. Would this great love story be possible without the presence of war? No. Then the war is a major catalyst of the film. War film it is.
So, having got over that little quandary, on with the story. Frederic (Gary Cooper) is an ambulance driver in Italy during the First World War. He arrives at a small hospital in Italy to find two things. First, a very old friend of his as the doctor in charge, secondly, one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen (Helen Hayes) as one of the nurses. Frederic is bowled over by her, and his feelings are by no means unreciprocated. But there are complications… Quite apart from the dangers inherent to their jobs and the war, there is a third party also interested in ?? and who cannot “give her up” to Frederic… Will true love triumph? Or will the war consume the star-crossed lovers as well?
Mom and I watched the film together. As the film ended and we both dabbed our eyes and blew our noses Mom turned round to me and said “Of course, it’s so romantic you can’t really take it seriously.” Yeah, right Mom. But, the emotional nature of the film apart, she is right in a way. I mean, of course you get caught up in the whole thing and get weepy, especially if you’re in the right mood. But the film is, you have to remember, made in 1933. That is a LONG time ago by filmic standards. Thus there are many “problems” to the film as well. Starting from the basics (the film is so old that you can virtually see NOTHING in bits that are underexposed) to thematic (there is one sequence that is supposed to symbolize the horrors of war that in our modern times look absolutely comical – and it goes on for far too long for my liking). But then again, love, no matter how it is filmed is still love. And the emotion is definitely there with Hayes and Cooper, two brilliant actors of their time of course… It is not your average war film. It is, however, a true blue classic that any cinema lover should NOT miss…

ESSIE SPEAKS ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS (MIXED BAG!)

Well hello to y'all!

Today we are philosophical on Essie speaks. It is that time of the month that I like to call "mixed bag week". Consider it on a par with having leftovers for dinner. Or that vegetable soup you make with the random remaining veggies in the fridge, the taste of which you will never be able to imitate again... All brilliant, maybe not a coherent whole per se but impossible to ignore as well... We have a timeless black and white classic, a multiple Oscar winning extravaganza and a thought provoking little number from one of my personal favorite directors, Ken Loach...

I am pretty confident you will find something to regail you in there... Have a good week and happy viewing!

Essie

LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISE FRIENDSHIPS : "DANCES WITH WOLVES"

I am pretty sure that a lot of you will have at least heard of this multiple Oscar winner that has kind of entered those “films of legend”. You know, those films that constitute an unwritten list of what any self-respecting movie buff will have watched at least once; admitting not watching them will attract strange looks to say the very least… It is definitely a film of a certain era, 90’s, the frontier one strong hero (Kevin Costner – another icon of the 90’s) his loyal wife (eventually) and of course, the Sioux… Admittedly, film-wise Dancing With Wolves is nothing really special, but the story… That’s another matter altogether…
Lieutenant John Dunbar, a rather unlikely hero from the heart of the American Civil War is posted to the frontier. He arrives at the fort to find, much to his surprise, that there is no one there and around him there is nothing but endless stretches of prairie and the lands of his closest neighbors; the Sioux Indians. Dunbar has never actually met an “injun” in his life before, but he has heard tales and he prepares for a vicious battle. But when he comes face to face with his new neighbors, the result cannot be further than what he expected. Both sides learn from each other, true and deep friendships are formed… And soon, Dunbar will begin to question where his real loyalties lie…
Of course it goes without saying that although the film is incredibly exciting and fascinating to watch, on a level it is hard as well, especially knowing what is going to follow and the unavoidable tragic demise of the Native Americans. As you will all doubtless have caught on, many, many films of the same genre followed this once; themes of friendship and films showing us the peaceful lifestyle of the Native Americans abounded but none of the characters were as real and the narrative of friendship as deep and able to capture the heart as this one – this is why, perhaps, they couldn’t be more than mere copies…
I said that technically speaking the film was nothing special. This is true; it is based on typical Hollywood continuity editing, you know, the kind of editing that just does its job. Like a good butler, you barely notice it’s there, you just notice the results, you notice the work it does… This may not be exactly the most original approach the world has seen but it suits this film perfectly. I mean, when you have a story this good, you want to give it center stage; never mind the technical thrills and frills. With things like the Grand Canyon and the American prairies stretching out as a backdrop, do you need stuff like CGI? When the real story of the Native Americans is so powerful and so worth telling; do you need stuff like complicated stunts and grand drama? No. I defy you to watch it without tears welling up in your eyes… At least once…

