AWCH Film Reviews -- August 2006

(Becky T) Opening August 3, 2006

Dave Chappelle is a talented black American stand-up comedian, whose “Chappelle’s Show” ran in Germany on MTV for a while. He joined forces with French director Michel Gondry, who has made music videos (Kylie Minogue), advertisements (Levy) and feature films (Human Nature), and won many prizes in all categories. They planned and documented an impromptu street party in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on September 18, 2004. No tickets were sold, the location was a secret; there was no advertising. Still, a huge neighborhood crowd arrived for the 12-hour show, through word of mouth or through personal invitation from Chappelle. He handed out tickets to his day-care center teacher, a college marching band from his home town of Dayton Ohio, a probation officer, etc. The concert featured rap artists Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kwili, Erikah Badu, Jill Scott, etc. The grand finale was a surprise: a reunion of the Fugees with Lauryn Hill singing “Killing Me Softly.”

I loved the democratic distribution of free tickets. No one traveled to Carnegie Hall to enjoy this music. For the first time and to my surprise, I also loved the rap, which came across as an established genre, here to stay, and on its way to respectability, in spite of the foul language. Chappelle’s enthusiasm and energy is catching. I was happy to see the film in English with German subtitles: in English to appreciate the hip hop slang and German subtitles for comprehension, although the subtitles must have been a challenge to translate, for example, “It’s going down” is “Das war der Hammer” or “That trips me up” is “Das ist echt irre.” This ran very successfully at the 2006 Berlinale.

(Pat R) Opening August 3, 2006

In the year 507 A.D. two statues of Buddha were built in Bamiyan-Tal, a northern province of Afghanistan. Fifteen hundred years later the head of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, ordered all non-Islamic symbols to be destroyed. Christian Frei uses this tragedy to portray the loss of a country’s culture and the effects on its people as foreign powers use their land as its killing fields. One can easily substitute Cambodia or Iraq for similar results.

The film approaches the subject through several participants. A Swiss group attempts to recreate the statues through photographic simulation and a UNESCO team plans for a major “face lift”, much to the amazement of local Afghanis. A French archeologist, fascinated by the descriptions of a third sleeping Buddha as written in a diary by the ancient traveller Xuanzang, searches for the world’s eighth wonder, aided by the efforts of local unemployed Afghanis. An Afghani-Canadian, author/actress Nelofer Pazira, is inspired by a picture of her father posing before the giant statues. She travels back to Afghanistan and visits a local history museum, severely damaged by decades of war. In Leshan, China, a theme park is being developed with a copy of one of the giant Buddha statues – the ultimate irony.

Mr. Frei quotes the Iranian filmaker Mohsen Mahkmalbaf: “I am still convinced that the Buddha statues didn’t have to be destroyed. They are symbols of shame. Shame of the ignorance of the western world about Afghanistan”. Six months after the destruction of the statues in Afghanistan, the Twin Towers in New York were destroyed. The film avoids directly commenting on the war in Afghanistan and focuses only on the after-effects. The world suddenly became interested in Afghanistan only when an archeological treasure was threatened. How its people were affected by decades of war between two global powers rarely hit the radar screen.

(Kara W) Opening August 3, 2006

Max Kruse created his unforgettable character Urmel in 1995 through his many children’s books. This particular story has been moved from books, to CD’s, to DVD’s, a play in the Augsburger Puppenkiste, and now has finally made it to the big screen. Reinhard Klooss helps bring this charming story to audiences and many German stars lend their voices to bring the magical characters to life. Professor Habakuk Tibatong (voice of Wigald Bonig) makes his home on a volcanic island with his adopted son Tim Tintenklecks and helps teach all the island animals the proper way to speak. This delightful group includes Ping the penguin, Wawa the lizard, Schusch the bird, and the ever pessimistic Seelefant the sea elephant (voice of Wolfgang Völz) as well as the cleaning pig Wutz (voice of Anke Engelke).

