Today's Column: behind the scenes of arthouse programming

Wrote another column for MovieScene:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154147/column_-_hoe_programmeer_ik_een_filmhuis

Inspiration was tough this time because I was quite busy with both my regular job and my new hobby supporting the programming department of the new Filmhuis Alkmaar arthouse theater. I eventually decided to just write a piece about that, as it seemed appropriate to do this follow-up to my emotionally charged column about Provadja's demise a few months back. Nevertheless, because of my lack of available time I consider this latest column to be a bit on the superficial side, even though I daresay you get the gist of it. So far it's fun work, though because of the poor quality of internal communications between the various departments that comprise the staff (voluntary that is) of the theater it can at times prove stressful. Also something to take into account, and not mentioned here, is the fact distributors love to mess around with their movies' release dates, making a keen eye for spotting such moves and accordingly flexible programming to accomodate these happenstances rather imperative. The most striking example was the German film Das Wochenende, which was originally slated for release in January, then moved to March and is now currently expected to hit theaters in October... Am I glad we didn't plan that one for our opening weekend, that would have been awkward to say the least! As for Wes Anderson not being popular in Alkmaar, as far as I'm concerned we'll make him popular. The decision to order his upcoming magnum opus The Grand Budapest Hotel for only a single week has seemingly been reversed in favour of a two week appearance, something I opted for from the beginning. There weren't that many other attendance magnets available, so Anderson got out on top. Suits me fine.

Here's to a bright future for Filmhuis Alkmaar!

Today's Column: the end of Provadja as we know it

Another column of mind own had got published on MS, this time dealing with a tragic topic (for me at least):

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/151898/column_het_einde_van_provadja_in_alkmaar

I'm certainly gonna miss Provadja. The relaxed, cinephile atmosphere, the lack of pressure from managers I experience at my real job, the proximity to home, the historic building and most of all the good movies and kind audience. Even when Filmhuis Alkmaar works out in everybody's favor and will open this February, and even if I do resume my previous duties in this new direction, it just won't be the same. I imagine it's much harder for those that lived with and loved Provadja for decades than for me, since I only worked there (as a volunteer too) for nigh 18 months. I'm glad I did though, those were good times. Here's to hoping Filmhuis Alkmaar will prove to be similarly enjoyable, blessed with the same longevity of 43 years (or more). Farewell Provadja!

Today's Mini-Review: Borgman

Borgman: ****/*****

Alex van Warmerdam's darkest and most disturbing film to date is also his best, perfectly balancing black humour and psychological terror. After having been rooted out of their carefully hidden underground lairs, a group of strange vagabonds led by the calculating and enigmatic Camiel Borgman (fabulous performance by Flemish actor Jan Bijvoet) slowly but surely infiltrates the life of a well-to-do family. The titular character himself manipulates his way into the house of a rich but bored married couple (Jeroen Perceval and Hadewych Minis) by getting himself brutally beaten up by the husband, after which the wife, driven by both guilt and curiosity, secretly invites him into their lives. The stranger's mystique grabs hold of her more and more, until she begs him to stay when he tells her he is leaving. After that moment, there is no turning back for the family, as Borgman and his co-conspirators stop at nothing to take over, with deadly consequences. The result is an hallucinatory film that holds the middle between being an absurd comedy and a nightmarish horror movie about the seemingly familiar but ultimately inexplicable 'Other' permeating everyday life completely until it has utterly changed into something else entirely. It's 'them' versus 'us', the unknown world outside corrupting the familiar surroundings inside, but which side we are (supposed to be) on is never clear: do we go with this bizarre revolution of the dispossessed have-nots against the haves that live in luxury, or will we choose the side that lives a safe but dull life of complacent banality and conservative conformity? Bijvoet's Borgman is a terrifically played cold, unfathomable force of nature, a subtle instigator of change who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, though it's never clear just what his aim is. Equally compelling in her performance is Minis, who believably relays and builds on her character of a woman torn by a sense of dread and a burning desire for this strange man that can pull her out of her dull family life, while realizing there will be potentially devastating consequences if she lets him in. Opening with a citation we are to assume is Biblical – '…and they came down to Earth to replenish their ranks', which in the end is exactly what has transpired – the film suggests Borgman and his minions (which includes Van Warmerdam himself in a supporting performance) may be something other than human. You might even be inclined to think they may not even be there at all, existing only as cruel manifestations of the wife's psychological angst, but they are also destructively active outside of her direct environment as well (as her gardener and his wife discover, much to their dismay and our amusement). It's this surreal confusion about the protagonist's goals and existential status, combined with outrageous but thoroughly hilarious instances of dark humour and sombre witticisms that make Borgman an unusual but intriguing horror story, which despite its overly loose and offbeat third act is most definitely one of the finest Dutch films in many years.

