NO INTRODUCTIONS NEEDED FOR THIS ONE - I GIVE YOU "BRONSON"

I came to watch Bronson when I was in a very peculiar mood indeed. You know “those” days, you may have got out of bed the wrong side, something may have gone very wrong in the office, or everything may have gone slightly wrong everywhere… In short, you’ve had enough, your nerves are in shreds and you feel rather belligerent and at odds with the world. Not, you may observe, the best frame of mind for a film. Not Bronson. If I had to describe my experience of it, I would use one word only: cathartic.
Which brings me to my disclaimer. Be warned, Bronson is not for the faint of heart or stomach. The level of violence portrayed is positively Tarantinian (and if that isn’t a word it damn well should be!) and the way the said violence is portrayed can be downright disturbing. Personally, this was not so much of a problem for me, I am a massive Tarantino fan, it should be said. But you may not be. So be warned.
Bronson is the true story of Michael Peterson, or rather his alter-ego, Charles Bronson, Britain’s most famous and most violent prisoner. We follow Bronson shocking career from prison to a facility for the criminally insane, to the outside world and back “inside” again. Not only do we get a blow by blow (very literally) account, it is Bronson himself who is narrating it! (well, not the real Bronson but Tom Hardy does such a spectacular job of the part you could be forgiven for being fooled) Thus we travel all the way into Bronson’s world, his psyche. And the fact that he actually is criminally insane makes for very interesting scenery indeed.
So far, Nicholas Wendig Refyn’s Bronson has taken Sundance, Rotterdam, London and Dublin film festivals by storm, and I can quite see why. And if you ever get round to watching this film, within 30 seconds of meeting Tom Hardy’s version of Bronson, I guarantee it, so will you…

THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF "MARY & MAX"

“God gave us relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends.” A fridge magnet classic. But never was there a film that portrayed the wisdom in it as the amazing and true story of Mary and Max.
Mary Daisy Dinkle was an 8 year-old in Mount Waverly, Australia in the year 1972. Her mother was an alcoholic, her father a quiet man who spent all his free time on taxidermy. She was shy, awkward and in her own opinion rather ugly. She had no friends and was bullied regularly. Yet she somehow got on with life. And even found some time to ponder deep philosophical questions. One of these questions was where babies came from in America (in Australia Daddies found them at the bottom of their beer glasses at the time). Being a practical girl, Mary decided to write to someone in America and ask.
She randomly chose a name from the New York phone book: Max J. Horowitz from New York City, and boy her choice could not have been more random. Max was a 44 year-old, obese Aspergers syndrome sufferer (undiagnosed at the time). He generally found life rather “confuzzling” and had a rather precarious existence in a flat in the city, by himself. He had no friends either but had always wanted one (one who wasn’t a pet or invisible). He received Mary’s letter, promptly suffered an anxiety attack but decided to answer once he had recovered. This decision was the beginning of a intercontinental “penpalship” that would span the best part of 30 years and would change both their lives, literally and forever.
Such prominent actors and actresses as Toni Colette (adult Mary), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Max) and Eric Bana lend their voices to the characters. But even though all these are admirable, and the awards won at great festivals such as Sundance and Berlin are very, very well deserved, the real appeal of this film lies in its story. It is a perfect reminder of the day-to-day miracles in life. And I promise you’ll love it, even if you aren’t a big fan of stop-motion and plasticine…

WHAT REALLY GOES ON IN "THE CLASS"