LIFE SOMETIMES CONTAINS DIFFICULT CHOICES : "AE FOND KISS"

Well, entertainment is important, it is in fact the main “raison d’être” of the cinema. No one can deny, however, that it is also a brilliant opportunity for education and enlightenment if used correctly. The discussion has been going on for donkey’s years, no need to bash on about it now, but it is a fact. An important fact. So that is why it’s a good thing that there are guys like Ken Loach around. Loach is a brilliant director and every single film of his that I have watched has been gripping and technically brilliant. His aim, however, is not merely to take you to “another place” for a couple of hours and rest your weary brow. Oh no. If anything the aim is to weary your brow even further. Loach turns his camera on to what he considers (heck, what most of us consider) wrong with the world we live in today. And his unblinking stare always reveals food for thought – this film is no exception. Ae fond kiss is a look at the famous “multicultural” British society. Loach begs us to consider how well we are managing to live together in peace and harmony despite our differences. And true to style, the outlook is rather bleak…
Casim lives in Glasgow with his family. Their parents, devout Muslims, immigrated to the UK a long time ago; Casim and his two sisters were born and raised here, on that strange border between two cultures. The children go to school – Casim’s younger sister Tahara even goes to a Catholic school – and have friends of all colors and creeds; nevertheless the traditional values of Pakistan are still strong in the community and in the family. Casim is betrothed to his first cousin Jasmin who he has never met face to face; his older sister Rukshan has met her husband through the family and is preparing to marry him. For some it all may seem a touch strange, but on the whole everyone seems content. Until that is, fate brings Casim face to face with Roisin, a music teacher at Tahara’s school. It is love at first sight, they get on so well that it looks as if that they were meant to be together – if they don’t count the outside world of course. Casim has no idea how he will break the news to his parents and Roisin’s devout Catholic employers aren’t too happy about their carrying on either… In the end the question is simple, which will prevail? Love or society?
My God is this one a roller-coaster ride… The parts of Casim and Roisin are so well cast, and the characters and their concerns are so real that once you get into the film you cannot help but have your heart in your mouth until the last minute… Loach’s point, the way I see it, is that people, real people, are far more important than values and prejudices. After all, values and prejudices are both things human beings have put down for themselves. Once you step beyond them a whole new world opens up, and sometimes this is the world that is where you are meant to be. It is particularly hard to be the children of immigrants in a foreign country; on the one hand, for your parents values pertaining to your homeland are living and real, in some cases there is great pressure from the community of immigrants from the same country, everyone has their duty and responsibility… But then, as the children grow up, go to school and socialize a whole new world opens up before them with completely different values and ways of thinking. The choice is often an impossible one; between your family who loves you, cares and wants nothing but what they consider is best for you and your own life, the sheer fact that you yourself drew and followed your own path even if this turned out to be a complete mistake later…
And then there is the very blatant difficulty people have, despite what anyone could possibly say on the matter, with living together, harmoniously and respectfully with people who have completely different values from their own. Theoretically speaking there should be enough planet to go round for all of us but in fact, the simple act of two people falling in love and wanting to live together can cause families to fall apart and careers to end… It may sound ridiculous; it is in fact very, very real…

LIFE IS NOT SERIOUS THE WHOLE TIME : "THE MARX BROTHERS AT THE CIRCUS"