Today's Mini-review: The Imposter

The Imposter: ***/*****, or 6/10

Semi-documentary centered around the unbelievable case of a French con man who posed as a missing American boy and almost got away with it. 13 year old Nick Barclay disappears in Texas in 1994, seemingly reappears a few years later in Spain, but looks nothing like the original (natural ageing not withstanding). Yet on return in the States, he is hailed by “his” family as the actual missing child, until the web of lies on both sides just can't do anything but unravel completely. The imposter is outed as a French swindler who has been passing himself off as missing children before, despite being in his late twenties. The real questions the film then tries to answer revolves around the ease with which the family accepted the con man. As their preferred explanation, the filmmakers suggest the possibility someone in the family was involved with Nick's supposed death, which his relatives tried to cover up. No hard evidence for this theory is presented though. The film consists of interviews with the various parties involved, intercut with re-enactments of what they claim transpired. This movie in a lot of ways emulates the mischievous protagonist himself, posing as a documentary and even being accepted as such, while obviously heavily fictionalized. Still, in many instances it's quite unclear where the truth ends and the fiction begins. This could have made for a more intriguing film were it not for its overreliance on talking heads, which soon gets tedious (especially when they repeat themselves). The failure to account for what really happened to poor little Nick also makes for a frustrating ending: though this cannot be contributed to the filmmakers, their emphasis on their own speculation regarding Nick's death at the hands of his family, which is investigated quite thoroughly near the end of the film and then briskly discarded as a mere theory, also makes for an unsatisfying climax. This film undeniably applies an interesting format to tell its incredible story, but the number of narrative lies employed to make it more tense end up doing some injustice to its contents.

Movies Gone By: the Continuation

As stated yesterday (two posts in as many days, waddayaknow?! Off to a good start I'd say!), I'll continue posting all too short reviews of movies I saw in the last few months but failed to comment on in more detail due to computer troubles at home. I might write more extensive reviews on a few of these somewhere in the future if time permits me (fat chance!), while I do plan to give these more coverage in the Movie Archives in the long run; which will be very long, since it's practically a work in progress forever (until the day I die most likely, or the day I turn blind and can't watch films no more). But so far there is cause for optimism, so let's focus on that, and on another batch of recently seen movies. Today's group, like yesterday's, consists entirely of films I had the pleasure of screening at Provadja.

Lawless: ****/*****. Hard-edged, gritty and extremely violent Prohibition era set drama, sort of a substitute for people who don't have the time to watch Boardwalk Empire (which is superior in terms of story development, but showcases acts of violence not nearly as disturbing as this film does). Three brothers operate an illegal liquor business in a small town, but big city mobsters are closing in on their turf and give them the choice to cooperate or see their venture terminated. Not taking crap from nobody, also because of an urban legend regarding their supposed immortality, they respectfully decline and quickly find themselves the target of both the mob and a ruthless deputy trying to force the matter. Obviously, they retaliate against both the lawbreakers and the law itself, with deadly consequences. A more intelligent film then you might be inclined to believe judging from this brief synopsis, with strong performances by amongst others Guy Pearce and Tom Hardy. Director John Hillcoat (The Road) delivers an impessive look, also in regard to the period look of the Twenties, at the rough life of independent booze runners harassed by bigger fish and unscrupulous law enforcers on their payroll.

Amour: ****/*****. Excellent but still severely overrated social drama depicting the autumn days of a elder couple still absolutely in love. When the wife suffers a devatasting stroke leaving her helpless, her husband takes care of her despite being in a process of mental deterioration himself. Soon he comes to the realization there's only one solution to their problems and it's not a pretty one, shocking many a spectator (but not so much me since I found it only a logical and ultimately predictable step), as is usual for uncompromising director Michael Haneke who has a history of not making it easy on his audience. Though this is still a gripping and tragic film, in my mind it's marred by its slow pace and lazy cinematography. And someone explain to me why this foreign film is nominated not only for the correct 'Best Foreign Film' category at the Academy Awards, but also for four other categories despite not having a single word of English in it (as has always been the norm at the Oscars). Good film, but not so mindboggingly good as some would have us believe.

