Today's Review: The 9th Life of Louis Drax

Met The 9th Life of Louis Drax lijkt Alexandre Aja een waardige opvolger voor zijn zonderlinge Horns voor ogen gehad te hebben. In die bizarre film trok hij alles uit de kast in een gitzwarte, gothic komedie die de regels van de fantasy en horror aan zijn laars lapte. Goed nieuws voor de genrefans die er wel om konden lachen, want Aja tracht dus nu hetzelfde te bewerkstelligen. Het probleem is echter dat aan de basis van The 9th Life of Louis Drax een bloedserieus en beladen thema staat, dat zich maar moeilijk leent voor alle fantastische opsmuk waarmee Aja het serveert. Wat begint als een licht en komisch jongensavontuur, ontspoort hoe langer hoe meer in een duister relaas over slechte ouders, psychisch trauma en een dodelijke drang naar aandacht, waarbij Aja's mentaliteit van 'kijk-deze-malligheid-eens' volkomen misplaatst voelt.

De Louis Drax uit de titel is een negenjarig jochie dat de pech had in coma te raken na een val van een klif. Dat klinkt onfortuinlijk, maar is voor Louis slechts het zoveelste ongeluk in zijn korte bestaan. Die pech begon naar eigen zeggen al bij zijn geboorte en heeft zich sindsdien geuit in een reeks voorvallen die elk ander kind niet overleefd zou hebben. Nu lijkt ook voor Louis de grens bereikt, want het lukt hem niet om uit zijn coma te stappen. Dat geeft hem echter de gelegenheid om te observeren hoe zijn omgeving reageert op zijn toestand. Na het voorval is een onderzoek in gang gezet om te beoordelen of er opzet bij zijn ongeluk in het spel was. Alle sporen wijzen naar zijn sindsdien verdwenen vader. Ondertussen grient zijn beeldschone moeder aan zijn zijde, wat de aandacht trekt van de onwaarschijnlijk aantrekkelijke arts die Louis' curieuze geval bestudeert. Want dat er met het joch en zijn ouders veel meer aan de hand is dan een jammerlijk afgelopen picknick, laat zich snel raden.

Zo beschouwd schijnt The 9th Life of Louis Drax allereerst een doorsnee 'whodunit', maar dan had Aja zeker voor de eer bedankt. Voor een regisseur met uitsluitend horrortitels in zijn zak geen gedweep met standaard misdaadonderzoek. Nee, daar moeten bovennatuurlijke elementen, zoals engelen en zeemonsters, aan te pas komen wil het interessant worden. Dat leent zich prima voor de sfeer van jeugdig avontuur die de film aanvankelijk uitstraalt en een jonge doelgroep doet vermoeden. Al snel blijkt echter dat het hoe en waarom achter Louis' leed minder fantastisch, maar vooral duisterder en schokkender is dan verwacht. Het exotische element van The 9th Life of Louis Drax pakt daarbij misleidend uit en slaat dood. Wie met een kinderfilm van doen dacht te hebben, vergist zich behoorlijk. De film ontaardt in een thriller waarin optimistische fantasie plaatsmaakt voor zwaar drama over menselijke pijn en gestoorde ouder-kindrelaties. Op zich geen onaardige wending, ware het niet dat serieus drama aan Aja verspild is.

Uiteraard baseert Aja dit drama slechts op het bronmateriaal van schrijfster Liz Jensen. Maar gezien zijn staat van dienst is het niet verwonderlijk dat hij visueel flink uitpakt wanneer het script hem dat toestaat. Aja leeft zich veelvuldig uit met licht/donkercontrasten en stemmingmakende halo's, waardoor de film absoluut sfeerrijk is. De overdreven spookachtige soundtrack had wel een tikkeltje minder gemogen. De stijlmiddelen houden het verloop van de eerste helft enigszins intrigerend, ondanks de menselijke tekortkomingen naast al het mysterie. Want tegenover de vraagtekens rond het lot van Louis wordt een potsierlijke plotlijn geplaatst over een verhouding tussen moeder en dokter, beiden met het uiterlijk van een supermodel. Het tenenkrommende subplot mag dan uiteindelijk in dienst van Aja's grote misleiding staan, dat het lachwekkende trekjes aanneemt zal hopelijk toch onbedoeld zijn.

Eveneens niet bevorderlijk voor onze band met de hoofdpersonen is het feit dat de titelfiguur eigenlijk niet zo'n aardig kereltje is. Tijdens het voortdurende onderzoek levert hij commentaar op zijn situatie en zijn verleden, à la het inhoudelijk soortgelijke (en ook al niet beklijvende) The Lovely Bones, maar erg sympathiek is hij niet. Hij stookt tussen zijn ouders en doodt zijn hamsters. Vloeit dit alles voort uit een onverwerkt trauma rond zijn bekvechtende opvoeders? Met de achterliggende redenen heeft Aja schijnbaar minder affiniteit dan met de bovennatuurlijke kanten die hij doet vermoeden. Hij verliest zich in Louis' fantastiewereldje en sleurt ons daarin mee, terwijl dat uiteindelijk als bijzaak, en Louis als bijfiguur in het leven van zijn ouders, bestempeld wordt. Dat Aja ons hardhandig uit die fantasie haalt voor een naargeestige climax vol kommer en kwel die niets meer wegheeft van de vrolijk gestemde opening, is ronduit bezwaarlijk. Aja jongleert losjes met allerhande genres, maar balans wordt node gemist in het uiteindelijk allerminst luchtige geval Louis Drax.

