AWCH Film Reviews -- July 2005

(Osanna V) Opening July 7, 2005

TOBIS Film presents Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erica Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt in a passionate family drama directed by Mike Binder.

Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen) is unrecognisable. From being a loving, kind, dependable wife and mother of four daughters, she has allowed anger, frustration and alcohol into her life; and she has a reason: her husband appears to have disappeared to Sweden with his young secretary, breaking all contact with family, friends and co-workers. Fear fuels Terry's anger: fear for how she's going to cope; fear for her daughters Andy, Lavender, Emily and Hadley making the wrong choices at this crucial moment in their lives; fear of losing control and seeing her well-ordered life falling apart; fear towards a new relationship with a man, Denny (Kostner), an old family acquaintance and former baseball star. We see Terry making mistakes in these relationships. Yet her beliefs, though often misguided, are so passionate that we can sympathise and understand her; even though, in virtually all the cases, the fears expressed with anger are unfounded.

The Upside of Anger is a challenge. For the filmmakers it could have gone either way, but Joan Allen (who not surprisingly has been nominated for three Academy Awards) is excellent in the main role and well supported by Kostner (his best film in a very long time) and the four young ladies who play the daughters. The subject is a difficult one and leaves the viewer with some unanswered questions: Was the anger really justified? Was it healthy to express her anger or did it blind her to seeing something beyond? Was her former life a dream where frustration was given no place? Some interesting conversations could arise after such a movie.

(Karen P) Opening July 7, 2005

Remake: Again?! Let’s just say that maybe a third time around will be its charm. In the meantime, in spite of the corny script and the obvious flat plot, it’s straightforward and predictable. A good family film! Together, a family can joke about the lines, comment on the “obvious” special effects, discuss the film’s theme and question, “what if?”, "…what would you do?”, in such a situation. This food for thought and conversation makes a story believable.

Flight of the Phoenix is a remake by director John Moore of a Robert Aldrich adventure film (Flight of the Phoenix) from 1965. Pilot Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid) and co-pilot A.J. (Tyrese Gibson), have a mission to pick up a cargo load of passengers and heavy equipment in the middle of the Mongolian desert after a research company bails on a work project. On the return flight, the plane is hit by a horrific storm that causes its doom to the earthen sand. The plane was taken 300 miles off the original course with most of the passengers on board and still alive. The damage to the plane was extensive. Hmm! Now what? The crew makes an assessment of the damage and concludes that they have two choices: die in the desert sitting around or rebuild the plane in hopes to live to tell about it. As the story ‘painstakingly” unfolds, the audience is not caught up with the predictable ending but the intrigue of the “how” question: how are they going to rebuild a plane that will carry them to safety? Elliott (Giovanni Ribisi) announces to the group that he builds planes for a living and comes forward with the perfect plan. Fighting against the various elements of this crisis, teamwork develops to achieve the main goal: survival.

(Karen P) Opening July 7, 2005

Everybody’s gone surf’n, surf’n USA… the song by the Beach Boys and films like Gidget conjured up images that surfing was easy, glamorous and that it was everyman’s sport — if you were cool! But in reality, only a few “gnarly” characters were fit for this lifestyle because it was (and still is) difficult to ride the wild-side of the Big Waves. These “gnarly” dudes thus earned their name as the Big Wave Surfers. Film director Stacy Peralta (Lords of Dogtown and Z-Boys) puts the Hollywood style surf scene on the back burner in Riding Giants and narrates the compelling evolution of the sport since the 1500s. However, Peralta’s specialty is documenting the historical account of Big Wave Surfers and their passion to ride the surf, at all costs.

Most of the surfing legends communicate that aside from the birth of their children, to ride the biggest and best waves the Earth's oceans have to offer is the ultimate experience in life. Peralta visually communicates to the audience this ultimate experience and attempts to capture the heartbeat of such a thrill seeker of the sea. Peralta provides a peek at some awesome original film footage of surfing Gurus like Greg Noll, Buzzy Trent, Jeff Clark, and Liard Hamilton, among others, spanning the surfing community off the shores of the Hawaiian Islands, Southern California and Tahiti since 1940. Over the past seventy years, every generation has made a significant mark on this sport, which has built a higher level of thrill and expectation to conquer the oceans’ surf giants. Riding Giants is a journey you do not want to miss, and you don’t even have to get wet!