Ok, I’m looking back on this week’s fare and I think it’s turning out a little too serious and sad. Well, that’s the funny thing about cinema, when you say “classic” or “artistic” or “important film” one somehow thinks of something rather serious and sad – ideally a little hard to understand. But no, there are such things as classic comedies as well; these are guys that you really should have seen if you’re really into cinema. Sometimes they are a little older than what you are used to – Charlie Chaplin for instance or Laurel and Hardy – but, even if they date from the silent era like those guys, they are still able to glide onto your screen and cause you to split your sides… Now if anyone and I mean ANYONE deserves a place up there with the comedy greats of cinema, it is the Marx Brothers. Their classic movie “Duck Soup” is still considered by and large one of the funniest films ever made. Personally, just seeing Groucho Marx on a screen brings a smile to my face (so you could say that I am rather prejudiced!). This little gem is another one of my bargain basement discoveries. It is an absolute side-splitter and has the pronounced advantage of being just 83 minutes long, a bite sized classic that is guaranteed to wash away all your cares.
Welcome to Wilson’s Wonder Circus! One of the best three-ringed circuses in the world! And although it seems to be filled with everything you could desire from a circus, there are black clouds circling above the tents. Mr. Wilson is young, good looking and has followed his heart in more senses than one as his rich widowed aunt has disinherited him because of his love of the circus, but also because the love of his life is one of the circus performers, Julie. The only problem is that Wilson owes the manager Mr. Carter 10 000$ - by the end of the week! If he cannot come up with the money, he will lose the circus and become completely destitute. Mr. Carter however, is determined not to play nice. He doesn’t want to hand the circus over to Wilson, so he comes up with a cunning plan. The night Wilson finally gets together to pay the debt – the money is stolen! Wilson is distraught, but luckily he is not alone. The circus dogs body Tony (Chico) and the slightly eccentric and mute circus mascot Punchy (Harpo – as if he needed an introduction) are on the case. And in their arsenal they have another big weapon: Mr. Loophole, Legal Eagle (Groucho of course). Will Mr. Wilson be saved? Or in the well-meant efforts will our three friends destroy the circus entirely?
This is a typical, old fashioned Marx Brothers comedy. Good, old-fashioned entertainment, broken up with songs (I am still humming “Lydia the tattooed Lady” to myself as I write the review the next day) and classic, old-fashioned sketches… As always, Groucho’s appearance on scene heralds a steady stream of one-liners and jokes that come pouring out at a rate and in a style that will make the most stony-faced of you split their sides… The brothers will do everything from walking on walls to leading blues quires for your amusement, and all you have to do is to cut all logic adrift kick back and enjoy. I will not go on talking about it for too long, I mean it’s the Marx brothers we’re talking about here, they don’t need an introduction, you on the other hand, need to stop reading about it but sit down and enjoy the sensation that is the Marx brothers… You know you’re taking no risk here… Step right in…

ESSIE SPEAKS OF JIM JARMUSCH

Hello there everyone! I hope you're all having a great fall, I know I am, it's adrenaline filled if only because scrambling to get used to a completely new way of life away from home is very much involved. Luckily my new life is also chock-full of films and everything that goes with it, so I basically have what I need to survive (mentally :D)
Now this week's update is all about a director who, over the course of my preparation period for my new degree, has become very dear to me indeed. I am talking about the great minimalist director Jim Jarmusch. The term "minimalist" may send some of you screaming to the hills, please don't let it. Allthough I would be the very, very first to admit there are some pretty unwatchable "minimalist" things lurking out there, Jarmusch's work isn't among them. These three films definately aren't. If anything, I am confident they can make you laugh outloud if you just give them a chance!
The first of our "gruesome threesome" this week is Permanant Vacation, a little number filled with pathos but that means a lot to me because the film very accurately describes a state of mind I lived in for quite a while. The other two are comedies / road movies; they make you laugh and they make you think and I have a sneaking suspicion they may fundamenatlly change the way you guys look at things...

happy viewing folks!
Essie

POSSIBLY MY FAVORITE FILM EVER : "PERMANANT VACATION"