Today's Review: Toni Erdmann

De critici spreken schande van het feit dat Toni Erdmann in Cannes buiten de prijzen viel, maar als iemand zich daar weinig druk om zal maken, dan is het regisseuse Maren Ade zelf wel. Geïnspireerd door haar vader, een verwoed grappenmaker, is het project voor haar een persoonlijke zaak. Hij was degene die haar leerde dat je het leven niet te ernstig moet nemen en er vooral van genieten moet. Een boodschap die de regisseuse aanstekelijk uitdraagt in Toni Erdmann. In dat opzicht is ze niet te vergelijken met het vrouwelijke hoofdpersonage, wier drijfveren ambitie en carrière zijn. Ongeacht haar verlies in Cannes is het Ade gelukt juist met een tegenovergestelde levensovertuiging richting de top te klimmen, want Toni Erdmann is een allesbehalve serieus maar toch betekenisvol drama geworden.

Die titelfiguur Toni, gebaseerd op Ades eigen vader, is een uit noodzaak geboren persoon. Eigenlijk heet de oudere heer Winfried. Hij heeft niet bijster veel van het leven gemaakt, maar houdt er toch volop van, met zijn absurde gevoel voor humor als levensbepalende karaktereigenschap. Een schrijnend contrast met zijn dochter Ines, die tijdens het beklimmen van de ladder van het bedrijfsleven een tegenovergestelde figuur is geworden. Vader en dochter hebben weinig meer gemeen. Dat wordt Winfried pijnlijk duidelijk als hij haar bezoekt in Boekarest, waar zij vertoeft om een grote vis in de oliewereld voor haar baas aan de haak te slaan. Dochterlief heeft amper tijd voor haar vader en beschouwt hem als een sta-in-de-weg, ondanks zijn boerse charme waarmee hij zelfs haar doelwit bekoort. Tegelijkertijd maakt Winfried zich hoe langer hoe meer zorgen om zijn kind, dat tot een humorloze vrouw is uitgegroeid voor wie het ontslaan van mensen aan de orde van de dag lijkt te zijn. Hier moet ingegrepen worden, maar dat kan alleen Toni Erdmann.

Erdmann is gewoon Winfried met valse tanden en een sjofele pruik. Dat heeft Ines natuurlijk meteen door, maar toch staat ze toe hoe dit typetje zich in de high society van het bedrijfsleven naar binnen bluft en de hotemetoten inpalmt met zijn doldwaze charisma en bizarre anekdotes. Is het een onbewuste drang om uit haar verstikkende kleurloze bestaan bevrijd te worden of wil zij zien hoe weinig haar vader begrepen heeft van haar wereld? Ade laat het in het midden, maar Erdmann weet zich hoe dan ook goed te handhaven in de wereld van de 'één procent'. Dankzij het betoverende karakter van de meesterlijke Peter Simonischek sleept Erdmann ook ons volledig mee in zijn ondermijnende toneelstuk, waarmee het komische gedeelte van de film verzekerd is. Tegelijkertijd verliest Ade, geholpen door het sterke tegengas dat zijn tegenspeelster Hüller Simonischek geeft, het dramatische aspect van het mentale getouwtrek tussen Winfried en Ines geen moment uit het oog.

"Ben je eigenlijk wel een mens?", vraagt een vertwijfelde Winfried zijn dochter als hij geconfronteerd wordt met haar holle bestaan in de zakenwereld. Zijn dochter is een bikkelharde tante geworden, die alles inzet om de doelstellingen van haar bedrijf te behalen. Uitgaan, diners, zelfs haar verjaardagsfeestje, alles is slechts een middel in een strijd om de cijfers en alleen anonieme seks en af en toe een lijntje coke vormen enige ontspanning. Stilstaan bij de belangrijke dingen in het leven, zoals familie, is er niet bij. Van een eigen persoonlijkheid is weinig te bespeuren. Papa is niet trots op haar, maar bezorgd. Tegelijkertijd leidt ook Winfried niet het meest begerenswaardige leven. Hij is gescheiden, leeft alleen en pas als zijn hond sterft, zoekt hij toenadering tot zijn dochter. Daar mogen gerust vraagtekens bij gezet worden, maar hij is duidelijk gelukkiger dan zijn naar maatschappelijke maatstaven meer geslaagde dochter. Succes garandeert geen geluk. Toni Erdmann draait om twee totaal verschillende, maar even geknakte mensen wier verstandhouding opnieuw moet beginnen. De leugen Toni Erdmann moet die toenadering mogelijk maken.

Dat ingrijpen in andermans leven voor de eigen bestwil doet Erdmann met verve. Subtiliteit is daarbij niet het sleutelwoord. Wanneer hij Ines confronteert met het ontslag van arme arbeiders voor onbeduidende fouten neigt de film toch een beetje naar moralistisch sentiment. Er kan eveneens afgedongen worden op de eenzijdige wereld die Ade schetst van het bedrijfsleven. Dat is echter bijzaak, want het emotionele hart van Toni Erdmann wordt sterk gevormd door dit duet tussen twee persoonlijkheden, dat zowel aangrijpend als hilarisch is. Erdmann is een even merkwaardige als innemende verschijning die ons direct aan zijn kant weet te trekken, waardoor we volledig opgaan in de geleidelijke ontdooiing van de ijskoude Ines. Het duurt bijna drie uur, maar die tijd vliegt voorbij. De boodschap is niet bijster vernieuwend, maar dankzij heerlijke films als Toni Erdmann genieten we des te meer van het leven. Prestigieuze prijzen heeft Ade niet nodig, de breed gedragen erkenning dat Toni Erdmann een van de hoogtepunten van 2016 vormt, volstaat.

