There Will Be Blood

Once again the Alamo Drafthouse DHCP server suffered under the strain of 200+ movie fans trying desperately to blog and read about the movies they've seen during a fantastic week of Fantastic Fest. With the festival behind me, I can try to get back to the usual routines of work and home. Don't expect many film reviews in the next few weeks. ;-)

Last night's closing night feature was There Will Be Blood from director Paul Thomas Anderson, in its first public screening. As historical fiction based on an Upton Sinclair novel about the early 1900s American oil industry, this isn't exactly on-genre for the festival. Tim League in his introduction simply called it a "fantastic film". Still, it seemed to play well with the audience. After the movie during the brief Q&A, the director referred to it as part horror, with a vision of Dracula in the lead character. Maybe.

This is an art film in many senses. It's releasing at the end of December to be in prime share for Oscar nominations. It doesn't have a single word of dialog for the first 10 minutes of the film, and then 90% of the dialog is from the main character. Anyone who goes to it based on the title will be disappointed, and half the people who perhaps would go based on the story will be confused by the title.

All of this said, I thought parts of the movie were very slow. There were too many scenes with little to no sound at all, and with the on-screen action moving at a snail's pace. I think judicious cutting of 10-15 minutes would improve the flow, especially during the first half of the film. Leave all the scenes intact - just shorten them.

I watch this kind of film on PBS when I'm balancing the checkbook. I don't go see it in the theater. If you like this genre, go and enjoy the film.

There Will Be Blood
2007, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Death Note 2: The Last Name

The epic struggle continues for another installment.

Going in, I was under the impression that they planned to stretch this into a three-to-five movie franchise. Thus, I was surprised to see just so many of the expected super-conflict clichés packed into this one film. If you like the series, go into this knowing that it concludes the story and you'll be satisfied.

Death Note 2: The Last Note
2006, 141 minutes, directed by Shūsuke Kaneko

Death Note

I think most who will see this are already familiar with the story. This is a fantastic tale of corruption and death, and (in the typical Japanese fashion) a story of the struggle between two young, brilliant, emotionless, cruel, good, evil, men.

Having no background on the series, I felt that they did a good job of building up sympathies with Light before bringing them down. Even with the very predictable themes, it was a good ride from start to finish.

Death Note
2006, 126 minutes, directed by Shūsuke Kaneko

El Orfanto (The Orphanage)

The Spanish have stolen the show. Juan Antonio Bayona's masterpiece El Orfanto is a beautifully-told ghost story. There are few shocks or other horror elements that would scare off potential audience - sadly just the Spanish with subtitles will doom this to a poor American release.

The writer and director were on hand to answer questions after the movie. Director Juan Bayona described his movie as a "connection to childhood". Writer Sergio Sánchez added that he "redid Close Encounters but replaced aliens with ghosts and added some angry Carlos." While in screenplay form they received strong feedback that this movie was a mix of genres and therefore unable to succeed. I'm very pleased that they proved that wrong.

El Orfanto (The Orphanage)
2007, 100 minutes, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona

Sex and Death 101

The Alamo's public wireless network is stressed under the strain of hundreds blogging after each movie. I was unable to get an IP address at all yesterday, so my four movie reviews had to wait.

I had high hopes for this as something very different for this festival. It's more of a guy comedy, but the star is just a bit too smug, and the ending is way too predictable.

The "romantic comedy" tag is a stretch, no doubt, but it falls closer to that than anything else I can imagine. Sorry.

Sex and Death 101
2007, 100 minutes, directed by Daniel Waters

La Hora Fría (The Cold Hour)

I had high expectations for this movie. It's one of the few truly "sci fi" films to screen at this year's Fantastic Fest, and sci fi is my favorite genre. I loved the concept, and the movie was filmed and choreographed beautifully. When it was introduced, we were told that "all questions would be answered" if we just stayed until the very end. Alas, I disagree, and after a night of restless sleep filled with dark passages and impending doom, I have to say that I'm not satisfied. Just what, exactly, does come out at the Cold Hour?

La Hora Fría (The Cold Hour)
2006, 93 minutes, directed by Elio Quiroga

Spiral

I'm often disappointed in the "madness" film genre. I don't want to see some of the things they put on screen. (See Offscreen for example. Or don't, actually, ever.) I liked this one. I was disappointed in the obvious nature of one of the plot twists, but the ending more than made up for it.

Spiral
2007, 90 minutes, directed by Adam Green and Joel David Moore

Flash Point

The first 45 minutes of dialog are slow and confusing. But then... WOW. If you have any interest at all in martial arts films, go see this one.

