this is the voice of re:mote induction.Wednesday, August 18, 2004
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – 58 – 18-29 AUGUST 2004 - my picks from this year’s festival of the films which hold some potential. Varying from films which are clearly must see, to those which instinct says could be win big or be horribly wrong, but only seeing them can say for sure.
2046 - the latest film by world renowned Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai, the UK premier takes the role of closing this year’s film festival. Described partly as a sequel to In The Mood For Love, recreating the mood of 1960’s Hong Kong as a partial Science Fiction form. With a cast that includes Tony Leung, Maggie Chung, Faye Wong, Gon Li and Zhang Ziyi.
After The Day Before (Másnap) - described as a “mind-blowing, Kakfa-esque tale of murder and complicity”, with comparisons to Lynch’s Mullholland Drive. A Hungarian film following a man’s journey to a remote village to see a house he has inherited, and the strange and violent characters he encounters.
20: 30: 40 - the tag-line for this film is “move over Bridget Jones: chick-lit was never this good...” – a Taiwan/Hong Kong production set in Taiwan, with a cast that includes Sylvia Chang, who also directs, as well as Tony Leung. The film focuses on the lives of three different women in contemporary Taiwan – “a young girl trying to become a pop star, while grappling with her sexuality, an indecisive air hostess with a talent for choosing the wrong me, and a divorced businesswoman trying to get back into dating”.
Anatomy Of Hell - the latest film by controversial French director Catherine Breillat, so you know if nothing else it is going to cause a stir. “Adapting her own, poetic-polemical novel for the screen, Breillat takes her trademark dissection of gender-politics and sexual mores to a shocking conclusion, narrating a dark tale of desire, seduction and complicity”. Comes with a warning that the extreme sexual content may cause offence, so keeping up with her track record of Romance and A Ma Souer then?
Calvaire - tag-line = “Deliverance meets The League Of Gentlemen in this chiller from the Low Countries” – which is enough to set alarm bells going. The cast of this French/Belgian/Luxemburgian (?) film includes Phillipe Nahon, who starred in Gaspar Noe’s Sel Contre Tous. “Suffice to say, you won’t sleep well after this one…”
Coffee And Cigarettes - the latest film by director Jim Jarmusch, a collection of short stories, shot in black and white, linked by the titular themes. With a cast that includes – Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Steve Buscemi, Steve Coogan and Iggy Pop. Nuff said?
Control (Kontroll) - another Kafka-esque film from Hungary, which apparently has been a big hit across mainland Europe. Following a group of misfit ticket inspectors on Budapest’s underground as they go around their twisted daily routine, and are stalked by a possibly super-natural killer. Um. Yeah. I suspect that could be described as “out there”.
Dear Pillow - “acclaimed at it’s Slamdance premiere, this ventures into the taboo-breaking territory of filmmakers like Larry (Kids) Clark and Todd (Happiness) Solondz…with it’s sensitive, resolutely non-exploitative treatment of adolescent sexuality, and it’s sympathetic portrayal of lonely, obsessed people, this is a brave and intelligent American indie.”
Duck Season (Temporada de Patos) - “One apartment, four characters, and a horrible painting – in this delightful, deadpan comedy, reminiscent of early Jarmusch.” The latest South American film to look promising for success, at least based on the description of this Mexican film. Two 15 year old boys settle down to drink beer, play playstation, and watch porn, but find their plans changed by the arrival of the late pizza delivery boy and the cute girl from next door who wants to use their oven for hash cakes.
Far Side Of The Moon - the latest from Canadian director Robert Lepage, which is all I need to know that it is worth seeing.
The Green Hat (Lu Mao Tze) - “Crime thriller and melodrama combine in this remarkable Chinese feature… After a successful bank heist, Wang pauses to call the girlfriend he’s intending to join the US – only to discover that she’s dumping him. What happens next is at once reckless, thrilling and unpredictable…”
A Good Lawyer's Wife (Baramnan Gajok) - “Tough, uncomfortably truthful dissection of marriage, from South Korea’s most subversive filmmaker. Sexually forthright, resolutely adult both in it’s themes and their treatment, this achieves levels of emotional honesty and psychological insight that western cinema seems increasingly reluctant to explore.”