The thing about the art of Jim Jarmusch, is that it often speaks more of things that are felt as opposed to “known”. And if you’re not quite sure what that means (and believe me I wouldn’t blame you), I strongly recommend you watch Permanent Vacation. If you do, you will find yourself in the rather strange situation I find myself in right now. The film is 72 minutes long, and if you are like me in your taste of film, you will have watched it “in one gulp” as it were; yet if anyone asks you what it was about, you will be unable to answer exactly. It is about a feeling, a state of being… A state of constant drifting, being unable to belong, being on permanent vacation…
The “owner” of these feelings is Allie Parker. He is a young man of about 18, and before you get the wrong impression, he is not sad because he is this way. This is just the way he is. He is very “cool” about the whole thing and very much embodies the detached and disillusioned generation that accompanied the yuppies who were on the “up and up” in 1980, when the film was made… Allie reckons some people can kid themselves, hide their loneliness with work, ambition, various other things, but really we all drift, and we are all alone… This is not a particularly sad state of affairs, not for Allie anyway; there are many good things in life as well, like music for instance and interesting people… But this is the way it is, like it or lump it… If that looks sad to you from where you’re standing, well… That’s your problem… Not Allie’s…
During the film, we just follow Allie around as he roams the streets of his hometown. The drift is about to take him again, he can feel it coming, but before he succumbs to it (and he always does), he wants to visit his old home. He wants to see his mother. He wants to walk around town for a while. So we wander around with him, with him, we connect with all the people he meets, from his girlfriend who is very much disillusioned with him to his mother and her roommate in a lunatic asylum, to random crazy people off the street. Allie connects with all of them with the same ease, openness and detachment – as far as he is concerned, we are all a little mad anyway…
It’s hard to believe this was Jarmusch’s first feature film. Originally, it was a short film that he shot as a graduation project; he then built on it and lengthened it. In it, apart from a philosophy that is actually a lot deeper than it pretends to be, you will find fascinating camerawork and a very classy minimalist esthetic. I have read it said of Yazujiro Ozu, the great Japanese minimalist director, that one could stop any of his films at a random place and they still would actually qualify as a work of art; I don’t know if this is exactly true of Jarmusch, but it comes pretty damn close… I would go as far as saying it was worth watching for that alone… But don’t be disheartened by the subject matter and definitely don’t imagine this is a sad film… Thought provoking yes. But not sad; as Allie says, this is life and really there isn’t all that much to explain – there isn’t that much you can explain… You have to live it and feel for yourself…

"DOWN BY LAW" AND HOW TO GET BACK UP AGAIN...

Now, having met Allie and got to know his philosophy slightly better, we jump forward a few years and see what he may become when he grows up. And as if to break the mood of deep philosophy of the previous film, we see quite clearly that the result needn’t be tragic or very thought provoking… Down by law is qualified as one of the “coolest comedies” ever, with an even cooler cast – and if you ever thought that there could be no such thing as a truly funny minimalist comedy, well, prepared to be proved wrong.
Zack (played by legendary musician Tom Waits) is a DJ. He is basically very much like Allie Parker from Permanent Vacation all grown up. The only trouble is that he is lacking slightly in Allie’s maturity and his girlfriend has had enough of his attitude and kicked him out of their flat. Jack (John Lurie) is a pimp. But again, he has no great ambition and drifts through life, things seem to be going well, he’s cool, he’s hip… Various hitches and “setbacks” later, these two misfits will end up as cellmates in jail. At first, their great similarity means that they rub each other the wrong way, but this soon transforms into something akin to “brotherhood”; while goading each other and bickering nearly constantly, they are deep down good friends. Things change dramatically when they are joined by a third cellmate: Roberto (Roberto Begnini). Roberto can only speak very broken English, phrases of which he religiously writes down in his “phrasebook”. Unlike his cellmates, he is anything but “cool”, he talks constantly and can be best likened to a well-meaning Labrador. But just as his cellmates are trying to decide whether to like him or loathe him, something unexpected happens: a chance for escape presents itself and our three cellmates grab at it… The question is, will they be able to put their various differences to one side and escape in one piece?
It’s part of Jarmusch’s originality that after setting out a certain thing, a certain outlook on life in a quite sober way in one film, he can turn around and use it as a mainstay of comedy in another film… Although I must admit I somehow suspect that later on in life Jarmusch decided that the comedy side of the “cool” attitude to life was more important than its philosophy because in quite a few films I have seen he puts a “cool” character and a “totally uncool” one side by side – or portray a character trying to be cool but actually not really managing… As you can imagine, this a typical “clash of characters” film, with Roberto Begnini providing the comic contretemps to the ultra-cool Zack and Jack. It is rather telling that, ok warning, a small spoiler, that at the end of the film Roberto is the one who is “successful” as in he is the one who actually manages something concrete, Jack and Zack however will, shall we say, continue to drift to unsure futures in pretty much the same way they were at the beginning of the film…
In all the Jarmusch films I have watched, one thing that always strikes me greatly is the attention to detail. Since this is a minimalist film with minimum points distracting from the main story, the small details naturally gain great importance and one can sit back and savor a cleverly planted gesture or expression from one of the actors or a prop of some description, cleverly inserted into the foray… And again – I cannot say this often enough – something should be said about Jarmusch’s cinematography, this time even more striking in black and white…

FOR A LARGE, HAPPY SLICE OF LIFE, STEP ON BOARD THE "MYSTERY TRAIN"