“There are many films that chose schools as settings, but very few that are actually about life in schools. That’s the story I’m trying to tell.” This may not be word for word, but it is the basic mission statement of Laurent Cantet, director of Entre Les Murs. He was given a Palme D’or at the Cannes film festival for his troubles. Let’s take a closer look at the film, shall we?
Well, at first glance the story basically reads like the 90’s classic Dangerous Minds, only in French. François Marin, a new teacher, arrives for his first term at a high school in a poor district of the big city. The students are from all manner of different backgrounds and have all manner of different disciplinary problems. They also have a terrible attitude towards all authority figures. Monsieur Marin most definitely has his work cut out for him.
So what’s new? Why does Laurent Cantet deserve a Palme D’or for this? Well, sometimes the way a story is told is as important as the story itself. For example, would it surprise you to find out there was only one single actor in the whole film?
No, no, it’s not one of those bizarre experimental films, not in the sense you’re thinking of, anyway. Go back to Monsieur Cantet’s mission statement, what was he aiming to do? Portray real live in schools. Ok, how do you make sure you do that? You ask the experts. Psychologists? No. Students and teachers. In fact the only actor in the film plays François Marin, the rest are genuine high-school students and their teachers. For a period of about six months before the shooting began, the students (a real class in a high school in a poor area)started working with Cantet and the technical team on improvisation. Then, the situations thought up by the writers were “acted out” by the class during improvisation sessions, and the screenplay was basically formed accordingly. The other teachers are also genuine, and the various problems discussed and faced were all brought up by the teachers. The children, who really do come from all manner of different backgrounds, really do suffer from these problems.
It is strange to consider that we were all once experts on life in the classroom. Then, the moment we leave, we begin to forget. I have no doubt that Entre Les Murs will jog your memory at some point or another. It is also as accurate and touching a picture of classroom life without being a documentary that can possibly be filmed. But enough from me. Let’s see what the experts have to say…

WELCOME ON BOARD THE U-BOAT - IN ENEMY HANDS

Well, the modern movie go- er cannot survive on Indies alone; just occasionally some old-fashioned Hollywood makes are needed. And if you have reached that time in your movie schedule, allow me to offer you In Enemy Hands.
In Enemy Hands is a movie set during World War 2. Now now, don’t scoff, it may not be a classic but it is a GOOD movie set during World War 2. And the subject matter is well, not exactly fresh, but fresher than a lot of films out there. Allow me to run through the story-line first.
At the height of the u-boat wars during World War 2, a German u-boat and an American submarine come head to head. They battle it out, the Germans win an astounding victory destroying the American submarine and capturing the surviving crew members. However, the American p.o.w. s have brought an uninvited guest with them: Meningitis. Fatal and highly contagious, the disease spreads quickly throughout the u-boat and soon so many men have been lost that there is only one way for all to get home alive: forming a mixed crew of Germans and Americans to operate the u-boat…
The film is, needless to say, full of all the clichés you would expect it to be full of : The adoring beautiful ( read perfect) wife waiting back home, the rash young captain who refuses to listen to his more experienced officer and bringing disaster to all the crew, on the other side the subordinate who has been held back from becoming a captain by his own insecurity and who is of course pushed into making important decisions , a very balanced mix of “good” and “bad” Germans. I could actually go on but you get the picture. Still, the film has its moments. And although you probably can already guess how the movie ends, if you need some Saturday night entertainment without too much effort, give it a spin…

A TASTE OF THE ORIENT - UZAK İHTİMAL

Uzak İhtimal is actually a film by Turkish director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun. First up, the film is in Turkish, so not for those of you who don’t feel comfortable with films in languages you don’t understand… (No offence meant by the way – I mean, my own mother hates watching films in languages she doesn’t understand!) I was going to stay away from films that might be considered “too obscure” but Uzak İhtimal (translates as Small Possiblity) has one a few international awards (Rotterdam Film Festival and Tofifest film festival in Poland for instance) And it’s a really good film. So here goes :
I have to say, Uzak İhtimal is a very typically Turkish film. This is the reason I am glad it has been shown quite extensively in European festivals.
Put briefly, this is the story of a religious official, Musa, who is posted to Istanbul for his first job. He is not from a very rural area in fact he is from Ankara, the capital, but the massive megalopolis that is Istanbul completely baffles him. The story takes him through many facets of life in Istanbul but because of his sheltered and pious upbringing, he is not sure how to negotiate through them. And as he fumbles through, he naturally makes mistakes that have unexpected and sometimes tragic consequences.
Ok, so some of you may find the storyline slightly cheesy. In my opinion, the acting could definitely have been improved as well. But the success of this film is largely elsewhere: in the atmosphere it creates. As you watch, you will see a lot of scenes from everyday life in Istanbul and you will experience the true bewilderment of the little man faced with modern life. You will see the growing pains of Anatolian Turkey faced with the European perspective. (Don’t infer that the film is necessarily political but the parallel is eerily present even though it may not have been meant to be put there) And you will see the confusion of each and every person who immigrates to another country and tries to start afresh…
In short, a magnificent gem of an insight – if you’re into that kind of thing…