Today's Review: Elle

Picking up some speed at last.

Elle - recensie

It's an odd thing, but the press seems to almost unilaterally adore this latest film by Paul Verhoeven, with myself being an exclusion to that fact. Even though I love most of Paul Verhoeven's work - even going so far as to publicly consider the much maligned Showgirls a very fun film - I had a hard time appreciating this film. Even though I admit there's a number of things to appreciate about it.

First thing, it's a superb piece of acting by the lead, the fabulous French actress Isabelle Huppert. She delivers a grand performance as the protagonist, Michele, a powerful director of a videogame company who one day unexpectedly finds herself the victim of a brutal rape by an unknown assailant. She effortlessly navigates the part of rape victim and dominant, matriarchal presence at her job and as head of her family of miscreants. Better yet, the dormant demons of her shady past awake to stir things up even more, which soon makes for an intense psychological game between herself and those around her. Nobody is a match for her, both in terms of character and in terms of acting. Sadly, the rest of the cast is nowhere near as exciting to watch and mostly consists of sleazy personas out to make her life more miserable. It's a shame less effort was put into making Michele's surroundings a bit more interesting, but with such a powerful performance as her own, it's hard to keep up.

Second, Verhoeven basically does what he has always done: not give a damn about cinematic conventions and do as he like without taking what many people would consider 'good taste' into account. His continuation of exploring the underbelly of man proves devoid of adhering to the usual norms of narrative progression. Whoever thinks the rape dictates the rest of Michele's actions is wrong, as she doesn't end up a victim of the act, but rather her environment becomes a victim of herself. There's no tear jerking drama here wherein the violated female must come to terms with the traumatic event, nor is there your typical Hollywood style thriller plot which sees the aggressor hunted down by a revenge driven survivor. Yes, Michele does take matters into her own hands and aims to find her rapist, but this detective story thread suddenly comes to a dead stop as the identity of the culprit is revealed earlier than expected, to unforeseen and rather incredulous results. Wherever you think the story is going, Verhoeven doesn't care about your expectations.

Such stubbornness I generally approve of, since there's enough predictable studio drivel going around already. Nevertheless, despite Verhoeven clearly putting his own stamp on Elle which makes it a rather unique final result, I still found it far from a satisfying movie. It's simply too rebellious for the sake of being rebellious. It's a strange and uncomfortable mix of a thriller, family drama and dark comedy, filled with wholly unsympathetic characters. It echoes Verhoeven's scandalous Dutch film Spetters, which saw the auteur heavily criticized and proved one of the prime reasons for him to switch from Holland to Hollywood (and a good choice that was!). However, that film was torn to shreds by critics, while 35 years later Elle is unanimously embraced. The times apparently have changed, but Verhoeven has not changed with them and continues to be an eternal provocateur. In the current political milieu, such an attitude is apparently rewarded. Just not by me. I appreciate Verhoevens refusal to change his style and stick to his (lack of) principles, but I much lament his cynicism. And though it seems the press doesn't share that perspective, I have a feeling many a regular audience member will agree with me upon seeing the strange shock that is Elle.

Today's Review: Bezness as Usual

Another review up at FilmTotaal, with one more to follow in the same week:

Bezness as Usual - recensie

This is the type of documentary you don't go to the movies for. The type you expect to see on public access late at night. The kind of topic that doesn't really attract you unless you already experience a personal stake in it. For its own type, it's not bad per se, it just lacks the necessary angle for which it would be a boon to theater audiences on other occasions than festival screenings. That's nothing to be held against it, it's just the way it is. The main actual argument against it is it introduces a despicable man whose shenanigans we have to watch for a good ninety minutes. A man who we can't judge as anything but unsympathetic from the get-go, but who the protagonist feels the need to discover if there's other sides to him that justify his behavior, past and present.

Big surprise: not really, he's just an old con man trying to use his son as a business angle rather than feeling true fatherly emotions for. A hard truth to swallow, but one we saw coming miles away, which makes for little emotional intensity. Considering this movie is basically self-therapy for the director, a child of different ethnicities torn between loyalties to people on two continents, it succeeds in making the protagonist reach a new understanding, but the same doesn't hold true for the audience. At the same time, we get a glimpse of far larger events unfolding in Tunisia, as the threat of terrorism grows ever stronger, but this subject is only slightly touched upon. Bezness as Usual is a small scale drama unfolding between two people, anything beyond that, however intriguing, is not the point. Too bad, since it might have made for a more dynamic and less predictable documentary. The type you would want to see on the big screen.

Today's Review: Mammal

Another review up, with more soon to follow:

Mammal - recensie

Why would a new mother abandon her child and husband? It's an intriguing question, usually surrounded with heavy social stigma, since any mother denying her maternal instincts is either downright abject or at the least a bad excuse for a person, or so society swiftly judges. Nevertheless, it happens and it begs an answer. Those looking for one will not find it in Mammal. In fact, though at first thought the movie seems to revolve around a mother who accepts a second chance for motherhood, that may be too much of a generalization. But some sort of connection, both emotional and physical, between two vastly different but equally lost souls, is certainly in order in this narrative.