(Alyssa C) Opening July 14, 2005

As the Austrian Best Foreign Film submission to the 2005 Oscars, Antares should have been a great movie. Alas, there was nothing great about this movie. Writer/director Götz Spielmann thinks that he has made a very clever story about the goings-on in three different apartments in the same building. He took extreme care in overlapping the separate storylines by letting the characters have coincidental encounters. However, there was nothing insightful, fateful or destined about these meetings; afterall, one tends to meet or hear his neighbors in the hall or parking garage often enough. The elements of this continuity, though, gave me something to focus on during the film, and I was admittedly impressed with the consistency. (Too bad the editor did not take the same attention to detail in cutting the boom mike out of the top of several shots.)

The storylines themselves are dark, depressing, and have nothing to do with love. Instead, jealously, domestic violence and adultery are the main themes. None of characters are the least bit endearing, and none of them (with the exception of the one who dies) have any great transformations or revelations. According to Spielmann, he did this so that love could remain a utopia. The 39 days he spent on filming would have been better spent on a shrink’s couch, which is where I should go directly if I waste another second thinking about this film.

(Adele R) Opening July 14, 2005

This film is being billed as the most original love story of the year and that much is probably true. It takes place at the end of the Second World War in Lappland, on a dismal grey moraine of rocks and gravel left by some distant avalanche at the edge of a lake. Three people carry on lengthy conversations in three languages, misunderstanding each other with every sentence. After a while, the humor in the situation begins to pall and you wonder why they don’t start pantomiming, playing charades or just learning one of the three languages.

Anni (Anni-Christina Juuso) is a Lapp woman living alone in a yurt-like structure made of poles. Add Ivan (Viktor Bytchkov), a Russian soldier whom she has rescued, and Viktor (Ville Haapsalo), a Finnish soldier in a German uniform who has escaped from the Germans and happens upon Anni’s little farm. Anni wants a man (her husband has been gone four years) and settles on Viktor who is the younger, handsomer of the two. Of course Ivan is jealous, and believing that Viktor is a German fascist in any case, tries to kill him. Anni saves Viktor’s life by beating a drum and blowing and howling into his ear to pull his soul back into his body. It takes two tedious hours to tell this “original love story”.

The film, directed by Aleksandr Rogoshkin, won five prizes at the Moscow Film Festival and other prizes at some lesser festivals.

(Becky T) Opening July 14, 2005

This fast-paced black comedy from Mexico makes Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes seem nicotine-free by comparison. On a split screen we intrude upon Lolo (Diego Luna, Y Tu Mama También) multi-tasking: he hacks into the website of a bank, smokes and makes coffee on his gas burner. He also jealously monitors Andrea’s apartment next door. Lolo loves Andrea and has bugged her apartment to watch her entertain an older lover, whom she hopes will jump-start her musical career. Meanwhile, Nene lights up in the car and discusses “one of the few things in life worth living for” (smoking) with newly non-smoking Tomson (Jesús Ochoa). They are waiting to deliver Lolo’s computer data to Russian Swoboda. All goes awry when the discs are inadvertently exchanged. Fast forward to Beto’s drugstore after hours. Beto smokes in the upstairs shower, oblivious that his wife Clara is bandaging Nene’s gun wounds downstairs. At the same time, Goyo attempts to head off a policeman in his barber shop, while his wife Carmen shaves and eviscerates Swoboda. What a relief that some people survive to the end. Lolo lights another cigarette.

Set in Mexico City, even radical non-smokers might choose to take a puff during 90 minutes of real time in the lives of people whose names I hope to have matched correctly with the characters, considering that there are also Carlos, Joaquin, Memo, Sanchez, and Toñio. All the actors are equally important and talented in this story of youthfulness, intrigue and ambition accompanied by rock music. Sometimes it tilts into slapstick, such as the running gag of a dog barking at someone in the shadows. Couples quibble as if they were in soap operas; in fact, this could also be a farce of some early black and white gangster films. The storylines all come together neatly in the end. By director Hugo Rodriguez, this won six Oscar-equivalent awards in Mexico as well as five MTV-Mexico awards.

(Karen P) Opening July 21, 2005

A Love Song for Bobby Long is a compelling story of a young high school drop out, Puslane Hominy Will (Scarlettt Johansson), on a journey to claim her inheritance after hearing of her mother, Lorraine’s, sudden death. Puslane, living in Florida, must travel to New Orleans to attend her estranged mother's funeral only to realize that she is a day late. The motto “A day late and a dollar short” seems to plague (or cloud) the very existence of her own life, as well as the lives of those who were close to Lorraine. Puslane is abruptly confronted with the message that two of Lorraine's alcoholic friends, an English professor, Bobby Long (John Travolta), and Long's protégé, Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), claim to be part owner of Lorraine's dilapidated property. Full of distain, strong-willed Puslane attempts to wait out the settlement. In the meantime, she also begins to search for answers of her mother's past. The deep dark secrets of the life of Lorraine open a door to a world Puslane must choose to enter. What she risks to enter this world is more than compensated with the music that is made in discovering A Love Song for Bobby Long.