NICK AND NORAH’S INFINATE PLAYLIST

When I stumbled across this bizarrely named little gem, I honestly had no expectations for it what so ever. An hour and a half later, I stood corrected. It was (is, in fact) possibly the sweetest film I have ever watched…
And let me add straight away that I am not a great fan of calling films sweet. The problem is that there is no other way to describe it. The characters are all wonderful, believable, funny, faulty and very easy to sympathize with. The storyline is not that new and contains some clichés but funnily enough none of it is cheesy. I mean, even the “gay best friends” (who seemed to be an obligatory accessory for many films in the 90’s) have a fresh, fun take on them that make them real (by the way, one of the said gay friends in question is played by Aaron Yoo, who it turns out I have seen in a number of other films one of which was The Wackness I picked last week! Seen and admired I should have said incidentally, I greatly enjoyed his performance here as well) In short, it is very much like a real love story, and leaves you feeling all fuzzy and glittery inside… Yes yes, you DO know what I mean, don’t deny it.
Now the story: High-school student Nick (Michael Cera – star of the Oscar winning film Juno) has a problem. He can’t get over his ex – Tris. To be fair, Tris was a man-eater who cheated on him and dumped him but such is life. He is a musician and is in a band, and his depression has even started to affect the band. He tries to reconnect with Tris by making mixed music cds for her, but Tris just laughs and discards them. But they do not go to the trash, oh no. They are adopted by her “friend” Norah (Kat Dennings), whose respect for Nick and his taste in music are growing daily – even though they have never met. Norah, by the way has an affliction: a famous father. It makes her suffer greatly, but she just does her best to live a normal life and in the mean time tries to keep her party-animal friend Caroline from getting wasted. Again.
One night, a completely random encounter after Nick’s band’s gig will transform what could be a completely random evening out into a crazy adventure. And will transform Nick and Norah’s lives forever…

EICHMANN – THE SOLDIER. THE FATHER. THE MONSTER.

Ok, heads up, this is a Second World War film. Another one. Now I’m sure you have your own view on that statement; I am personally one of those who are not sick and tired of them. Not of the good ones at any rate. And Eichmann is definitely “a good one”.
My only criticism of the film would be that it pre-supposes a bit of general knowledge; in brief, the answers to the questions “Who was Adolf Eichmann, and what did he do?” (To be fair though, they are pretty easy to pick up as you go along)To those of us who do not know, he was a high ranking Nazi officer who was in charge of the “coordination” of concentration camps. He was responsible for every aspect, from the work to the transport. His coldness and cruelty were a thing of legend. In 1960, he was captured and brought to Israel. He was tried for war crimes and executed. Before his trial, he was interrogated by the military prosecutor Avner Less. The film is based on the transcripts of these interviews.
Thomas Kreschnann and Troy Garity (who play Eichmann and Less respectively) have pulled of quite a feat. Although flashbacks of Eichmann’s past and Less’s life outside the interrogation chamber play an important part, the two men’s dialogues constitute the backbone of the film and never once lose their sense of purpose…
As to the subject matter, what makes this film fresh to my eyes is that apart from showing the horrors of the Nazi regime, the film also tries to understand what went on in the minds of its administrators. And that, in my view, is a very good question indeed.
Take the case of Eichman. Before us we have a seemingly average army officer. Loving father of four. Womaniser with several mistresses. The single handed organizer of the death camps that took the lives of millions of human beings. And of course the defense is as easy to predict as the events are easy to research : “I was following orders.” “I was not responsible.” What we find out here, along with Avner Less, is how this defense was born. And how it is actually possible for the defendant to believe it in a way… I do not want to give away more of the film than I can help but let me put it this way. If you ever read something, no matter how brief, about the Nazi regime – or dictatorships anywhere – and wondered “what the hell they were thinking”, this a very good stab and an answer. Let me also add that the conclusion reached is hair-raisingly human…