Margaret abandoned her family soon after her son was born, and she now has been out of their lives for 18 years. When news about her son's disappearance reaches her, not much sorrow is demonstrated. Nevertheless, around the same time, she accepts a wild kid from the street, roughly the same age as her own child, to live with her. The big question obviously being why. A simple act of generosity? Or perhaps another shot at maternity, after foregoing that responsibility all those years ago? For a while, the latter option seems to be the case, but when things get overly physical between her and the boy, Joe, that theory doesn't hold up any more. If motherhood is indeed Margaret's objective, she has some odd notions of the concept at least.

Unfortunately, Mammal - the metaphoric title suggests a nurturing nature to their relationship based on maternal instincts, though there's also an undeniable social aspect to it as well, so one can look at it from both angles - is short on motivations. It's not Daly's intention to spoon feed us all the answers, which is fine, but there's simply too few of those concerning the various characters' actions to go around. Things happen as they do, while particular reasons are entirely up to the viewer to come up with. It makes Mammal a rather hollow film. Thankfully, there's strong performances throughout, which do make us care enough to stick with the protagonists rather than lose all interest entirely. We hardly get to know these people to the extent that we should for Mammal to deliver the gripping drama it feels like it wants to, but as fellow mammals we sympathize enough to feel some emotional connection to stick with them for a good hour and a half.

Today's Review: Das Wochenende

MS posted this review of mine today (a day later than usual for reviews of new movies):

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/156070/das_wochenende_-_recensie

Quite a dull watch in all honesty. It's not the subject, nor is it the acting. It's the poor dialogue and unrelenting petty squabbling that get the better of this movie. If you have nothing to do during the weekend, better watch something else regardless. There's better movies featuring the (German) RAF out there, as there are more appealing films involving family bitterness exploding.

Today's Review: Suzanne

Yet again have I written a review for MovieScene:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154302/suzanne_-_recensie

Not a film that achieved what it set out to do. You just don't get to connect with a character enough if you seen 25 years of her life in the space of only 90 minutes. Suzanne therefore gets stuck in a web of consequences, not in creating understanding or exploring proper motivations of the protagonist, who we cannot help but judge harshly for her woeful willingness to behave both wholesomely irresponsible and socially inacceptible. Even though we supposedly get to see what we need to see, it's not enough to mentally associate as closely as we would like in order to place Suzanne's criminal activity in the proper context. Decent acting and fine cinematography not withstanding, for at least the movie succeeds on that account. Women that fall in love with all the wrong men still remain a mystery to the rest of the world. Suzanne doesn't change that.

Today's review: Nebraska

It's been a while, but I finally wrote another review for MovieScene:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153740/nebraska_-_recensie

Now this was truly a charming film, both beautifully poignant and utterly hilarious at times. It has a small but delightful story, a lot of heart, strong performances throughout and a fabulously cinephile style hearking back to cinematic glory from ages past, as is clearly its intention. BUt you can read all that in the actual review. It would be a shame if this movie didn't score an Academy Award or two, though it features very tough competition and in terms of Oscars will likely end up one of those overlooked gems. I'm pretty sure it will find its audience, which will give it the praise it is due.

Today's Mini-Review: What Maisie Knew

What Maisie Knew: ***/*****, or 6/10

Some children are blessed with loving parents, while others are stuck with horribly egocentric folk that just can't get along, to the detriment of their offspring. Poor Maisie (young newcomer Onata Aprile, only 7 years old at the time of shooting) unfortunately has to contend with the latter, as her terrible excuses for parents, played by Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan, simply cannot see eye to eye about anything and only communicate by shouting at each other and arguing ad nauseam. Maisie can't remember ever seeing them in another, happier state of their relationship and has gotten used to their constant petty bickering, but doesn't let it get her down as she tries to make the best of it. Of course, the question always on our mind is: does she understand that the emotionally unhealthy environment she's growing up in is not the regular way for children to mature? Could she ever choose between her mother or her father if it came down to it as they are both lobbying for her unwavering love? Coogan and Moore certainly excel in playing people you just can't help but hate for how they're so obviously ruining Maisie's childhood, a fact they ignore becayse they are more concerned for besting the other in winning Maisie's love. While we are busy detesting these horrible guardians for causing her to accept a living condition that is quite simply unacceptable to behold for anybody with a slightest sense of reponsibility, hope looms on the horizon as her parents both mix up with just the right people to turn her life into a more positive direction. Her father marries her foreign (Scottish) nanny, while her mother hooks up with a seemingly not so bright, tall guy (Alexander Skarsgård attempting to shed some of that sinister, scheming vampire image of his, courtesy of True Blood, by playing a sweet, easily likeable bartender). Unfortunately the story soon progresses in the most predictable of directions as these two people, who actually care more about Maisie as a person than as a means of annoying the other by acquiring custody of the girl, come to understand just how easy it is to love this charming child and agree how much she deserves to be taken care of by decent folks. And naturally they can't help themselves by also falling in love with each other when they realize just what a manipulative, sleazy people Moore and Coogan are, abusing both them and Maisie for their own purposes as they keep up their disgusting little power play. In terms of plot development, we soon come to know that What Maisie Knew has little surprises to offer while delivering its fairly repetitive, one-sided melodrama. The film makes up for this in the acting department, where young Aprile stuns the audience with a most exceptional, truly inspiring and convincing performance; a remarkably rare occurrence for such a young child, but a solid promise for her future career in acting should she decide to keep it up (we can only hope). While the adult actors go through the motions in a more regular fashion, which isn't devoid of merit but simply not nearly as mesmerizing, Aprile carries the film as very few other actresses her age could ever have done, proving just how much truth there is in that old adage that good casting is doing half the work. What Maisie Knew is just average in all other regards, but a fabulous performance like this is well worth checking out, as it is so seldom witnessed.