One day the typical routine of the island is interrupted when Wawa and Ping find a glacier floating onto the island, with something frozen inside of it. When the professor comes to the shore, he notices an egg and the group plot together to hatch the egg once they carefully break it free of the ice. After several nights of taking turns keeping the egg warm, the creature inside finally breaks his way out. The group stands amazed at the unusual creature that sits before them. The professor is excited as he explains that this is a prehistoric creature, an Urmel, that was rumored to have lived but no evidence had ever been found of its existence. The professor had been studying the creature for quite some time and was therefore often ridiculed by the academic world. Urmel takes to Wutz as his mother and the professor cannot help but send a message to an arch rival academic of his to let him know that at long last proof of the Urmel has been found. The nemesis, Doctor Zwengelmann (voice of Christoph Maria Herbst) immediately runs to his benefactor King Pumponell, an avid hunter of exotic animals. Excited at the prospect of a unique trophy, the king agrees to go in search of the Urmel to it bring back, dead or alive, for both to see. The members of the island have to race the clock to hide Urmel before it’s too late. Though some of the scenes may be a bit scary for smaller children, this story is bound to captivate all ages, both young and old.

(Adele R) Opening August 3, 2006

The latest film from Pedro Almodóvar opened at the Cannes Film Festival this spring, and according to all reports, would have been awarded the Palm d’Or if the audience instead of a jury had made the decision. But instead, a joint prize for Best Actress was given the spectacular ensemble of women actors, led by Penelope Cruz, and Almodóvar only the prize for the Best Screenplay, disappointing almost everyone.

I haven’t seen the winning film, Ken Loach’s The Wind that Shakes the Barley, but I am certain that Almodóvar deserved more than just Best Screenplay, although the script is brilliant, full of fantasy, and mischief. This film, which he calls a comedy, is lighter and more playful than his most recent, Bad Education, but no less moving or riveting. Penelope Cruz, who gives a wonderful performance, is so mesmerizing and beautiful that I found it almost impossible to take my eyes off her long enough to read the subtitles. (Since I don’t speak Spanish, this was something of a hindrance—she is on screen in almost every scene).

Like all of Almodóvar’s films, the story is layered and sometimes not easy to follow. It involves three generations of women, their secrets, two murders, and a ghost. Cruz is Raimunda, mother of 14-year old Paula (Yohana Cobo). She is married to an unemployed, beer- swilling deadbeat with designs on Paula. Sole (Lola Dueñas), Raimunda’s sister earns her living as hairdresser, and like Raimunda lives in Madrid. Their mother (Carmen Maura), who died in a fire with their father, appears as a ghost first to her sister, Tía Paula (Chus Lampreave) in the village of La Mancha where the family comes from (as does Almodóvar himself) then she shows up in Madrid and moves in with Sole . Also among the brilliant collection of women: the aunt’s neighbor, Agustina (Blanca Portillo) who isdying of cancer, Raimunda’s vivid collection of friends and Sole’s diversely entertaining clients.

It is a lyrical movie about women, about love, about loyalty -- about life and death. It is full of humor and sweetness, pain and sadness, glorious colors and beautiful music. Almodóvar just can’t make a bad film.

(Mary W) Opening August 10, 2006

Garfield, the big orange butterball feline favorite of comic strips world wide, is back in a second adventure film voiced by Bill Murray, who captures Garfield’s cattitude purrfectly. Garfield excitedly smells a yummy dinner prepared by housemate Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) but is dismayed when he learns the feast is for Jon’s girlfriend Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt) so he can propose. When Liz arrives she announces she must leave for London immediately to give a speech. Jon decides to follow Liz, unaware that Garfield and Odie, the clueless canine, are snuggled in his suitcase.

Across the Atlantic, a Garfield doppelgänger called Prince just inherited Castle Carlyle for life, greatly disappointing Lord Dargis who expected his aunt to leave him the estate. Lord Dargis cannot wait to turn the castle into a modern spa and luxury flat complex so he sends Prince down the River Thames in a basket. Garfield hits the streets of London and is picked up as the lost Prince. Jon finds Prince climbing out of a sewer and mistakes him for Garfield. As Garfield learns to enjoy royal treatment at the castle, Prince hits the pubs with Odie and finds a taste for lasagna. Prince tires of the paw-per existence and assisted by Odie, returns to the castle where Liz is giving her speech. Garfield and Prince team up to vanquish the evil Lord Dargis and preserve Castle Carlyle for the rightful animal heirs, with a little help from their humans. Directed by Tim Hill, this flick is fluffy fun for friends of furry felines.