Cloud Atlas: ****/*****. Fascinating mosaic of connected lives throughout the ages. Quite reminiscent of Aronofsky's The Fountain, but not as compact (since it spans three more time frames). Telling six vastly different tales set from the 1700s to the distant future, it delves into the matter of acts, both good and bad, and their consequences leaving an impact lasting for hundreds of years. The point is made clear by an impressive international ensemble cast (including Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving and Halle Berry) turning up in completely different roles – bridging issues like gender and race – from tale to tale, sometimes with daring but also occasionally awkward results (most notably Hugo Weaving playing a woman and an Asian guy). The spectacular visual look and the different attitudes and styles of the various stories, incorporating social drama, comedy, horror and science fiction leave something to enjoy (and no doubt to detest as well) for everybody, while none of the stories suffer from an overly fragmented or complicated narrative. Courtesy of a fruitious cooperation between the Wachowskis (The Matrix trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Lola Rennt).

Le Magasin des Suicides: ***/*****. Offbeat and quirky animated French film about a city so bleak and miserable that most people can't wait to end their life, aided by the many possibilities of dying offered by the local suicide shop. Run by a grim couple and their not so cheerful kids, eagerly exploiting the despair of their fellow man, the shop is a booming business, but matters are complicated when their third child turns out nothing but happy and obnoxiously optimistic, soon disrupting their livelihood as he means to bring a smile to everybody's face. Though wonderfully animated and stylistically inspired, making for a pleasant change from its American counterparts, the story cannot help but feeling overly random in the solutions offered to ending the omnipresent desire for death plaguing the town (and what's with that awkward nude dance?). Plus, some of the songs (this is, in fact, a musical too) just aren't very enjoyable to endure, though that might be a case of Francophobia on my part.

Seven Psychopaths: ***/*****. Oddball comedy from the director of the brilliant In Bruges. An aspiring screenwriter (Colin Farrell) is set to produce a screenplay about seven psychopaths but suffers from writer's block. However, he soon gets all the inspiration he needs from his flamboyant and basically lunatic pal (Sam Rockwell) who gets into trouble when his dognapping associate (Christopher Walken) kidnaps the wrong Shih Tzu, the best friend of a maniacal gangster (Woody Harrelson). Soon events lead to a colourful array of bizarre and quirky situations as the dim witted protagonists try to stay out of ever more explosive circumstances alive, resulting in the all too soon audience drawn conclusion that none of these people are in any way normal and the screenwriter is surrounded by all the psychopaths he could want. Though starting off promisingly, the narrative gets ever more convoluted and harder to follow while the number of jokes keeps feeling lacking, especially compared to the far superior predecessor (which also starred Farrell). The very definition of a mixed bag.

Anna Karenina: ***/*****. Unusual but still lavish (in some regards at least) adaptation of the classic Tolstoy novel. Keira Knightley stars as the Russian lady of noble blood torn between her romantic desires and the restrictions and traditional expectations placed on her by upper class Imperial society of the late 1900s. Will she compliantly stay with her boring husband Jude Law or be swept off her feet by the dashing young officer Aaron Taylor-Johnson instead? Whatever choice she makes, she will predictably suffer from it. In the meantime, young nobleman Domnhall Gleeson (son of Brendan) explores other possibilities offered by the rising revolutionary tides offering a vastly different but ultimately more simple and satisfactory life from high society. To underscore the feeling of being trapped in an upperclass setting in danger of being overtaken by the reality of the common people, most of this movie is set in a rundown theatre, which is an original choice (and undoubtedly budgetary inspired as well) but as the movie progresses not exactly a stylistically pleasing one. Contrary, Gleeson's character is the only one to explore the outside world, along with the traditonally snowy Russian plains. As is usual by now for a Keira Knightley film, excellent costume work. And some lovely acting to go with it.

Mr. Hammond, I think we're back in business!