Today's Mini-Review: Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine: ****/*****, or 8/10

Woody Allen returns to directing with a vengeance after a disappointing interlude of lesser, though still decent, films. Allen's greatest gambit in Blue Jasmine is the formidable talent provided by the divine Cate Blanchett. Her portrayal of a down-on-her-luck big city socialite who must leave her comfort zone of excessive luxury in exchange for crashing on her blue-collar sister's couch (sort of, since both women were adopted as children) and getting an ordinary job both causes you to hate this woman and feel for her (at first!) in her misery and increasingly deteriorating mental state. Thanks to her former husband (impeccably nefarious Alec Baldwin), a wealthy entrepreneur whose entire fortune was built on the ruthless conning of decent folk – including her own sister and her former fiancé – Jasmine was living the good life until she herself brought down her own house in a petty move that showed she was at least as vicious and self-absorbed as her spouse. Allen doesn't just give the reasons for her sad emotional state away; instead he utilizes a distinctly fragmented narrative that gives you one bit of information at a time until the full picture is revealed at the close of the film. But all the while, he paints a distressing portrait of an utterly narcissistic character who is living in extreme denial of her sorry social situation brought about by turning a blind eye to the obvious shenanigans of her husband for her own financial security's sake.

Nevertheless, a depressing drama Blue Jasmine is not. Rather, it is a tragicomedy in the truest sense of the word, which is swiftly indicated by the delightful opening that features Jasmine's non-stop rambling about her life to a complete stranger on a plane flight. Other hilarious moments include Jasmine's illogical reasoning as she decides what sort of job she thinks she deserves, as well as her wonderfully funny portrayal of a lousy dentist assistant, who can do nothing right but is so good looking her boss (a rather atypical performance by Michael Stuhlbarg) can't keep his hands off her, which illuminates the fact Jasmine is all style over substance: something that most certainly cannot be said for the film itself, unlike some of Allen's other recent work. Allen's message is clear: the rich and wealthy of this world, whose life is built on their own house of cards, are playing with fire at the ruin of others, but mostly themselves, as the hardworking everyday folk have much less to lose and can regain their happiness and lust for life far easier. You might consider this a form of social commentary on the current economic crisis that tells the audience it's really not all that bad unless you can't cope with living a simpler life, but Allen doesn't claim to have pretensions towards such lecturing on world affairs in Blue Jasmine. However, he clearly illustrates the life of high society is not a state of being to be envied with its incessant petty bickering and rampant relational double-crossing, especially compared to us normal people who fortunately don't have to deal with such scandalous affairs. Case in point, Jasmine's sister Ginger (a charming Sally Hawkins), who soon must deal with the rifts in her own circle caused by Jasmine's disturbing presence in her home. Ginger blames the bad history between her and her sister on her ex-husband, but over the course of the film must come to terms with Jasmine's apparent self-destructive nature, which threatens to drag her down with her, except she won't let it, after which she gets back on her feet much quicker because of her flexible stance towards life. Meanwhile, poor Jasmine sinks deeper and deeper, to our delight and sense of moral justice, as pity ever more tucks its tail between its legs when we come to know what she hath wrought and how much she deserves her fate, which is all the while coupled with nothing but the sincerest admiration for Blanchett's displayed skills at her craft in making this downward spiral feel totally compelling throughout.

Today's Mini-Reviews: Before Midnight

Before Midnight: ****/*****, or 7/10

Third installment in Richard Linklater's Before romance trilogy (for lack of an official name), that began with Before Sunrise (1995) and continued with Before Sunset (2004). We revisit the lives of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), 18 years after their first all too brief encounter in Vienna and nine years after their second equally short sexual interlude in Paris, that left them with twin girls. Now they meet up again in Greece for vacation as an almost genuine family, which causes long simmering emotions to stir, both for good and for bad. Though they agree their life as a semi-divorced couple (they were never married to begin with) with two adorable but ever attention seeking children leaves a lot to be desired – he has problems dealing with his vicious real ex-wife and connecting to the son he sired on her, while her career is at a crossroads and as a devout feminist, she is bothered by the feeling society wants her to totally give herself to her children instead of being successful – they do still deeply care for one another as is evident when they visit Greek friends where it seems their love life is the most sweepingly romantic of all of them. However, when they are given a luxurious hotel room for one night, their differences and mututal feelings of lack take over, causing quite an argument between them. This film is quite amazing in that it's basically a few scenes of the two protagonists and a few minor characters engaging in endless conversation about ordinary things, yet it's totally compelling due to the completely believable performances, the fast paced, realistic, and often witty and snappy dialogue and the relatibility of it all as these are totally regular folks experiencing everyday problems. An education in minimalist filmmaking, each scene can take up to 20 minutes with no more editing, music or other movie trickery than needed so you can really flow with these characters. The romantic tone of the piece is underscored with a little help from the beautiful small town Greek settings and landscapes, except for the hotel scene – which takes place entirely in an ugly, modern, eerily lit boring white room – which of course is the only location where Jesse's and Celine's relationship turns into bitter strife and mutual reproachment, until they seem to reconcile at an outdoor restaurant a little while later. The neutral zone between man and woman might as well be a battlefield for dominance, Linklater suggests, but if both parties really care for one another and aim for simple understanding, nothing can stand in the way of true love.