Hanging Offence (Cette femme-la) – “Intensely cinematic, from it’s eerily-lit, widescreen cinematography to it’s shivery score, it marries the immaculate craftsmanship of David Fincher’s Se7en with the noir-ish atmospherics of Jean-Pierre Melville, and confirms Nicloux as a singular and considerable talent.”
Hero (Ying Xiong) - directed by Zhang Yimou, who did Shanghai Triad and Raise The Red Lantern. With a cast that includes - Jet Li, Tony Leung , Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen. Now that is a cast.
Just Bea (Bare Bea) - Norwegian/Swedish coming off age style film, which from the description suggests a comparison to Lukas Moodyson’s Show Me Love – “funny and affectionate, Naess’s comedy of sexual manners is a delight for all ages.”
Little Men– a French/Kazakhstani film which catches the eye with comparisons to early Hal Hartley. Described as “rites-of-passage comedy, exotic in setting yet familiar in theme… a film of quiet considerable pleasures.”
The Machinist - a Spanish film with a curious cast - Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijon, Michael Ironside, John Sharian. From the description – “Who, exactly, keeps leaving those cryptic notes in his home? And what about his confidante Ivan – who his workmates claim doesn’t actually exist? And: whose body’s inside his fridge? Steeped in the same dark strain of urban dread as David Fincher’s Fight Club and The Game, this is a frightening journey into the subconscious.”
Motorcycle Diaries - the opening film of the festival, and the UK premier of a piece, which is going to hit most cinemas in the weeks following the festival anyway. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, who has really emerged from South American cinema over the last few years, as Che Guevera, based on his journals of his travels around Argentina, Chile, Peru and Venezuela. Directed by Walter Salles, who was one of the first Brazillian directors to make his mark with the success of Central Station.
Passages – a Chinese road trip! Two students are lured into a journey with the promise of selling magic mushrooms and the wealth that will follow. However things of course don’t go as planned. Compared to European art films in composition, but with contemporary China as a back drop.
Pearls and Pigs (Helmiä ja Sikoja) - I think this one should be filed in the “not really sure what to make of it – could be brilliant – or absolutely shocking”. Described as 4 brothers hitting on the get-rich-quick scheme of entering their sister in a sleazy “junior pop idol”. Oh, and it is Finnish satire on the current trend for TV talent shows.
Old Boy - I suspect this latest film by Park Chan-Wook will probably crop up in next year’s Tartan Asia Extreme season, just as his previous film Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance cropped up in last year’s. Mr. Vengeance stood out well, and the fact that this is the same guy is a good start, with Old Boy having similarly dark themes – a man is kidnapped, held in a cell for 15 years, and in the meantime charged in absentia as the murderer of his wife.
Primer – low budget American SF film, “fuelled by a mounting paranoia, a debt to Darren Aaronovsky’s Pi is apparent – but there are also echoes of Philp K. Dick and J.G. Ballard here.”
Primo Amore – Italian film dealing with body-politics and gender politics: “a daring riposte to our Atkins culture”, following a blind internet date which starts with the immortal words “I thought you’d be thinner”
Purple Butterfly – new film from director Ye Lou who did Suzhuo River. Starring Ziyi Zhang. A period piece set in 1930’s Shanghai, with the Purple Butterfly anti-Japanese underground fighters. “Dense yet absorbing… shot in crisp, chilly blue-greys, propelled by a grand symphonic score.”