A TRIP BACK IN TIME – TO THE BOAT THAT ROCKED!

The Boat That Rocked is one of the newest creations of the team that brought us such classics as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Noting Hill. And although it is a “fun” film in many ways it definitely lacks the star quality of its more famous siblings.
Not that the film is lacking in stars, in more senses than one : Phlip Seymour-Hoffman gives a superb performance as the inevitable “Brash American” set among “The Brits” without being in the least bit cliché or annoying ( or at least annoyingly cliché) Bill Nighy is your typical “Brit on the ocean waves” with just the right Bohemian overtones, Rhys Ifans is… Well no other word for it absolutely “yummy” as Gavin and Tom Sturrdige is the perfect “naïve young beau”
Reading back on my previous paragraph I find that I seem to have hinted at what I find “wrong” with the film – it’s a cliché. Although it starts on a very interesting point – history of Pirate Radio Broadcasting in the U.K (a concept I was not personally aware of incidentally) and in the meanwhile offers an absolutely wonderfully nostalgic soundtrack of 60’s rock and pop classics, the actual storyline itself is nothing new. Young beau arrives among rebels. Defies authority bravely. Succeeds at last minute where all seems to be failing terribly. Gets girl in the end. * Yawn*.
But, as can be expected from the team that creates such classics – and such great actors - the film has a saving grace apart from its soundtrack (that is so good it deserves a second mention). It’s funny. It does, I have to stay, stray once or twice into a realm the American Pie franchise has exploited in my opinion once too often but other than that it is embarrassingly Britishly, wonderfully funny. I gurantee you an entertaining and depending on your generation VERY nostalgic couple of hours if you make the time to watch it. Just don’t expect it to change your world. Or stick in your mind for more than 2 days…

TIME TO GROW UP AND FACE “THE WACKNESS”

You may remember The Wackness from last year. It created quite a bit of a stir as far as independent films go. Starring Ben Kingsley (who in my eyes is now a movie classic) The Wackness is not what is typically envisaged as a “indie” movie and that is possibly what has brought it such wide acclaim.
But let me not get ahead of myself and give you a brief outline of the story. The Wackness is the story of two very unlikely characters. One is Dr Squires, a well-known therapist (Ben Kingsley) who has a very complicated life (to put it mildly) despite his seemingly perfect home with his younger wife and intelligent sassy step-daughter. The other is his client Luke Shapiro who has his own opinions concerning loyalty (such as refusing to listen to cds and continuing to use cassettes) and lives pretty much in his own world because he doesn’t fit into his school “milieu” (even though he is popular there because he is the main supplier of weed) or in his problematic household (even though he is the one actually keeping the house on its feet with the money he gets selling weed). Ben Kingsley is in fact one of his clients and pays for the weed not in money but free séances.
Their friendship seems bizarre and unlikely even to themselves but undoubtedly grows. And when Ben Kingsley’s refusal to accept responsibility and act his age are coupled with Luke’s growing pains, family problems not to mention his crush on Dr Squires’ step-daughter the adventures that follow take us up and down the spectrum of feelings from the comical and absurd to coy and romantic, from truly hopeless and desperate to exciting and hopeful…
In a lot of films and reviews “true to life” can be read as somber. Not in this case. The Wackness although it is as “wacky” in many ways as the titles suggests, successfully tells the story of “growing up” no matter what your age is. A must-see.