Taken from the novel Off Magazine Street by Ronald Everett Capps, director Shainee Gabel’s low budget film delivers its message in a slow and graceful authentic southern style. Set in the heart of New Orleans, Gabel’s storyline interpretation was eloquently preformed but not without the help of his seasoned actors. In my opinion, Travolta seems to shine in all of his roles that require a gentleman with a southern accent, including this performance. However, this story is more about teamwork, beginning with the storyline to directing to acting to photography to the final cut, which makes this narrative touch the very heart of its message of loneliness.

(Shelly S) Opening July 21, 2005

Mariscos Beach by French directors Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau appears to be a light musical comedy, but actually asks the serious questions, “Should gay couples have the right to marry or have children? Would they make good parents?" Marco (Gilbert Melki), Laura (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) and their two teenagers go to the French seaside on holiday. The oldest daughter immediately meets a new boyfriend on a motorcycle and vanishes over the horizon. Laura soon invites her lover from Paris to join her and they meet secretly to enjoy their sexual freedom. Son Charly’s gay friend comes to visit. Laura immediately suspects that her son may also be gay and accepts it, but doesn’t know how to approach him on the subject. Marc has a completely different reaction which leads to misunderstandings. What a surprise to find out that Charly is not gay after all.

Throughout the film, water sets the mood, such as changing tides of the sea or the shower running. This and the music help create a certain rhythm. The water is a metaphor for what works and what doesn’t. The shower in particular often doesn’t work so they call a plumber, who happens to be Marco’s ex-lover. At this point, everyone confesses, putting secrets on the table. Marco’s ex-lover doesn’t understand why he left so mysteriously, and Marco explains his wish to marry, have children and be a father. Laura’s reaction in this idealistic world is complete understanding. In the end, there are no villains or conflicts, just a lively song. The next summer in the same vacation house Laura is with her lover from Paris, Marc is with the plumber, Charly has a new girlfriend and his gay friend a new boyfriend. Everyone has a niche in this perfect gay utopia.

(Karen P) Opening July 21, 2005

As the camera zooms in on a close up of a marital counseling session, we see a perfectly beautiful male and female sitting in classy professional client chairs. These two people are both amazingly physically fit, dressed to kill and very rich (we learn that later!). This is the picture of Mr. John Smith (Brad Pitt) and Mrs. Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie). I’m thinking, “There is something wrong with this picture! Counseling? Right!”. Well, it appears that they both have a major-ego-complex that gets in the way of establishing grounds for a good marriage. We also find out that their ego is most definitely connected to their job. The counselor asks them, if their spouse knows everything about them and if honesty is an important aspect in their marriage. Ah ha! Here is where the beautiful people start to squirm in their fancy chairs and look a little nervous. They each begin to confess that they do have an obsession that is hidden from their partner. They are most certain that it will not get in the way because they each feel confident that they have masked their secret well. They each admit that they have the perfect set up with marrying the ideal and most naive schmuck!

Discovering the identity of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is inter-mingled with counseling sessions and flashbacks of their secret life which forces them to attempt to obliterate each other. I was assuming this was going to be an intelligent spy comedy, but basically due to the flat characters and bad story line, the audience got nothing but a lot of film footage of male bashing, sad hard sex and unleashed violence. Mr. Liman what were you thinking?

(Adele R) Opening July 28, 2005

Maria (Lavinia Wilson) is a deeply troubled young woman. Her damaged self-esteem drives her to excessive behavior from one-night stands; an older, demeaning lover; alcohol and drugs to hurting herself with razors. Her best friend, Sarah (Victoria Mayer), tries to help but Maria refuses to listen. Her life seems sure to self-destruct soon. And then she meets Jan (Maximillian Brückner), a student at her university, and for a short time she thinks her life will change, that she has found the key to happiness. Maria tries to hide her psychological condition from Jan, but one evening she drinks too much and the resulting personality transformation causes a painful scene which baffles Jan. Then Jan leaves town for a week’s study trip to Holland, and Maria cannot bear the loneliness. Her self-hatred takes control.