Process - “WARNING: Some scenes may disturb viewers”. This French film stars Beatrice Dalle and Guillaume Depardieu, Dalle being one of those actresses that if the film is worthwhile then she is dynamite. Most recently seen in 17 Scenes of Cecile Cassard, which was striking, minimal and harrowing. With Process being described as minimal, harrowing and with just 29 takes, one kind of sees a parallel. “Fearlessly charting the darker side of human behaviour; this grave and beautiful study of alienation… with an incendiary score by John Cale, is certain to polarise audiences.”
Ramblers (Lializumu no yado) “Slacker Japanese comedy confounds national stereotypes: Jim Jarmusch would be proud. With it’s wry, anecdotal tone and deliciously deadpan humour, Yamashita’s feature is a delight: a genuinely funny Japanese comedy that pokes gentle fun, not only at it’s cast of misfits, but at the post-recession state of it’s homeland.”
The Purifiers - the second film by Scottish director Richard Jobson, with his first film 16 Years Of Alcohol on general release around the UK at the moment. The Purifiers however is something of a departure from that debut, “gangs run the cities in Scotland’s first martial-arts flick, set in the near future… a cult-movie, pure and simple; a rapid-fire, action-packed thriller that reclaims the visual flair and kinetic thrills of Hong Kong chop-socky flicks… make no mistake, it’s a hell of a ride.”
Rewind (Videoreul boneun namja) - an apparently feel good, romantic comedy from Korea, following the life of a recently divorced man, who chucks in a career as a lawyer to open a video shop, thinking that it will give him the quiet life he craves…
Saved! - another one for the could go either way category, the booklet photo of school girls with wings and the casting of Martin Donovan as a “hip-hop preacher” go in the pro column, casting of Mandy Moore and Macauley Culkin go in the um column. Described as “an election for the neo-con religious right…gently provocative, surprisingly sweet-natured and very, very funny, this is delightful” Um!
Stage Beauty – already being trailered for imminent cinema release, with leads of Billy Crudrup and Claire Danes who have both done some good work.
Spy Bound (Agents Secrets) - French film reuniting married couple Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel on screen since together for the first time since the notorious Irreversible. High tech spy thriller, filled with gadgets, thrills, glamour and bare-knuckle action…
Taipei 21 - Taiwanese film following the sudden break up of a relationship after 7 years, “acutely-observed tale of love gone wrong…[with] abiding affection for [it’s] characters, and [a] richly poetic sensibility”.
Trauma - UK premier of the second film by Marc Evans, his first being the promising My Little Eye, trailers are already showing for an imminent cinema release, which make this look like it has some potential. “Superbly shot and edited, this psychological horror story evokes the dark textures of Hong Kong thrillers like The Eye - all disturbing visions and fragmented imagery. A cinematic puzzle, it will haunt you long afterwards.”
Tokyo Godfathers - “Stunning anime for all ages from legendary Japanese cartoonist Kon, maker of the classic Perfect Blue.”
Mirrorball: Japan – “the latest programme of top-notch Japanese creative work in promos and ads.”
Mirrorball: South American Showcase – “once again we return to the lands of Havaianas, drinks made with rum and perennial tans – to showcase all that is holy in promos and adverts.”
Blackbox: Chain - “anti-globalisation film poem, produced by members of Fugazzi”.
LATE NIGHT ROMPS - series of high energy action/horror/SF films, where some of my best memories of past EIFF events come from.
Arahan – Chaotic action film from South Korea, with a description that just has to be read, final tongue in cheek battle between good and evil!
Red Cockroaches - European Premiere / Miguel Coyula / USA & Cuba / 2004 / 82 min - "Visionary, visually stunning SF yarn, in the tradition of David Lynch, made for just $2,000. The cult starts here!"
Natural City -"Shades of Blade Runner in this stunning futuristic tale of cops on the trail of rogue humanoids. With it’s glossy, hi-tech production design, its dizzying barrage of digital effects, and some touchingly old-fashioned martial-arts fight sequences, this has something for everyone. Philip K. Dick would be proud”
Skinned Deep – “why DO people drive in the woods, anyway? don’t they know it never ends well?” Broken down car – creepy old granny – giant headed Brain – vicious dwarf – metal mouthed chopper – special FX by guy who did them for Cremaster . “deranged horror-comedy”.