LOST AND FOUND ON THE ROAD OF LIFE : “WENDY & LUCY”

Starring the Oscar® nominee Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy is a typically “indie” film telling the tale of a typically human condition.
Wendy (Michelle Williams) is on the road in search of a better life. In fact, she is heading for Alaska for a new, well-paid job. She is in her old battered car and beside her is her one true companion: Her dog Lucy. However, in a small town in what feels to Wendy like the middle of nowhere her beloved car breaks down. One mishap follows another and shortly afterwards Lucy also goes missing. Wendy has now effectively lost everything that means anything to her and has no money to set things right. To make matters worse, the town she is stuck in seems to be just as stuck in one place as she is…
As I said at the beginning, this is a prime example of an independent film but this, for you, could be a plus or a minus. The tone is definitely somber. The pace is undoubtedly slow. However, Michelle Williams glows in the lead role. And the feeling of desperation whether quiet or vociferous and the various ways the characters go about dealing with (or not as the case may be) the situation are quite thought-provoking.
Possibly not a Saturday-night entertainment classic but definitely worth your consideration

THE HAWK IS DYING

Another independent movie that came up on my radar lately: The Hawk Is Dying by Julian Goldberger. Based on the book by Harry Crews, the film is a story of every day despair.
It is the story of George an automobile upholsterer who lives with his obese and insecure sister Precious and her mentally handicapped son. Stuck between a dead-end job and a problem family George (Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti) has two means of respite. One is his casual relationship with a dead-beat psychology student (Oscar nominee Michelle Williams) where he is part sexual partner, part research project. The second one is hawking. George’s ultimate dream in life is to trap and train a hawk, but no matter how hard he and his nephew (the talented Michael Pitt) try all the hawks they catch end up dying in the end… One day, while they are searching for a new hawk, they trap a magnificent red-tailed hawk, and the bird unwillingly starts a chain of events that can only be described in the end as tragic…
One thing about this film is that the acting is absolutely brilliant. And that makes for a thoroughly depressing film, because The Hawk Is Dying is the story of normal people who live mind-numbingly everyday lives and who have to cope with tragic events. No heroics. No “beautiful relationships” and “noble feelings”. Just human beings, warts and all. And let me add that despite the at times desperate overtones the film carries, as in life itself, it is an ill wind that blows no good and silver linings are to be found everywhere so long as you know where to look…
You may, of course protest that we see enough of that in our day to day lives. This would be fair enough. But this film is definitely worth it if you want to try something different…

COOL VS “COOL” : SURFER, DUDE.

This is “a clash of the cools”. The California surfing scene may never see another clash of the titans such as this one!
California is ablaze because the surfing phenomenon Steve Addington (Matthew McCounaghy) is back in town. He is the epitome of cool : ultra laid-back, mostly high and nearly always broke, the latter much to the distress of his manager Jacky (Woody Harrelsson). To be fair Jacky’s fears are easily quelled by a few puffs on a joint, and his “lawn mowing business” is doing well, but as far as being a “major asset” is concerned, Steve is not doing well… Then one day, things get rather “uncool” in the surfing world. Steve’s contract is handed over to one an ex-surfer and new entrepreneur. And his plan for Steve is to get him to live in a “Big Brother” type house for surfers where he will be filmed 24 / 7 and participate in tests to have is avatar created for his new surfing video game. Steve “has no problem going to shake a surfer’s hand” but wants none of the rest of it. His new boss responds by refusing to give him any money until he complies and starts circulating “uncool” rumors about him. This would not really have bothered Steve, unless California was going through the longest “waveless spell” in recorded history…
Unable to surf (and thus with his mind deteriorating) or do anything else ( for lack of funds) and with his manager in jail (another pressure tactic from ) Steve is faced with a tough decision: Sticking to old-school cool or complying with modern times….
Surfer dude is an understated yet hilarious comedy making fun of all the surfing / sports movie clichés while deep down under the hilarity, presenting us with the very real battle of old-school versus “high-tech new school” . It may at first glance look very much like yet another sporting spoof but really, I couldn’t wipe the smile of my face from the beginning to the end of this one… Just be cool and give it a shot…