Allein is Thomas Durchschlag’s first feature-length film, but he has no trouble holding us riveted or developing his themes and his characters in this excellent film. Lavinia Wilson has already won the Max Ophüls Prize for best upcoming actress, and she is sure to win more accolades for this splendid, sympathetic performance. There are no holes in this story. It is a stark, realistic examination of a deep-seated emotional trauma, bearable only because small flowers of hope bloom over and over again.

(Becky T) Opening July 28, 2005

A young girl befriends a stray dog. The story is as simple as that, but it’s also more complicated. After directing her successful The Story of the Weeping Camel, Byambasuren Davaa once again found further inspiration in her home country, Mongolia. Here she filmed the Batchuluun family: father, mother, and three children, nomads living close to nature. The oldest child, seven-year-old Nansa, discovers a stray dog which she names Zochor or “colorful.” Her father refuses to keep it, saying that it could have been raised by wolves and would be a danger to the family’s sheep. The film starts slowly, reflective of life on the wind-swept steppes of the north western part of the country. A granny tells the tale of the yellow dog; she also says the chances of being reborn as a person are the same as the chances of a rice kernel sticking to the tip of a needle. The father buries a dead dog with its tail under its head, saying, “It will be reborn as a person with a pigtail.” These stories as well as other cultural identities could disappear as Mongolia becomes westernized and the population moves into the cities. I wondered: why did the small son wear pigtails with red ribbons? Is that also a story?

Enjoy this film for the beautiful scenery, the calm family response to problems and the freedom of children growing up with few toys and many responsibilities. If you don’t believe that it’s fascinating to watch someone dismantle a yurt (tent) and load it onto ox carts, go see the movie. Afterwards, you will resolve to simplify your own life. The Hamburg Museum of Ethnology (Völkerkunde) at Rothenbaumchaussee 64 has a real yurt on display which you can reserve and sleep in overnight. This film won prizes at the Munich film festival and, although it doesn’t make the same impact as the Weeping Camel film, simply because it’s more of the same, it’s definitely worth watching.

(Thelma F) Opening July 28, 2005

Middle-aged people will remember the television series The Honeymooners starring Jacky Gleason and Ed Carney. Now The Honeymooners are reincarnated as modern African-Americans, but the actors stay true to the original characters and remain as funny and lovable as ever. Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) drives his New York City bus up Madison Avenue, bops along merrily and energetically to radio music, meets lovely Alice (Gabrielle Union), and their story begins. Alice, a waitress, dreams only practical dreams: like owning their own little duplex home in Brooklyn with friends Trixie and Ed Norton (Regina Hall and Mike Epps). Ralph unfortunately thinks of himself as an entrepreneur and goes from one unsuccessful money-making scheme to another. He tries to sell ridiculous products, buys an old train hoping to use it giving sightseeing tours and finally loses their down-payment money by trying to turn an abandoned dog into a race dog. That's where comic actor John Leguizamo (great as Dodge, the dodgy dog trainer) shows up. The film is really a lot of laughs, but the relationship between Ed and Ralph has its very serious moments, and it is Ed who helps Ralph realize where he's going wrong so that the film can end as happily as it begins!

(Kirsten G) Opening July 28, 2005

Walt Disney Pictures presents yet another film fulfilling every little girl’s fantasy of being royalty – although this time, our heroine doesn’t find out she’s an actual princess (as she did in The Princess Diaries I and II), but rather works her way to the next best thing: being a competitive figure skater. Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg of Harriet the Spy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is a brainy high school junior whose mother (Joan Cusack) dreams of her attending Harvard, whereas Casey just dreams of being in the popular crowd at school. While working on a project about the physics of figure skating in hopes of receiving a science scholarship, Casey meets Gen (Hayden Panettiere of Raising Helen and Remember the Titans), an elite skater at their local rink coached by her former champion mother, Tina (Kim Cattrall). Soon Casey is doing more than just studying the skaters’ moves, she is becoming one of them.

Ice Princess has some good acting (Trachtenberg and Panettiere are especially impressive as skaters despite having had no skating training before taking on these roles) and a great message, but not too much else. Amazingly, the drama and thrills involved in real competitive figure skating are only weakly portrayed here. The story is far-fetched, the characters are mostly one-dimensional, and the film shows little of the hard work and training so important to the eventual success of our heroine. But Princess is about more than just winning, and it realistically portrays the bonds and struggles of moms and daughters. The teenage girls at whom this film is aimed will enjoy it, but everyone else will likely find the plot, like skates, only scratches the surface of life as an ice princess.