2046 - the latest film by world renowned Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai, the UK premier takes the role of closing this year’s film festival. Described partly as a sequel to In The Mood For Love, recreating the mood of 1960’s Hong Kong as a partial Science Fiction form. With a cast that includes Tony Leung, Maggie Chung, Faye Wong, Gon Li and Zhang Ziyi.
After The Day Before (Másnap) - described as a “mind-blowing, Kakfa-esque tale of murder and complicity”, with comparisons to Lynch’s Mullholland Drive. A Hungarian film following a man’s journey to a remote village to see a house he has inherited, and the strange and violent characters he encounters.
20: 30: 40 - the tag-line for this film is “move over Bridget Jones: chick-lit was never this good...” – a Taiwan/Hong Kong production set in Taiwan, with a cast that includes Sylvia Chang, who also directs, as well as Tony Leung. The film focuses on the lives of three different women in contemporary Taiwan – “a young girl trying to become a pop star, while grappling with her sexuality, an indecisive air hostess with a talent for choosing the wrong me, and a divorced businesswoman trying to get back into dating”.
Anatomy Of Hell - the latest film by controversial French director Catherine Breillat, so you know if nothing else it is going to cause a stir. “Adapting her own, poetic-polemical novel for the screen, Breillat takes her trademark dissection of gender-politics and sexual mores to a shocking conclusion, narrating a dark tale of desire, seduction and complicity”. Comes with a warning that the extreme sexual content may cause offence, so keeping up with her track record of Romance and A Ma Souer then?
Calvaire - tag-line = “Deliverance meets The League Of Gentlemen in this chiller from the Low Countries” – which is enough to set alarm bells going. The cast of this French/Belgian/Luxemburgian (?) film includes Phillipe Nahon, who starred in Gaspar Noe’s Sel Contre Tous. “Suffice to say, you won’t sleep well after this one…”
Coffee And Cigarettes - the latest film by director Jim Jarmusch, a collection of short stories, shot in black and white, linked by the titular themes. With a cast that includes – Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Steve Buscemi, Steve Coogan and Iggy Pop. Nuff said?
Control (Kontroll) - another Kafka-esque film from Hungary, which apparently has been a big hit across mainland Europe. Following a group of misfit ticket inspectors on Budapest’s underground as they go around their twisted daily routine, and are stalked by a possibly super-natural killer. Um. Yeah. I suspect that could be described as “out there”.
Dear Pillow - “acclaimed at it’s Slamdance premiere, this ventures into the taboo-breaking territory of filmmakers like Larry (Kids) Clark and Todd (Happiness) Solondz…with it’s sensitive, resolutely non-exploitative treatment of adolescent sexuality, and it’s sympathetic portrayal of lonely, obsessed people, this is a brave and intelligent American indie.”
Duck Season (Temporada de Patos) - “One apartment, four characters, and a horrible painting – in this delightful, deadpan comedy, reminiscent of early Jarmusch.” The latest South American film to look promising for success, at least based on the description of this Mexican film. Two 15 year old boys settle down to drink beer, play playstation, and watch porn, but find their plans changed by the arrival of the late pizza delivery boy and the cute girl from next door who wants to use their oven for hash cakes.
Far Side Of The Moon - the latest from Canadian director Robert Lepage, which is all I need to know that it is worth seeing.
The Green Hat (Lu Mao Tze) - “Crime thriller and melodrama combine in this remarkable Chinese feature… After a successful bank heist, Wang pauses to call the girlfriend he’s intending to join the US – only to discover that she’s dumping him. What happens next is at once reckless, thrilling and unpredictable…”
A Good Lawyer's Wife (Baramnan Gajok) - “Tough, uncomfortably truthful dissection of marriage, from South Korea’s most subversive filmmaker. Sexually forthright, resolutely adult both in it’s themes and their treatment, this achieves levels of emotional honesty and psychological insight that western cinema seems increasingly reluctant to explore.”