(Karen P) Opening August 17, 2006

Neil Young’s world premiere “Prairie Wind” concert was eloquently captured on genuine film footage with film director Jonathan Demme and director of photography Ellen Kuras at the helm. Demme’s documentary begins with several interviews taken from the back seat of limousines from famous veteran musicians talking about the good ol' days of music and playing with Neil Young. Each individual is eager to get to their destination to join stage with America’s living legendary musicians. The meeting point for these stars is the hallowed Ryman Auditorium (original home of the Grand Ole Opry), Nashville, Tennessee, August 19, 2005.

The mix of old and new songs during the “Prairie Wind” concert expressed Young’s personal journey and how the songs/lyrics were interwoven with his own life singing “Old Man”, “Heart of Gold”, “When God Made Me” as well as, “Prairie Wind”. Demme’s sensitivity and love for music allowed him to capture a musician’s “dream film” about music. Collaborating with Kuras and Young, he filmed a “dream concert” while at the same time capturing what was in Young’s head as a musician and song writer. To combine this complex world of film and music, Demme had to capture its characters, instruments, sights, tones, colors, light, voices and silence. Using eight stationary cameras, one Steadycam and no moving cameras, Demme sets the stage by allowing Young himself to serve as a guide, leading the audience on an intimate, emotional, lyrical journey rather than producing an unambiguous narrative.

Young has entered the fifth decade of his musical career. It is important to him to be able change course during his journey, therefore he strives to cover new ground. Young does so especially with the individual sound of his old Hank Williams guitar. Young’s unmistakable, soothing voice was as clear as a bell, which immediately put me in chill mode – relaxed but ready to receive whatever followed on the program. I often forgot that I was sitting in the movie theater. It was one of the most delightful concentrated 103 minutes I have spent in a very long time.

(Thelma F) Coming to DVD August 17, 2006

Kinky Boots (made by the producers of Calendar Girls) is one of those movies where someone meets someone he would never ever ordinarily meet under very strange circumstances and from that a great story evolves. When Charlie Price (Australian Joel Edgerton) goes to London to try to save the family shoe manufacturing business from bankruptcy, he meets drag queen Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor who was in Love Actually). Lola, like most drag queens, spends most of her time painfully tottering around on shoes meant for women's feet. So, after much deliberation and subsequent problems - not only with his fiancée but also with his employees - Charlie decides to turn his back on tradition and produce kinky boots for a market demanding women's boots for men.

The movie centers on the friendship of the two very different men and questions personality and identity. Exactly which of the two is actually different? And then there is the subject of provincial narrow mindedness which obviously can be overcome - or was it just imagined?!

The film is delightful and funny and yet there are plenty of moving emotional scenes. And the music is great. The exciting climatic moment of Kinky Books is definitely the Catwalk scene at the Milan Shoe Fair.

Lola is a good singer in her own right and songs were chosen that had a connection to the theme and the story.

(Becky T) Opening August 17, 2006

In a kind of diabolic version of The Phantom of the Opera Dr Droz (Gottfried John) kidnaps opera singer Malvina (Amira Casar), straight from the stage and whisks her away to his far-off castle, complete with under-ground river. Totally under the control of Droz and his evil, jealous housekeeper Assumpta (Assumpta Serna), she stares off into the sunset, dreaming of her long-lost lover. Meanwhile Dr. Droz composes an opera for her. Into this scene comes the piano tuner Felisberto (Cesar Sarachu), who, strangely, accepts that there are no pianos to tune. He falls in love with Malvina and both end up as figures in a shadow box.

If you watch this film cold turkey and think as I did, “Slow moving, old-fashioned, text-less movie set in Victorian times,” then follow my example and do some research. This is just one more work of art by the Quay brothers, identical twins named Stephan and Timmy who were born in 1947 in Pennsylvania and moved to London in 1970. They have built an impressive career making animated short films featuring dolls and mechanical figures, commercials (MTV, Coca Cola, Slurpee), opera sets, and ballet films. This is their second film with real actors; the first was Institute Benjamenta. If that rings no bells, perhaps you remember the dream sequence which they made for Julie Taymor’s film Frida. (There are lots of dream sequences in this film as well.) For this movie they were inspired by authors Jules Verne, Adolfo Bioy Casares, and Raymond Roussel, as well as the 1880 painting “Insel der Toten” ( Island of the Dead) by Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin. Pierre Jacquet-Droz’ was a famous manufacturer of automatons in the 18 th century and they borrowed his name for their Dr Droz whose castle is full of automatic machines with movable figures. They call their film a poetic science fiction film. They filmed it in Leipzig using only seven sets which they moved around as in a theater performance.