Today's batch of mini reviews

Picking up where I left off, here's yet another batch of recently seen films that have not been critiqued on this my blog in sufficient detail and thus have to make do with a mini-review. The term 'missed movies' no longer applies here, since I have seen these films after my PC was returned to me and I was back online again. Truth is, now that I am writing for MovieScene and screening films for audiences at Provadja, next to my regular work at Pathé, I just don't have time for old-fashioned extensive reviews anymore. I am watching more movies than I can handle, so to say. Expect to see this type of mini-review more often and 2,000 word reviews less and less around here. It may not be a bad thing per se, considering word has reached my ears regarding modern man and his lack of time and interest for lengthy movie discussions. By keeping it short and simple I might actually attract more readers, even though one could argue my blog is dumbing down. Not to worry, I'm sure there's still many a long review to come (MovieScene reviews aside, though they're of medium length really), at least once I've caught up with mentioning all the films I've seen in the past months. Getting there, slowly but surely.

Lore: ****/*****, or 7/10.

Fascinating microcosmic (post) WW II tale from a German perspective, focusing on the plight of teenage girl Lore, shortly after Germany has capitulated to the allied forces. Lore has had a good life in a happy Nazi family until she finds her world shattered by the Führer's death and the downfall of the Third Reich. Her parents, being devout Nazis, have to run before the Allies catch up with them and are forced to leave their children behind in the process. Lore, a powerful performance by the young Saskia Rosendahl, has to trek her way with her younger brothers and sisters to distant Hamburg across newly occupied territory, dodging Russian forces and her own countrymen who have degenerated into lawlessness. Along the way she meets a young Jewish man, freshly released from Auschwitz, who uneasily teams up with them to their mutual benefit for mere survival. The movie does a great job of portraying the lost German generation that grew up in the Third Reich and didn't know better, but had to cope with their parents' atrocities and lies afterwards. The key issue for Lore is trust: she trusted Hitler and her parents unconditionally, only to be betrayed by their failure. Now she has to trust a man whom she has been raised to hate, despite the genuinely helping hand he offers (which quickly earns him the faith of Lore's siblings, who are just too young to understand the stakes involved). Matters are complicated further when she develops a strange, possibly romantic, attraction to the guy, something he may or may not be exploiting. To Australian director Cate Shortland's credit, the film is completely spoken in German. She also presents a great metaphor for puberty, when a child's world is changed completely as are its feelings for those it has always taken for granted, without getting overly preachy. However, a less lyrical and dream like quality, plus a little faster pacing, might have made her movie more accessible.

De Ontmaagding van Eva van End: ****/*****, or 8/10.

Whaddayaknow, a good Dutch movie! Not surprisingly, considering director Michiel ten Horn used the fabulous work and style of Wes Anderson for inspiration, creating a definite Dutch counterpart of that particular auteur's work. All the typical Anderson ingredients are there (except for Bill Murray), including wacky characters, colourful visuals, dysfunctional family drama and a funky soundtrack. And decent writing of course. The Van End family members have a hard time connecting to one another and lead their own little lives in their own silly little worlds, until daughter Eva takes home a German foreign exchange student. The boy turns out to be the perfect human being, an angelic blond persona with great empathy for the whole world, whose healthy, altruistic life style soon creates havoc at his guest home as the whole family reacts differently to his presence and their natural balance is severely upset, exposing a few dirty family secrets in the process. And yes, Eva gets her cherry popped as the title indicates, though not in the way you would first expect. Solid acting, especially for Dutch actors, though of course young Austrian actor Rafael Gareisen leaves the greatest impression. The movie leaves ample room for both genuinely heartfelt drama and funny jokes and situations, some surprisingly edgy and politically incorrect. Ten Horn does a fine job of translating Anderson to a Dutch setting (unconsciouslyly or not, but it seems utterly unlikely he has never heard of his American inspiration), making the movie look distinctly Dutch but not feeling like any other Dutch film, all for the better. It's a real shame Dutch audiences prefer to watch crap like Verliefd op Ibiza and Het Bombardement over little gems like this, but it's good to know not all hope is lost for Dutch cinema thanks to talented directors like Ten Horn inspired by all the right people.

Zero Dark Thirty: ****/*****, or 8/10.