Hanging Offence (Cette femme-la) – “Intensely cinematic, from it’s eerily-lit, widescreen cinematography to it’s shivery score, it marries the immaculate craftsmanship of David Fincher’s Se7en with the noir-ish atmospherics of Jean-Pierre Melville, and confirms Nicloux as a singular and considerable talent.”
Hero (Ying Xiong) - directed by Zhang Yimou, who did Shanghai Triad and Raise The Red Lantern. With a cast that includes - Jet Li, Tony Leung , Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen. Now that is a cast.
Just Bea (Bare Bea) - Norwegian/Swedish coming off age style film, which from the description suggests a comparison to Lukas Moodyson’s Show Me Love – “funny and affectionate, Naess’s comedy of sexual manners is a delight for all ages.”
Little Men– a French/Kazakhstani film which catches the eye with comparisons to early Hal Hartley. Described as “rites-of-passage comedy, exotic in setting yet familiar in theme… a film of quiet considerable pleasures.”
The Machinist - a Spanish film with a curious cast - Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijon, Michael Ironside, John Sharian. From the description – “Who, exactly, keeps leaving those cryptic notes in his home? And what about his confidante Ivan – who his workmates claim doesn’t actually exist? And: whose body’s inside his fridge? Steeped in the same dark strain of urban dread as David Fincher’s Fight Club and The Game, this is a frightening journey into the subconscious.”
Motorcycle Diaries - the opening film of the festival, and the UK premier of a piece, which is going to hit most cinemas in the weeks following the festival anyway. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, who has really emerged from South American cinema over the last few years, as Che Guevera, based on his journals of his travels around Argentina, Chile, Peru and Venezuela. Directed by Walter Salles, who was one of the first Brazillian directors to make his mark with the success of Central Station.
Passages – a Chinese road trip! Two students are lured into a journey with the promise of selling magic mushrooms and the wealth that will follow. However things of course don’t go as planned. Compared to European art films in composition, but with contemporary China as a back drop.
Pearls and Pigs (Helmiä ja Sikoja) - I think this one should be filed in the “not really sure what to make of it – could be brilliant – or absolutely shocking”. Described as 4 brothers hitting on the get-rich-quick scheme of entering their sister in a sleazy “junior pop idol”. Oh, and it is Finnish satire on the current trend for TV talent shows.
Old Boy - I suspect this latest film by Park Chan-Wook will probably crop up in next year’s Tartan Asia Extreme season, just as his previous film Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance cropped up in last year’s. Mr. Vengeance stood out well, and the fact that this is the same guy is a good start, with Old Boy having similarly dark themes – a man is kidnapped, held in a cell for 15 years, and in the meantime charged in absentia as the murderer of his wife.
Primer – low budget American SF film, “fuelled by a mounting paranoia, a debt to Darren Aaronovsky’s Pi is apparent – but there are also echoes of Philp K. Dick and J.G. Ballard here.”
Primo Amore – Italian film dealing with body-politics and gender politics: “a daring riposte to our Atkins culture”, following a blind internet date which starts with the immortal words “I thought you’d be thinner”
Purple Butterfly – new film from director Ye Lou who did Suzhuo River. Starring Ziyi Zhang. A period piece set in 1930’s Shanghai, with the Purple Butterfly anti-Japanese underground fighters. “Dense yet absorbing… shot in crisp, chilly blue-greys, propelled by a grand symphonic score.”
Process - “WARNING: Some scenes may disturb viewers”. This French film stars Beatrice Dalle and Guillaume Depardieu, Dalle being one of those actresses that if the film is worthwhile then she is dynamite. Most recently seen in 17 Scenes of Cecile Cassard, which was striking, minimal and harrowing. With Process being described as minimal, harrowing and with just 29 takes, one kind of sees a parallel. “Fearlessly charting the darker side of human behaviour; this grave and beautiful study of alienation… with an incendiary score by John Cale, is certain to polarise audiences.”