This film is especially interesting for anyone interested in art, artistic film making, and European actors. Many thanks to Arte, the Filmforderung HH, and the lottery of the UK for helping to finance something interesting, which is definitely not mainstream.

(Vicki FM) Opening August 17, 2006

A new generation of Superman comes with an unknown mid-western actor, 27 year old Brandon Routh, in his film debut role as the man of steel. Well, almost all steel, seems his heart is a little softer. He’s back and he’s beautiful. It would be hard not to compare Routh with the wonderful Christopher Reeves, so I will. Routh plays bumbling reporter Clark Kent with the same grace, or un-grace as Reeves did and it is entertaining to watch. His acting alone sets the 2 characters apart because, come on…a pair of glasses and we cannot see Superman?! As Superman, Routh is fantastic and gives those long, lingering, confident looks that only a man who can leap tall buildings and save the world can give. That, along with his 4 ft wide shoulders and a new bordeaux and blue Superman suit makes us believe! The new millennium Superman also means, uh, new stuff. So, expect a twist on the plot and new-fangled high-tech operations. Kevin Spacey is a good bad-guy even with his shaved head. (What is up with Hollywood hair these days?) Worth the wait to see her short time on the screen is Eva Marie Saint (fantastic as the cool, blond, double agent in North by Northwest) as his Earth mother. It would not be Superman if Lois Lane were not there. She is and probably always will be a reporter at the Daily Planet but this time she has modern-day live-in boyfriend and little boy. The little boy appeared 4 years and 3 months ago and Superman left 5 years ago….hmmm, could it be…oh, I do not want to spoil it for you. Entertaining film, remember it is based on a comic book.

(Becky T) Opening August 17, 2006

Trip or Remix your Experience first showed at the 2005 Filmfest Hamburg. It is a multimedia event created by Frank Otto and Bernt Köhler-Adams. In four long years the two artist-composers, supported by teams of photographers and musicians, put together a 78-minute, audio/visual happening of film and music which was then projected simultaneously on four huge screens bordered by 12 smaller ones. The photos followed four themes: people on planet Earth, underwater, the Berlin subway and artwork. I mostly remember turtles, graphic art, hair, feet, heads, and ethnic groups. The music was in the category of rock. Most exciting for me was that this happening “happened” in the Levantehaus on Mönckebergstraße. The whole mall was open to the public after hours for a five-euro ticket. Besides the bigger screens, smaller screens were set up everywhere. There was a cocktail party atmosphere with people milling around, glass in hand. What a wonderful place to have a party. This was a coup for the Filmfest, since the world premiere of this event was at the Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. Now Trip is going on tour. It is understandable in any language. Watch your papers for the location.

(Karen P) Opening August 31, 2006

A neo-Nazi named Adam (Ulrich Thomsen) must fulfill his community service duty at the parish of Pastor Ivan (Mads Mikkelsen). On Adam’s first day of service, Pastor Ivan gives Adam the task of caring for the famous old apple tree that shades part of the church grounds. Pastor Ivan is thrilled to find out that one of Adam’s skills is baking, so he suggests to Adam that he bake a cake from the next apple harvest. A series of horrific events plague the tree under Adam’s care and cause him to blame God for the tragedy. Pastor Ivan, on the other hand, blames the Devil. The collision of these two beliefs will take us on a roller coaster of a story that brings about an amazing surprise discovery.

This film by Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen was inspired by the book of Job in the Bible. Jensen’s hilarious accounting of such a tragic, real-life story was brilliantly written and performed. It’s total comic relief with class! This is a must-see film that you will never forget nor tire of viewing because of its creative style and integrity. It is not a surprise that the TV Movie Audience Award endowed EUR 5,000 to Jensen for his work on Adam’s Apples. This was my favorite pick of the 2005 Hamburg film festival.