Flash Point
2007, 88 minutes, directed by Wilson Tip

The Last Winter

I go to survival films to find ones like this. Strong story, solid acting, and a good use of budget. I've heard complaints about the ending being too "explicit", but I'm happy for an ending that's not esoteric. I'll enjoy seeing this one again. Ron Perlman sighting!

The Last Winter
2006, 107 minutes, Larry Fessenden

Maiko Haaaan!!!

Despite not being as weird as most Japanese fare, I found Maiko Haaaan!!! to be a refreshingly strong comedy. It's good to sometimes see the bumbling idiot where every goes right, and they didn't overdo too many clichés or break out into too many spontaneous song and dance routines. It was a solid, enjoyable work.

Maiko Haaaan!!!
2007, 90 minutes, directed by Nobuo Mizuta

Aachi and Ssipak

This is a delightful romp through the vulgar and obscene. Leave your brain at the door and just enjoy stupid and crass humor in its raw form. The action flows well and the humor is nonstop.

Aachi and Ssipak
2006, 90 minutes, directed by Jo Beom-Jim

Dai Nipponjin

I might have liked this more at a different time of day. Dai Nipponjin is a Japanese mockumentary, shown midnight last night as a secret screening. Like all mockumentaries, it is rich with awkward pauses, incongruous events, and use of the camera to reveal more than the "subjects" are willing to say. We were warned that the film started slow, then would build up in hilarity. Sadly, it never really picked up to keep me into it at 1:00 AM. The brief bits of hilarity were too sparse between the slow and silent.

Japanese absurd can play well at night - Naisu no mori: The First Contact played beautifully after midnight. Dai Nipponjin just didn't rise the level of absurdity that I've come to expect from the Japanese comedy genre.

If you like mockumentaries, rent this one on a Sunday afternoon when you're folding laundry. Just don't expect it to keep you awake.

Dai Nipponjin
2007, 113 minutes, directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto

Crazy Thunder Road

Japanese. Punk. Bikers. You can't resist.

It was a student project of writer/director Sogo Ishii, but it was good enough to be picked up and blown up for the big screen. In some cases, it shows - horrible special effects, strange incongruous cuts - but the bizarre aspects play well with an American crowd.

Crazy Thunder Road
1980, 95 minutes, directed by Sogo Ishii

Son of Rambow

I enjoy young boy coming-of-age stories. Half of us were there once, with imaginations more vivid that reality, and boundless visions of the future and our own abilities. I don't think this film will disappoint anyone who sees it. It didn't disappoint me.

Son of Rambow
2007, 95 minutes, directed by Garth Jennings

Persepolis

I won't call this a story of Iran. It is a story of life. Every society places controls on its members. Without them, it wouldn't be a society. Yet all too often we go too far. Those in charge of enforcing the controls become abusive, drunk on their power. I don't think the cycle will end.

Go see this film.

Persepolis
2007, 95 minutes, directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi

Uncle's Paradise

Don't let the "softporn" tag fool you. This movie has a serious plot with multiple plot lines and twists. The fact that they are all insane is merely a side effect. Movie makers in Japan have to include the softport to get funding, but then often proceed to tell a story that is bizarre and original. This one is no exception. You have been warned.

Uncle's Paradise
2007, 64 minutes, directed by Shinji Imaoka

Offscreen

Never see this film.

Offscreen
2006, 93 minutes, directed by Christoffer Boe

Southland Tales

This was the first of the Ain't It Cool News "special screenings" at Fantastic Fest. Us unwashed masses have no idea what the film will be until moments before the projector starts. This time, what we got was Southland Tales, a sprawling film of untold proportions. Seriously - I've seen the film and large portions remain untold.

It's weird - no question - far weirder than Weirdsville could ever be. But it's not weird because they hired the first family of weird actors to play stereotypical roles. No, it's weird because you can sit there, watch it, and shake your head in wonder at the notion that someone paid good money to film this and put it on the screen.

In the Q&A after the film, the director said that he wanted to draw the cast entirely from those with a comedic background or from the pop culture. For the most part he did so, with all of the comedic roles portrayed by comedians, and the pop culture roles played by pop culture icons. Some of the people barely have speaking roles, but at least they show up on camera. He also wanted to try role reversals, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson playing a schizophrenic and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a porn star. Maybe it would have been fresh in 2005, but by now I've seen the Rock in nonstandard roles, and I haven't seen enough SMG in the past few years to be shocked by this "break from tradition".

The film just didn't work for me. I picked up a copy of the three backstory graphic novels, which they were giving away after the film. If I ever get around to reading them, I'll edit this post to explain if they help the film make sense.

