UN PROPHET / A PROPHET

I don’t know how “in” to the European film scene you are, but if you are (in) you will have heard of the French film “Un Prophet.” It not only won a whole bunch of awards continent-wide (one BAFTA, the Jury Grand Prize at Cannes, 9 Cesar awards and a Golden Globe Nomination to name but a few) but was an Oscar ® nominee for Best Foreign Picture no less. The trailer seemed (to me) to make it out to be a modest little number, plus after having watched Celda 211 (see archive for review – a Spanish masterpiece that one) I sincerely doubted any other film set in a prison would be able to “wow” me. Ok, so the film is by no means “little” and it knocked my socks off. Now let me give you a brief explanation of why.
Set in modern-day France we follow the story of Malik El Djebenah, a prison inmate of Arab origins. He has pretty much spent the best part of his adult life in jail – but that isn’t saying much since he is only 19 years old. And as he is 19 years old, he is now being moved from the ?? to prison proper, to finish his sentence with the “big guys”. Malik is young and inexperienced and in prison some guys are bigger than others. In this particular case, the Corsicans are about as big as you can get. Malik is soon (and completely by chance) tangled up with them. He does their dirty work (some work dirtier than the rest it has to be said…) they consent to not killing him, in short they have a mutually beneficial deal of sorts going. But although Malik seems to be little more than their lapdog on the outside, inside, he has plans of his own. He uses his head, experience and the trust of the Corsicans to start “businesses” of his own, until, let us say, he reaches a point where he must either sink or fly… The question is whether in this case pride comes before a fall or not…
While watching this film I couldn’t help but remember the gangster classic “Scarface” from time to time. Malik is sort of like Tony Montana, only not quite. For example, he is not consumed by the need to rule and wield power the way Tony is. At first he is just trying to survive. Then he is just trying to make a living. Then he is just seeing how much he can get away with… Although both characters end up wielding great power, Malik’s is a more of a slow and painful decent not a flaming ascent like in Tony. I can definitely say that Malik reacts pretty much the way you or I may have done if we were in prison at 19. And the realism, to my mind, doesn’t end there. I get the impression, though of course I am no expert, that Un Prophet is a very realistic portrait of a certain facet of life in France…
To sum up the film is exciting, sad and at times very difficult to watch… And it’s conclusion… Is different from what you may expect, and don’t count on the Scarface simile to give you any clues! Watch it with caution - but definitely watch it!

THE LABYRINTH

You may (or may not) be surprised to find out I only recently discovered this film even existed. I finally found this little gem on my cousin’s facebook status of all places and Max if you’re reading this (and knowing you, I sincerely doubt it but still) I mean you. Thanks mate. It was a revelation – I have evidently had a very deprived childhood…
Oh yes. This is a children’s film – it was meant as one anyway. But see, just like the animation, I like children’s films. A lot of the time, they are nostalgic. And sometimes, ideal for relaxing to. So is this one. Starring David Bowie (of all people) and a pint-sized Jennifer Connoley (aged ?? at the time)The Labyrinth is THE best dollop of gorgeous, kitsch 80’s yum I have seen in a very VERY long time.
This is the story of Sarah (Jennifer Connoley). She is a pretty regular teenager; she is into fairy stories and doesn’t like being left at home alone to babysit her little brother. On one such night when her baby brother Toby is being particularly grizzly and tiresome she inadvertently says the magic words – and the goblins carry off her baby brother. Confronted by Jareth, The Goblin King (guess who) she finds out that she has to solve the magic labyrinth, pass through the goblin city and get to Jareth’s castle in just 13 hours if she wants to see her brother again. If she fails, he will turn into a goblin and there will be no turning back…
Now, there are certain things to say about this film. For instance, the rest of the cast (except Toby, Sarah, Jareth and Mother – who appears very briefly at the beginning of the film) is made up entirely of puppets. The visual effects are… Well, very 1986 (not surprisingly, the year the film was made). And Terry Jones (again of all people. What do you mean which Terry Jones – the one from Monty Python! Oh for Heaven’s sake, you knew that, right??) wrote the thing. And that means, children’s film though it is, it is crammed full of very Python-esque and VERY British VERY dry humor. Not excessively mind you, but for some constitutions even a small smidgen of British humor is too much. I almost rolled around on the floor in places. And, and, if you are a David Bowie fan, he makes, in a word, THE BEST, the most leodard-clad and glam make-upped goblin king you could ever, possibly, remotely imagine. He is pure yum in himself.
In short, I cannot begin to explain how strongly I advise you to watch this film. I recognize it’s a niche and you may find it completely silly, but if you like this kind of film, you will bitterly regret not having watched it. And if you are among those folk (I believe they exist) that are gob-smacked I have never heard of this, well just re-watch it. Go on, you know you were looking for an excuse! =)

BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE, BEET…

Ok, we have talked about 80’s kitsch yum. We have taken a trip down memory lane. It was not long before an old favorite of mine sprang to mind. Now, everyone in my age-group has watched this film at LEAST once. More likely about 10 times. I am talking about the (in my heart) immortal classic : Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice.
Now for those too young or too old to have seen the movie, here is what it is about. Behold Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis). Happily married couple living just outside of a small town. Unfortunately, one day a freak accident sweeps both out of this world and into the next – yes indeed, they pass away. However, passing away is not the end all and be all, it is in fact barely the beginning. To start with, they appear to be confined to their home – with limited access to their caseworker (and here’s a nugget of information for you folks – if you commit suicide you become a civil servant in the next world!). They have an instruction manual and an unhelpful attitude from their caseworker so they settle down to make the best of it and bide their time in their home (not a massive problem since they do not need to eat or drink).But, of course, life goes on. And their house is sold to a family from New York – the attitudes of whom in a word get completely and utterly on their nerves (with the exception of their daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) who is relatively normal). For Adam and Barbara what started out like a couple of quiet nights in turns into purgatory… So they decide to do what any decent ghost must do: scare the new family away! However, being novices at this, all their attempts end in failure. So, against the warnings of their councilor, they decide to contact an expert in these matters (they see his ad in the manual you see): Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). Now, this Beetlejuice is a rather dodgy looking character but he definitely has the powers to scare the newcomers off. Unfortunately, he also has a bit of an attitude problem. Which makes things rather interesting to say the least…
I don’t know where to begin. This is an ideal one to watch with your kids (and believe me I was tiny when I watched this. A friend of mine apparently tried to “conjure up” Beetlejuice for herself she liked it so much). Although it handles such potentially tricky subjects as death, ghosts, the afterlife and government offices (hehe) the mood is very upbeat and leaves no room for awkward questions or sadness. You will be amazed at its ingenuity. But ofcourse, it is a Tim Burton film – therefore it is painted in the colors of his imagination but that’s nothing to complain about. The actors are both brilliant and fascinating to watch (film made in 1988 guys – Winona Ryder is only ?? !). And I have to mention Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. I know you can’t quite tell why from that synopsis, but I do, trust me. If by some freak occurrence you haven’t watched and loved this, you will become a fan by the end. Now run along and buy the DVD, trust me, you’ll watch it so many times it counts as a good investment! =)

OK, YOU'VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH :) THE WHITE BAND

Well, if you’ve been nominated for 2 Oscars® and you are actually a film directed by Michael Haneke, that is already quite a lot going for you. Add to that BAFTAs, various awards at Cannes and a Golden Globe and that is pretty damn good reference. You sit down to watching The White Band with such expectations. The film is everything you expect and more. And as it is usually the case with Haneke, it is neither easy to watch nor understand but once you “receive” the message he is trying to transmit, well, I frankly had tears in my eyes although bizarrely enough I wouldn’t be able to tell you why… Just let me tell you what the film is about first and you can decide for yourself…
The story takes place in a small village in Germany, in the 15 months that lead up to the First World War. The village schoolteacher is our narrator and tells us the story of a series of rather extraordinary events that take place in the village around that time. The village is seemingly a typical village of its time, a baron lives nearby and owns most of the land. There is the doctor, a prominent member of the community of course, the midwife who lives with her mentally handicapped son and the pastor, who is a knowledgeable and strict man, especially with his own children. It all starts with the Doctor’s accident. He falls while riding, and it is then discovered that his horse has been tripped by a wire, cunningly concealed on his way back home. Other accidents start happening. Tension in the village begins to mount. A new-born baby is left to die infront of an open window. The baron’s son is attacked. Then the midwife’s handicapped son is attacked, so badly that he may actually lose his sight… Then the schoolteacher makes an extraordinary discovery. He discovers the culprit of these misdeeds. But how in the world will he explain this to the rest of the village? And is there anything anyone can do about it?
I do not want to give too much away about this one. First of all, you may have watched it /read about it and know the story from beginning to end, which is fine. Or you might not have watched it yet in which case you probably do NOT want any spoilers. So I will concentrate on my impressions of the film and how it made me feel and not the storyline…
Hanneke has undertaken the rather solemn and hideously difficult task of explaining how The Holocaust came about. (Well of course, you cannot have one simple explanation for something like that but he has definitely hit on a very good point to put it mildly). This is a tricky topic, and Haneke handles it with the sensitivity and subtlety that befits a master. The one thing I really liked about the film is that it is not “in your face” the way this kind of film tends to be. It is not graphic in anyway and rather than showing the viewer pictures or telling them a story, he evidently wishes to put them face to face with a certain situation and make them think. Really actively participate in the subject and draw their own conclusions. Use their imaginations. You could just watch the movie without thinking about it at all, in which case it would be “just another arty movie” with “no proper conclusion”. But when you think about it and make a few simple connections to the events of the years to come, well personally I was bowled over. And Haneke’s view is very evidently that there was nothing anyone could do to stop what was coming. It is in short a highly disturbing film that you will watch in a heartbeat and think about for a long time… In my view an experience not to be missed.