(Becky T) Opening August 31, 2006

Photographer Anita Khemka records the lives of three transvestites or hijras in Bombay. She vividly portrays the heat and crowds of the city while giving us insights to Laxmi, Rhamba, and Asha, all members of the so-called third sex, neither man nor woman, who were born “as the result of their parents mistakes.” This group has a niche in India: they attend, uninvited, baptisms, weddings, etc.,, to bless the guest of honor. They are welcomed with various degrees of enthusiasm, but always leave with some money for their trouble. They are organized in families with a “mother” as head of the house. Often they adopt children – mainly girls, whom they raise and educate and are supported in return when the children are adults. Thus they have a life for themselves, some more successfully than others. Laxmi is a charismatic dance teacher and choreographer as well as a prostitute. Rhamba was castrated at the age of 10. She is a go-go dancer in a night club and “marries” her boy friend (who is already married and has a family) during an annual festival of eunuchs. Asha drinks, begs, lives on the street and curses those who refuse her money. In this excellent documentary, director ThomasWartmann, has opened a window to a life which seems foreign, but the people in the window are real. They have dreams and disappointments and seek love like anyone else, at the same time juggling their status of belong to a “third gender” where their “soul is fighting with their bodies.”

(Pat R) Opening August 31, 2006

Ahhh, leave it to the French to have made a film about the importance of culture and beauty.

Jessica (Cecile de France, L’Auberge Espagnole-Barcelona für ein Jahr) leaves her small town in Provence to seek her fortune in Paris. Having lost her parents earlier in a car accident, she is guided by her loving grandmother, who had worked as a washroom attendant at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, happy to be always surrounded by luxury and beauty. Jessica’s luck begins when she finds a job at a small bistro on the bustling Avenue Montaigne. The bistro’s customers are a diverse crowd from the nearby auction house, theater and concert hall. As one of the few bistros to still offer delivery service, Jessica is allowed through the doors and into the private lives of several fascinating performers and lovers of the arts. Cecile de France plays an inquisitive and somewhat naive young woman whose unassuming personality encourages her new aquaintances to immediately confide in her.

Catherine (Valerie Lemercier) is a stressed out actress whose performance in a French soap opera makes her a local celebrity. The soap is filmed until late at night, when she catches a few hours of sleep in her car and then staggers on stage the next morning for rehearsals of an upcoming comedy. A classical pianist (Albert Dupontel) is frustrated by the formality of the performance world and longs to play for a non-elite and younger audience – which threatens his wife and her comfortable lifestyle. A wealthy art collector and widower (Claude Brasseur) is selling his life’s collection of art against the wishes of his son – so that he may enjoy the pleasure of seeing the treasures pass on to other appreciative collectors. Film director Sydney Pollack is seeking talent for an upcoming production of Simone de Beauvoir and sees just what he wants in the spirited Catherine. In 1995 Mr. Pollack had directed Ms. LeMercier in a production of Sabrina.

Cecile de France is charming as a naturally curious and unassuming coquette. This is a delightful film and a reminder of how beautiful Paris really is – and why it will always be for many their favorite city.

(Rita PS) Opening August 31, 2006

Jason Reitman’s satire about a tobacco lobbyist’s downfall and resurrection in Washington D.C. is fresh and witty. We all know that smoking is bad for you, even the tall, dark and handsome Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) in the job he was born to do—head lobbyist for the forces of nicotine. We watch him and cheer for him as he keeps the world safe for tobacco despite the mountains of evidence to the contrary. He has our vote no matter what he is selling. Week after week we relish his regular lunches with the other two MODs “merchants of death”: Maria Bello and David Koechner, his comrades in arms as spin doctors for alcohol and firearms. Nick has his heart in the right place and he knows what is “right,” but the way he sees it, he does not get paid to do what is right; his job is to do the best with the skills, looks, and stuff he’s got and to make sure that his son grows up knowing how to ask questions. William H. Macy is hilarious as Nick’s nemesis – the dowdy but ambitious senator from Vermont with an amazing collection of maple syrup bottles on his desk. Katie Holmes is the cute girl reporter/unbridled careerist who brings Nick’s life crashing down only because he gets blindsided by hormones. All in all a thoroughly entertaining film.