If you had nothing but the DVD edition of this film that I own, and more specifically the blurb on the back to go on when researching this particular film, you might be a tad confused. The DVD cover explains that the film successfully combines a Japanese ghost story, an Italian romantic-comedy, a Brit that causes utter confusion and trouble (nothing new there then!) and Elvis Presly. And although this is, admittedly, a mighty confusing concoction, it is a very neat summary of what goes on in this film. See, this is the beauty of films like this. Life, real life, actually does successfully combine elements like this. It’s just that we are often so lost in our own strand of the story that we see nothing but what surrounds us personally and not the big picture. Mystery Train is not only one of the single funniest films I have ever had the pleasure of watching, it is also a rather stunning “slice of life” with a slightly deeper message hidden down below…
Our story takes place in Memphis, Tennessee. A young Japanese couple disembarks from a train; they are here to sightsee; the young man’s hair and dexterity with his Zippo lighter alone tells us what great fans they are of a certain lost age. Sun studios, Graceland and the excitement of actually being there engulfs them both; our young hero however is, as was anyone worth knowing back in The King’s day, ultra-cool. His girlfriend, like a lot of women I know, accuses him of being cold and unfeeling. After a day’s sightseeing they settle into a small hotel in the town center for the night before continuing. At just about the same moment, a young woman from Italy (Nicoletta Brasci) who is accompanying the body of a loved one back to Italy has found out, much to her distress, that she has to stay in Memphis overnight. She finds a small hotel in the center of town, where a young woman is in the middle of a fight with the hotel’s night clerk who only has double rooms left and refuses to have her stay in one at half price. The young Italian will agree to be her roommate and will then have to listen to endless stories about her English boyfriend, nicknamed Elvis, how they broke up and how she’s leaving him and leaving town… Before she has a strange brush with a ghost that is… Lastly, again at the same time Elvis (not the singer, the afore mentioned British boyfriend played by the ultra-mega charismatic lead singer of The Clash, Joe Strummer) is in a bar, getting very drunk and waving a gun around. It will be up to his colleague Will Robinson (played by Rick Aviles, who is not best-known for lead parts but who you will have seen in smaller parts in classics such as Carlito’s Way, The Godfather III and Ghost) and his “brother in law” Charlie (played by Steve Buscemi, another “staple” of Jarmusch’s – not that I am complaining) to calm him down and get him out of trouble… Well, that’s the plan, anyway. The night is preparing for many strange stories and adventures, and they will come together in the strangest, most unexpected way…
The first thing I noticed about this film is that the location was, in fact, the same as Down By Law. You may think that this would take away from the feel of the film but in fact it does not. Because the whole point of the film is a sort of permanence of locations. We wander round and around the streets of Memphis, crossing the same streets and sometimes even copying the same shots as a couple of minutes ago while the story changes and advances… This in, itself, is a rather beautiful thing: I sometimes stop to wonder at how many people in total must have walked on the same streets as I have… Mind-boggling thought, no? This is also the ultimate “strands of life” film, because the three stories do come together in the end, but ironically, neither of them are aware of it… Another funny little quirk of living on this planet; for all you know, the stranger next to you might be a potential best friend or the love of your life, you may actually never know…
Jarmusch makes no bones about the fact that this film is about music. Good music, from back in the day… The soundtrack will have the toes of viewers of a certain generation tapping, think Elvis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Parker… Yeah, you know what I am talking about… And lastly, but by no means on earth least, I must give a standing ovation to one of the best comic duos I have ever seen. See, Joe Strummer is not the only musician on board. The night clerk at the hotel (where, you will doubtless have guessed, all three “stories” end up) is played by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (best known for his classic tune “I put a spell on you”) and the bellhop assisting him is played by Cinqué Lee. Apart from the obvious practical part they play in advancing the story, their various interactions and conversations are inserted into various places in the story (like small side dishes between main courses if you will) and constitute some of the categorically funniest dialogues I have witnessed in my 28 years on earth. I promise you, remembering them alone still has me giggling. They are so funny that sometimes we see the same dialogue twice (remember that all three stories are occurring at once, so sometimes as the information we gain about the “background” puts a whole new slant on a dialogue we thought was something completely different) but that doesn’t matter, it’s STILL funny…
In short, another touching and sensitive slice of life from Jarmusch; yes there is a lot to think deeply about, but at the same time there are plenty of instances to laugh, just like life itself… Watch this one if you watch none of the others… Mind you, I have a feeling you will be converted after watching this one anyway… =)