Southland Tales
2007, about 120 minutes unless they chop more out before release, directed by Richard Kelly

Alone

Although I dislike horror, especially including the shockfest, I find that Alone, seen September 22, does have redeeming qualities. I appreciated the plot twists and turns, which served and advanced the story instead of merely setting up the next visual effects shock.

Alone
2007, 95 minutes, directed by B. Pisanthanakun and P. Wongpoom

Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The stereotypical look and feel of anime turns off many people, often including me. There's too much slapstick, and too much time spent with unrealistically-large mouths open for crying or gasping in disbelief. And yet, if you look past that, there are truly fantastic stories being told through the genre. Girl Who Leapt Through Time, seen on September 22, tells a story of choice and consequent. It beautifully balances comedy, tragedy, and introspective. If you can see past the anime to see the story, I highly recommend this one.

Girl Who Leapt Through Time
2007, 98 minutes, directed by Mamoru Hosoda

Flight of the Living Dead

Zombie flicks are all the rage, and more of them are drifting into the category of zombedy. This one is somewhere in the middle, with plenty of the usual cheese and comedy, but still a good splattering of shock and gore. For someone who doesn't like horror but loves zombie flicks, this one is a keeper. Oh and yes, it's better than that other horror-on-a-plane film from last year. This was the midnight show on September 21.

Flight of the Living Dead
2007, 97 minutes, directed by Scott Thomas

Weirdsville

Sadly, I can't even tag this weird. Drug addicts who go on zany adventures, a small town demonic cult, and even midgets in full medieval regalia can't make this live up to its title. It's the first movie I've seen this week that wasn't subtitled, and sadly it was the worst so far. Stupid is as stupid does. It does have some redeeming qualities - it's not Half Baked, for instance. But I could skip seeing this again.

Weirdsville
2007, 90 minutes, directed by Allan Moyle

Mirageman

No wires. No special effects. Just raw martial arts in a superhero setting. By "raw" I mean unscripted, and by "unscripted" I mean that they just went out and fought, and filmed it. Mirageman was a good movie, seen September 21. The same team had just finished their first feature, Kiltro, and the stunt team was well trained to work together. This synergy shows in the very different second effort. Pay special attent to the fight in the sauna - the guy who flies through the air and bounces his head off a column before landing really did just that. The movie's star added in the Q&A that no one was seriously hurt.

Mireageman
2007, 90 minuntes, directed by Ernesto Díaz Espinoza

The Backwoods

I don't like horror, and I'm not a huge fan of survival films, but The Backwoods, seen September 21, tells a strong story beyond that of the typical "raw chase." A solid story of relationship and family strife envelopes the brief action, telling the stories of both the hunters and the hunted.

The Backwoods
2007, 98 minutes, directed by Koldo Serra

Sword Bearer

What happens if you give an ordinary person extraordinary power? In post-industrial Russia, it's not pretty. Super power fantasy films have been moving more and more towards dark and gritty, in contrast to the magical journey themes of the 1970s and 80s. Sword Bearer dispenses of any sense of the epic, and instead concentrates on the destruction such an ability could cause if not controlled or understood. The story is very well told, acted, and filmed, but the brief moments of absolute beauty are surrounded by overwhelming darkness and despair.

Sword Bearer
2006, 110 minutes, directed by Filipp Yankovsky

Cronoscrimines (Timecrimes)

I'm a sucker for sci fi, and time travel is a big sub-genre. Time travel movies can be divided into two camps - those where you can change history, and those where you can't. The latter category is much harder to pull off, because the same scene shot multiple times can look cheesy with continuity flaws. This movie falls into the "cannot change history" category, but I have to say that the entire film just feels "tight". Nothing obvious jumped out that distracted me from the strange but intriguing story.

"How do you change things if you can't change anything?" That was the question director Nacho Vigalondo posed during the Q&A after this world premiere. I think he answered that question well, and I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes the genre. As this was the first showing of the first movie from this director, I certainly expect to see more good things from him.

Cronoscrimines (Timecrimes)
2007, 88 minutes, directed by Nacho Vigalondo

Wicked Flowers

Back in 2007, I started a project.  I attend a few film festivals a year, and regular get asked to name some films I liked.  Put on the stop like that, though, I simply draw a blank.  To avoid that - and help my memory overall - I'm posting notes and a brief review for every film I see, starting with this one, my first film of Fantastic Fest 2007 here in Austin, Texas. 

Wicked Flowers is a movie I can respectfully categorize as from the weird Japanese film genre.

What can I say? Weird. It's not the weirdest movie I've ever seen - that honor still must go to
Naisu no mori: The First Contact aka Funky Forest, which I saw at last year's festival. But, if you're looking for a suitable head scratcher with resolution, give it a shot.

Wicked Flowers
2006, 85 minutes, directed by Torico