A DISCREET LOOK AT MODERN JAPAN : CAFE LUMIERE

Steer clear of Café Lumiere if you are of the “Alice in Wonderland” school of thought when it comes to films. I mean of course, those of you who think a film is pointless without pictures or conversation. Admittedly, it is pretty difficult to imagine a film without either so let me elaborate…
I personally found this film very refreshing in a lot of ways. Its whole ambiance and the techniques the director uses are as far as they can be from every day western cinema. The viewer is placed in the position of witness to a young woman’s everyday life. Thus we arrive at the part where I will tell you the film has “no pictures”, because we do not follow her around as such. In fact, throughout the film, the camera is usually placed in one position or another depending on where we are, but rarely moves ( I counted a total of two panning movements throughout the film and that’s it) So we are presented with only one perspective, sitting in a corner of the room without moving so to speak. Action takes place on and/ or off screen. Conversations take place, certainly, but if the phone rings, we only hear the character in the room. And another point to add is that there is no “movie magic” at all. Chance encounters do not take us to the root of some family issue, we pick up the back-ground through snippets of conversation we hear or things we observe. Of course there is a story, but like the life we witness and in fact the life we live, it takes its own pace to unravel and there is nothing you can do about it but wait for it to be done. Apart from turning off the T.V. of course :)
And so throughout this quiet and understated film, we watch Yoko make life-decisions, witness her relationship with her parents and her close friends, catch a glimpse of modern-day Japan. And as we do so, we get to learn about the Taiwanese composer Jiang Wen-Ye ( a real composer incidentally) that she is researching, listen to many of his compositions ( an aspect I found fascinating) and even witness a short interview with his wife ( also real)
I loved Café Lumiere and the fact that it is the proud owner of a Golden Lion from the Venice film festival says something for it, but definitely not everyone’s cup of tea…

HI, I'M ESSİE, WELCOME TO MY PICS :)

Hi there!

Well, this is the inevitable "who am I and what am I doing here" post, so let's get it over with.
My name is not Essie (as you may have guessed - and actually will probably know seing as quite a few of the people who read this will be my own contacts at first) but it is the way my family shorten my name, and I think it makes a fun-looking handle. Apart from the fact that I am used to it ofcourse.
Now, here is why I am here : My job entails watching ALOT of films. I'm not a critic or anything so fancy, a mere technician. But watching movies is kinda what I do for a living... I love movies. I love talking about movies. I love writing. A blog where I write about movies seemed to just "appear" on its own.
However, as I started working on content, I began feeling that while the blog would be mainly about movies I would add various other things to it. Like books (another big thing with me). Or my impressions of a trip possibly. But all those will be "extra-curricular". What I will endevour to do is keep a steady stream of "movie reviews" popping up here on a weekly basis and I may or may not add anything extra.
Now when I say "reviews" don't expect anything fancy. I'm not an academic, hell I'm mostly self-taught. My reviews will be in the context of telling a group of like-minded friends about a movie I liked, and why I liked it. Think of it as a kind of "movie guide" where you might read about a movie you have never heard of, pick up ideas for a pleasant evening's entertainment.
I will try to write more about independant / european movies rather than blockbusters for this purpose. Although, with the Oscar season approaching I may have to do a few reviews of the candidates aswell...
Well, without further ado, here are my first offerings for you delectation. I hope you enjoy "my pics" and check back for more!

Essie