Ramblers (Lializumu no yado) “Slacker Japanese comedy confounds national stereotypes: Jim Jarmusch would be proud. With it’s wry, anecdotal tone and deliciously deadpan humour, Yamashita’s feature is a delight: a genuinely funny Japanese comedy that pokes gentle fun, not only at it’s cast of misfits, but at the post-recession state of it’s homeland.”
The Purifiers - the second film by Scottish director Richard Jobson, with his first film 16 Years Of Alcohol on general release around the UK at the moment. The Purifiers however is something of a departure from that debut, “gangs run the cities in Scotland’s first martial-arts flick, set in the near future… a cult-movie, pure and simple; a rapid-fire, action-packed thriller that reclaims the visual flair and kinetic thrills of Hong Kong chop-socky flicks… make no mistake, it’s a hell of a ride.”
Rewind (Videoreul boneun namja) - an apparently feel good, romantic comedy from Korea, following the life of a recently divorced man, who chucks in a career as a lawyer to open a video shop, thinking that it will give him the quiet life he craves…
Saved! - another one for the could go either way category, the booklet photo of school girls with wings and the casting of Martin Donovan as a “hip-hop preacher” go in the pro column, casting of Mandy Moore and Macauley Culkin go in the um column. Described as “an election for the neo-con religious right…gently provocative, surprisingly sweet-natured and very, very funny, this is delightful” Um!
Stage Beauty – already being trailered for imminent cinema release, with leads of Billy Crudrup and Claire Danes who have both done some good work.
Spy Bound (Agents Secrets) - French film reuniting married couple Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel on screen since together for the first time since the notorious Irreversible. High tech spy thriller, filled with gadgets, thrills, glamour and bare-knuckle action…
Taipei 21 - Taiwanese film following the sudden break up of a relationship after 7 years, “acutely-observed tale of love gone wrong…[with] abiding affection for [it’s] characters, and [a] richly poetic sensibility”.
Trauma - UK premier of the second film by Marc Evans, his first being the promising My Little Eye, trailers are already showing for an imminent cinema release, which make this look like it has some potential. “Superbly shot and edited, this psychological horror story evokes the dark textures of Hong Kong thrillers like The Eye - all disturbing visions and fragmented imagery. A cinematic puzzle, it will haunt you long afterwards.”
Tokyo Godfathers - “Stunning anime for all ages from legendary Japanese cartoonist Kon, maker of the classic Perfect Blue.”
Mirrorball: Japan – “the latest programme of top-notch Japanese creative work in promos and ads.”
Mirrorball: South American Showcase – “once again we return to the lands of Havaianas, drinks made with rum and perennial tans – to showcase all that is holy in promos and adverts.”
Blackbox: Chain - “anti-globalisation film poem, produced by members of Fugazzi”.
LATE NIGHT ROMPS - series of high energy action/horror/SF films, where some of my best memories of past EIFF events come from.
Arahan – Chaotic action film from South Korea, with a description that just has to be read, final tongue in cheek battle between good and evil!
Red Cockroaches - European Premiere / Miguel Coyula / USA & Cuba / 2004 / 82 min - "Visionary, visually stunning SF yarn, in the tradition of David Lynch, made for just $2,000. The cult starts here!"
Natural City -"Shades of Blade Runner in this stunning futuristic tale of cops on the trail of rogue humanoids. With it’s glossy, hi-tech production design, its dizzying barrage of digital effects, and some touchingly old-fashioned martial-arts fight sequences, this has something for everyone. Philip K. Dick would be proud”
Skinned Deep – “why DO people drive in the woods, anyway? don’t they know it never ends well?” Broken down car – creepy old granny – giant headed Brain – vicious dwarf – metal mouthed chopper – special FX by guy who did them for Cremaster . “deranged horror-comedy”.
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