Kathryn Bigelow continues to critique America's army following her big Oscar breakthrough The Hurt Locker (2009). This time she focuses on the hunt for Osama bin Laden by the driven and resourceful female CIA agent Maya (excellent bit of acting on Jessica Chastain's part), inspired by true events, not all of which have been formally disclosed. Maya gets increasingly obsessive over the Agency's inability of locating Bin Laden and soon makes it her personal job to see the hunt come to an end, especially after dear colleagues of her die in related terrorist bombings. The climactic chopper showdown at Bin Laden's villa where a team of Navy SEALs has to quietly fight its way through the building to claim its prize was one of the most rewardingly suspenseful scenes of 2012. And to Bigelow's credit, the face of the Al-Qaeda leader was never even shown, clearly stating the movie is not so much about the man himself, as about Maya's long road to get to him. The movie's merit as a genuinely good film was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Bigelow's explicit portrayal of torture of terrorist suspects at the hands of American agents: no doubt such crossing of political and ethical lines took place historically, but Bigelow was said to condone it. However, Bigelow makes no statement of her own, just showcasing events as they supposedly happened. The torture could have proven to be instrumental in tracking the most wanted man alive down in the long run, but she presents it as just another part of the bureaucratic machinery: a frightfully gruesome part though, revealing more than we would want her to reveal on the subject, and as such already indicating torture sure is no fun. Nevertheless, she was denied a well deserved Oscar or two: Zero Dark Thirty's only win was for Sound Editing, an award the movie had to share with Skyfall in a rare 'tie' situation at the Academy.

Darjeeling Limited, The

Rating: ***/*****, or 7/10

So far, Wes Anderson's worst film. However, a more apt description would be this is his least good film, since it's by no means a bad movie, once again utilizing his signature colourful style to great visual effect. It's the overly sentimental plot that gets stuck in family drama (another Wes Anderson staple) a little too often that's the main problem. Three brothers (Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody), all very different from one another, trek across India by train in hopes of a bonding experience after having drifted apart due to the death of their father. They also set out in search of their mother (Anjelica Huston) who resides in those parts. Each has their personal demons to overcome in the process, be they drug related, depression, or a troubled relationship with a woman. While exploring the beauty of India via the railroad, each deals with his problems in his own way, which leads to various hilarious moments in the first half of the film, among other things involving a beautiful female train attendant, her overprotective lover and a venomous snake. Anderson's usually offbeat and oddball comedy sadly is traded in for overly melodramatic family squabbling and reconciliation in the picture's second half. Overall, this movie is a mixed bag, but far from a failure and otherwise as 'Wesandersonesque' as they come. Featuring bit parts of Natalie Portman and Wes Anderson's personal muse Bill Murray.

As a compendium piece to flesh out the Jason Schwartzman character, Anderson directed the short film Hotel Chevalier, which was shown as a short feature in front of The Darjeeling Limited in many theaters. It worked as a footnote released together with the main film, but by itself it seemed like an excuse to have Natalie Portman take off her clothes, which is also not a bad thing per se.

Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody

Directed by Wes Anderson

USA: Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007

Dark shadows loom over Tim Burton

Dark Shadows: Rating: ***/*****, or 6/10

Sometimes a good notion backfires, despite the right ingredients being present. In the case of Dark Shadows, Tim Burton's latest, the main problem is these ingredients have become stale and somewhat hard to swallow. Burton presents us with yet another one of his specialty dishes, a typically off-beat Gothic horror comedy, but it tastes old and mushy because it offers little surprises. Burton's dark and brooding yet also satirical and good spirited style has finally come to the point where it feels it has reached its expiration date, after already disappointing us two years ago with Alice in Wonderland. The situation is all the more grave considering the letdown revolves around a project Burton claims to have great affinity for, namely his re-imagining of the classic cult TV show Dark Shadows, which ran for well over a whopping 1,200 episodes from 1966 till 1971. The strange supernatural occurrences of the Collins family, involving vampires, werewolves, witches and the likes, sounds exactly like Burton's cup of tea, and therein lies part of the problem, since Burton apparently has become predictable, allowing his style to dictate his projects for him.

Dark Shadows sees the eighth collaboration between Burton and his personal muse Johnny Depp (for those of you who must know, the previous joint ventures, in chronological order of succession, were Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and the above mentioned Alice in Wonderland (2010)), which also comes as no surprise, since the film has a wonderfully bizarre character uncomfortable with his life and the people around him for a protagonist, and Depp has shown to excel at playing such characters, usually to the delight of the audience. The role of vampire Barnabas Collins, who has spend nearly 200 years buried in a coffin and finally awakens in 1972, setting off in an attempt to restore his family's position, as such seems tailor made for Depp. After Barnabas and his family have been cursed by a witch who strongly loved the decent man he used to be, the bloodsucker finds himself locked away into the grave for two centuries, only to be accidentally awakened by a construction crew. Barnabas returns to his former home, the grand Collinwood Manor from which his father used to run a fishing empire along the Maine coast, only to find it in a state of decay with his family decimated to a number of only four, the family fortune seemingly lost. He takes it upon himself to protect his remaining relatives from the forces that have plagued them for centuries, and vows to return the family business to its former glory. Alas, Angelique, the witch that turned Barnabas vampire so long ago (played by a deliciously vile Eva Green, who energetically throws herself into the role and obviously likes the bitchy character a lot) has since expanded her ambitions from mere witchcraft to the realm of economics, having taken over the Collins' family business, making her a successful businesswoman and respected pillar of the community, so the witch and the vampire find themselves at odds once more as the latter tries to win back what was once his.