THE BOX – IN A WORD, NOT FOR THE LOVERS OF CONVENTIONAL

Remember Richard Kelly, the director of Donnie Darko? He directed this. So be warned, if you like that kind of film you’ll love it, if you don’t just skip to the next review. I know (and I know that you know) that I try and target some “out of the ordinary” films every once in a while but this is a bit of “ a specialist” moment. You either love or hate this kind of film
Mm-kay, so you’re either curious or a fan of Richard Kelly either way you’re here, so let’s get on with the story  It’s the year 197something. Space exploration is the next big thing. Behold Arthur Lewis (James Marsden) who is a happily married engineer at the Space Agency with a beautiful, loving wife (Cameron Diaz) and a young son. Their lives are happy and pretty much ordinary. Then a strange man (Oscar ® nominee Frank Langella) comes along and proposes a deal. He leaves with them a box, a small box, with a red button on it. He tells them that if they press this button, someone, somewhere who they don’t know at all will die. And they will receive a million dollars. They have 24 hours to decide what to do. It all seems incomprehensibly simple. Plus the money is a large sum that they need. But of course, there is a much bigger picture involved and from that moment onwards each and every one of their decisions will have consequences they could not have even dreamt of…
Soo, Ok, how does it compare to Donnie Darko? DEFINITELY the same quality. I am officially a fan of this guy. And the best thing is, unlike Donnie Darko, you do not need a grasp of basic quantum physics and/or a manual /website to understand what the film is about (those of us who have watched Donnie can testify this is NOT an exaggeration). I would go into more detail but honestly I am not quite sure where to begin. Suffice it to say, you may have to rewind a few times or research a thing or two on the net or possibly stop the film have a think over a coffee and then go on. But in the end I am pretty confident you will “get” it. In my opinion, this is a good thing. Cameron Diaz does a particularly astounding job as the family mother and Frank Langella is a particularly scary, well shall we call him “proposer” for now?
All in all, I encourage you to watch this film if you are a fan of the “off the wall” stuff. By all means give it a try if the summary attracts you and you’re curious. But do NOT blame me if you find it too weird/dark/confusing. Honestly, you have been warned.

ABOUT THE UPDATE TODAY

Err, yes I am aware of the fact that I said my next write-up would be about The White Band. I also became aware of the fact that I had copied the wrong file onto my flash disk this morning. I did think of leaving the update until after work, but then among my "works in progress" I spied 9, a particular favourite. I also realised it was quite near completion, so that is what I worked on all morning, and here are the fruits of my labour. I hope you enjoy. My sincere apologies to anyone who was "looking forward" to reading about The White Band, I assure you it will be up on the website on Thursday, our usual update date!
Happy viewing and see you all on Thursday!
Essie

SHORT - BUT VERY SWEET : "9"

Now, one thing you guys may not be aware of is the fact that I am a MASSIVE animation fan. Of any sort. From Pixar to Miyazaki – I’m your gal. That is why I have been chomping at the bit to watch the Oscar ® nominated animation 9 for a VERY long time. Especially with Tim Burton’s name as producer on the credit block. (Guess what, massive fan of Tim Burton aswell!) I have finally achieved this goal and believe me it was everything I expected of it and more…

As is usual, first the plot: It is the aftermath of the classic sci-fi plot “man against machines”. Only the machines have won and the human race has been wiped out. All that remain that are vaguely human are 9 rag dolls that have somehow come alive. Unfortunately none of them know where they came from or how the came alive, they just know of the world they are born into. It is important to add that the rag dolls didn’t all appear at once and 9 is the last one to appear. He is by far the most inquisitive and adventurous of all the dolls and starts a chain reaction of events that will change the world…

I know, that sounds like a cliché. And I am the first to admit, there is a lot in the film that is cliché: the “sassy chick” the “jaded leader” and “his goon” the “wise old scientist” and many more… As for the storyline it is an imaginative dystopia set in an alternative reality with some rather obvious allusions to Nazi Germany and Somewhere Over The Rainbow figuring in it. And I have to admit that I could see where the story was going from the middle onwards. That seems like rather a lot wrong with the movie if you think about it. The point, however, is that I seriously doubt you are meant to think about it for any length of time. Not in that much detail. I mean, “men against machines” themed horror / sci-fi flicks have been prominent since the 70’s for God’s sake, if you go down that route just don’t watch it. If you do that, you will be missing alot. ALOT. The film for one thing, is an absolute visual feast. You could randomly pick a frame and hang it on your wall as an art piece, it’s that good. The “holes” in the story are very easy to complete with basic imagination (and I assume anyone into watching animations has at least a basic imagination!). The characters are in a word lovable. I have heard people say “they aren’t developed” but really, they are just your good old staple animation / Hollywood film characters we watch in every film of this sort. Plus, with talented actors like Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau and Jennifer Connolly lending them their voices the rag dolls do a much better job “coming alive” on screen than some “live” actors do!

So it will not change your life. I have always said that all movies are not meant to. I will go as far as saying this though: Director Shane Aker has done an excellent jop and if you watch 9 and fail to enjoy it on some level, there is very probably something seriously wrong with you…