It seems I've finally landed back on my digital feet again. My PC has been returned to me, Windows Vista freshly installed (and hopefully a legit version this time), but it took me the purchase of a new monitor to finally get rid of my start-up problems once and for all (or so it appears). Fingers crossed! So I can finally get serious again where my blog is concerned, though of course my work as a news editor on MovieScene keeps preventing me from posting on this blog as regularly as I would like (certainly not daily as I once intended a little bit too optimistically). However, I will continue to post everything I post on MovieScene here as well, and I will keep posting other movie news and reviews (though certainly not as lengthy as I used to write them). Let's hope my good intentions won't come to naught in the long run.


In the three months I was (mostly) computerless I did - naturally - keep watching movies, both new and old. Sadly I didn't really get around to discuss any of them, but today and the next few days I'll post a list of all the new movies I saw in the meantime (both in regular theatres and at my local arthouse cinema Provadja, where I still screen movies every Wednesday night). There's some great stuff here, and a few duds too.

-Meek's Cutoff: **/*****. Unusual and unorthodox neo-western about a goup of settlers lost on the great plains, looking for water. Their leader proves increasingly untrustworthy, while a captive Indian might be their only hope. Could have been a great film, but the age old 1,33:1 aspect ratio takes the fun out of all the potential western landscapes, while the abrupt ending leaves a lot to be desired and can even be accused of cheating the audience, even though it leads to the promise of hope for the protagonists.

-A Perdre la Raison: ****/*****. The deconstruction of a family drama. A French man of Moroccan descent marries a western woman, but their happy union over time leads her to an ever more restricted and mentally unbalanced life as she finds herself trapped between her own upbringing and the desires placed on her by her new family, which includes a very intrusive old would-be uncle and  financial benefactor who soon seems to run both their lives. Eventually, the completely unhinged woman can find only one shocking way out for her and her three children. A movie filled with increasing moments of unease, complete with a shocking climax which, despite being quite predictable, sticks with you for a while. Not an easy watch. At all.

-All You Need Is Love: **/*****. Seriously toned, Scandinavian counterpart to Mamma Mia. A cancer stricken woman travels to overly sunny Italy for her daughter's wedding, where family troubles are stirred due to her being cheated on by her lousy husband. Fortunately, the Mediterranean vistas come with Pierce Brosnan as an angry widower who might just cheer her up, and vice versa. Not very inspired and rather bland, despite good acting.

-Jagten: ****/*****. Harrowing drama about a kindergarten teacher (fabulous performance by Mads Mikkelsen) who is wrongfullly accused of child abuse by one of his pupils and despite formerly being a beloved and popular guy quickly finds himself without friends in his small community. Things continue to get out of hand as he must persuade his fellow man of his innocence, though he's the subject of a witch hunt that appears not to blow over until it has claimed his now ever more sorry life. The lenghts people will go to to get back on what they consider to be bad people - without for a moment considering they might actually be innocent -  while acting against the law themselves in the process, is made frightfully clear in this excellent but disturbing social drama, which unfortunately got snubbed all too easily at the 2012 Oscars in favour of Amour. Don't expect to go home in a cheerful mood.

-Sister: ***/*****. Social drama about an apparent pair of siblings (older sister and younger brother) who live a hard and sad life in the French mountains without parents. The boy scrapes together a meager living by stealing ski equipment off of rich tourists and selling it on, while his sister (French femme fatale Lea Seydoux) hangs out with all the wrong guys and spends what little money he makes for them both. Their situation gets ever more desperate, leading to a surprising confrontation about their actual relationship they both try to deny is real. Depressing and gritty drama showcasing society's forgotten kids and the reasons they exist at all. So, another gloomy movie. Also guest starring Gillian Anderson.

-Killing Them Softly: ***/*****. Slow paced and at times alarmingly violent thriller about a hitman (Brad Pitt) who is hired by mobsters to clean up after a card game robbery orchestrated by three not-so-intelligent petty thieves. He decides to make his job more low profile, and easier for himself, by first setting them up against each other, having them rat each other out, before moving in for the decisive kill. Andrew Dominik directs, and as is usual throws in ample amounts of social commentary, mostly directed at the current economic crisis. It shows a little too obvious at times, detracting from the story proper, but does make for a memorable closing argument by Pitt's character.

More mini-reviews to come soon.