In this struggle, Barnabas is backed by the Collins matriarch Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer, a woman of stature who's not afraid to make sleazy deals to keep her family together), despised by her teen daughter Carolyn (Chloë Grace Moretz nails this grumpy character perfectly, and fortunately happens to be her exact age as a bonus), distrusted by Elizabeth's brother Roger (Johnny Lee Miller playing the family scumbag successfully) and revered by Roger's son David (the young newcomer Gulliver McGrath), a boy who sees his dead mother's ghost. Thrown into this mix are the groundskeeper Willie (Jackie Earle Haley, ever creepy), David's new private teacher Vicky (the beautiful Bella Heathcote playing the girl with the biggest secret of the bunch) and the family psychiatrist and regular drunk Dr. Hoffman, in which we recognize Burton's other muse, his fiancé Helena Bonham Carter, who co-starred in six of his films before this one, making us wonder just who Burton actually loves more, Depp or the woman he means to marry. At least Barnabas does not stand alone, but every member of his entourage has demons all their own, some merely psychological, others all too real, adding to his existing troubles. Plus he also has to deal with the strange new world of the 1970s, its technological advancements (like cars and televsion sets) and cultural changes (including women's lib and youth subcultures) alike, which turns out to be encompassing the film's most memorable and hilarious moments, but unfortunately these get underexposed in favour of the rather bland family story line and the battle against the wicked witch.

Depp once again does his usual thing, portraying Barnabas as a soul out of time who must come to terms with a much changed world and unite his family against the evil witch that has sought to destroy them, but it's less than a stellar piece of acting simply because it all feels so familiar, as if we've seen this performance often before, with only slight variations every time. Fortunately Depp is not the only character in this film, though of course he is supposed to be the biggest draw for the general audience. Dark Shadows is seemingly blessed with a host of characters, each with his or her own issues and secrets. Warning! Here be spoilers! However, herein lies yet another problem, since the film's plot comes with so many characters most of them do not get a good chance to shine and remain poorly underdeveloped, despite personal afflictions that haunt them and have impact on the whole family struggle for survival. For one thing, Carolyn turns out to be a werewolf, but this is revealed only in the climactic end battle with Angelique, at which point it's too late in the film to be of narrative use other than to provide some more creature action and plot confusion. Similarly, Vicky is supposedly the reincarnation of Barnabas' dead wife Josette, but the exact how-and-why to this remains severely underexplained, though it does force a romantic subplot on the movie's overall story, and even a love triangle of sorts, since Barnabas still feels enough for his tormenter Angelique to give into her seductions, resulting into a wild night of carnal pleasure. Similarly, David talks to his dead mother, Roger plans to run off with the family treasure Barnabas has exposed and Dr. Hoffman infuses herself with Barnabas' blood in a scheme to live forever. Each character comes with story baggage, much of which just won't fit in the luggage compartment of the train that is Dark Shadows as it moves onward to its destination, and many things get left behind along the way.

This is all the more disappointing considering the actors do a good job portraying their characters and we would have liked to have seen them be put to more satisfying use: it would not have been a bad idea if Burton and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith – who wrote the novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the movie adapatation of which will reach theatres in August of this year, so 2012 isn't done with vampire movies just yet – would have scrapped a few of these subplots and twists in favour of the overall feel of a coherent story line. The subplots may have been moments of tease designed to be fleshed out in a potential Dark Shadows sequel, but on their own they don't work to the advantage of this movie on own. Also, the many characters and their separate plot lines make it seem we've watched a compilation of the first 200 episodes of the original television show.

Despite the many downsides to the film, most of which result in a messy overall plot, there's also things to enjoy in Dark Shadows. The film knows many a comical note, mainly in the moments Barnabas is faced with the vast differences between his own era and the swinging Seventies. So he's confronted by a huge McDonald's logo at the site of his resurrection, he mistakes his own grand-grand-etc. niece for a 'lady of the evening' due to her loose way of dressing, and he sits down for a philosophical debate about love with a group of hippies, which he brutally kills afterwards in his physical need for human blood (he's a vampire after all). Also of great joy are the soapy love/hate moments between him and Angelique, culminating in a passionate night of love making that does not stay confined to the bed but takes place all over the room, including the walls and the ceiling, after which Barnabas remarks this was 'a regrettable turn of events' as they sit in a totally wrecked room at the end of their sexual outburst. It's moments like these that provide for the most entertaining part of the film, and certainly the most memorable, considering the rest of the film proves all too forgetful afterwards. Unfortunately, they only make the film half decent, instead of actually good, a level the movie sadly does not reach, also in part to the unsatisfactory way the film seems to deliver its message that family should stick together no matter how odd some of its members are. If that's so, how come Roger ran off with the money, the house got burned down and the locals think the Collins family is just a bunch of sinister freaks? Sure, the evil has been vanquished, but it's a far cry from a happy end to conclude this motion picture with.

After seven projects working with the same director, usually in the same genre and the same visual style, the fact is the combination Burton/Depp has really gotten worn out and stale, indicating both men should probably take a long break from each other and meet some new people to escape the dreary routine they've succumbed to. Though Burton has used a grotesque style all his own that made him Hollywood's leading auteur, by now it has proven to be a huge 'been there, done that', resulting in disappointing films that only see a continuation of his style instead of some form of improvement upon it. Turning to a new genre altogether could be a solution to the routine Burton seems stuck in. Obviously, the director himself feels differently, since he's not done with family oriented Gothic horror this year: come October his latest stop motion piece Frankenweenie will be released. It may use a different format, but seems overall typically Burtonesque. At least it doesn't star Johnny Depp, maybe that will prove to be enough of a change this time...

And watch the trailer here:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/darkshadows/