Finally! Damo's LFF round-up...
Posted on Friday November 13, 2009, 13:59 by Damon Wise in Words From The Wise
 Fantastic Mr Fox
I didn't have high hopes for Wes Anderson's latest but it charmed me. With the exception of Jarvis Cocker's rotten song, it's a much more rounded film than The Darjeeling Ltd was, which I notice now was written by Anderson, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. Fox, co-written with Noah Baumbach (his co-writer on The Life Aquatic), doesn't quite seem to try so hard, and is much more of a fit with the earlier films (which, incidentally, were co-written by Owen Wilson, whose cameo here really sold me on the film).
Ooh rating: Ooh! Ooh!
The Men Who Stare At Goats
I was aware when I handed in my review of it that this would divide people, and I agree with many of the criticisms (the ending is especially weak). But! It has Jeff Bridges; George Clooney with a moustache (and dancing); Jeff Bridges; Stephen Lang running into walls; Jeff Bridges; Stephen Root killing a hamster with his mind; Kevin Spacey being the funniest he's been since Swimming ... Continue reading... Comment Now (5 comments)
Back To TopAthens 09: Black Metal, Zombies and Ouzo
Posted on Friday October 2, 2009, 14:35 by Nev Pierce in Words From The Wise
There is more to Greece than feta cheese and ouzo, though both have much to recommend them. I discovered this while serving on the jury at the 15th Athens International Film Festival, last week. This is perhaps the only festival in the world yet to be visited by this blog's regular writer, Mr Damon Wise, but I'm hoping he doesn't read this and realise it, because I want to go again. As well as the hospitality of the festival and the fascinating nature of a city full of culture and contrasts (from the ancient Acropolis to rather more modern anarchist graffiti), there were two films, in particular, which deserve much wider attention. All Tomorrow's Parties is a concert film with a difference - from the ever-industrious and inspiring Warp Films (This Is England, Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee). Directed by Tarnation's Jonathan Caouette and, as the cr... Continue reading... Comment Now (1 comment)
Back To TopBangkok 09: Breathless, Ponyo and the Golden Kinnaree winners!
Posted on Wednesday September 30, 2009, 22:21 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 Asian cinema seems to pretty much have to market cornered these days on monosyllabic loners who beat the crap out of people a lot, so any addition to the genre had better be a good one. Japan are the current crown holders, thanks to yet-to-be-deposed king Takeshi Kitano, but even he will have to come up with something special to compete with Korean writer/director/star Yang Ik-June, and his behind-camera debut Breathless.
It opens with Sang-hoon (Yang) stepping into a dispute between a man and a woman in the streets of Seoul. He easily beats him to a pulp, but then he spits in her face, starts slapping her, and asking why she takes it. Like a lot of great movies, nearly everything you need to know about his character is represented here before you even know it.
You’d expect someone like Sang-hoon to have as little social contact with others as possible, but there is something in there, and this is where Breathless’ other great strength comes into play &ndash... Continue reading... Comment Now (1 comment)
Back To TopBangkok 09: Kinatay
Posted on Wednesday September 30, 2009, 16:54 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 Hype is a dangerous thing. It has the potential to make very good films feel a little underwhelming. And despite all of the hoo-ha and an award for direction at Cannes this year, that’s what Dante Mendosa’s slice of Filipino underbelly is – not brilliant, not as obscenely awful as some critics would have you believe, but very good.
At first it reminded me of Carlos Reygadas’ Battle In Heaven, in how deliberately and frustratingly slowly both films move at times, but are punctuated by explosive moments. Kinatay though, is the better film by some significant distance, simply because a) it’s not as slow, and b) it accomplishes a much better rhythm, whereby you can see where it’s going to end (which is not to say you can see how).
Peping (Coco Martin) is a cop in training, who as the film opens, is on his way to be married. He and his partner (Mercedes Cabral) already have a baby, which means money is beyond tight. This is the Philippi... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopBangkok 09: The Forbidden Door
Posted on Wednesday September 30, 2009, 08:04 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 I was interested in The Forbidden Door largely because of the praise I’ve heard for Indonesian director Joko Anwar’s previous film Kala (which I’ve still not seen). The earlier work, an Asian love letter to film noir, got rave reviews around the world, but The Forbidden Door has had a reasonably quiet time since its release in Anwar’s homeland back in January, even screening in the UK without much fanfare (I had no idea it had been on at Scotland’s Dead By Dawn festival) in May. This muted response after nearly a year on the festival circuit seems somewhat unusual, given how much fun it is - hopefully its appearance here, and soon at this year's LFF, will change that.
Joko Anwar is a student of cinema in the best possible sense: though he’s been making films for a few years, you get the feeling that he’s a major talent who’s about to truly bloom. Right now though, he’s at the end of the fledgling stage of his very promisin... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopBangkok 09: 9
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2009, 15:21 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 I’d been looking forward to seeing Shane Acker’s 9 since the mysterious, dialogue free teaser arrived online early this year. For some reason the UK wasn't deemed worthy of being a part of the US' 09.09.09 promotional campaign, so we've still got a few weeks before it hits our screens, so this was a nice surprise inclusion to the BFF's sister festival, the Bangkok Animation Festival, which runs over the same week.
I’ll admit I’d never heard of Acker, but seeing that dank, post apocalyptic, vaguely steampunk imagery, and knowing that he was in the hands of visionaries like Burton and Bekmambetov (they should form a company under that name) was an easy sell. Also, when i looked him up, I learned that Acker was hired by Weta digital (another good sign) to work on Return Of The King.
9 is adapted and expanded from Acker’s own short – again, which I’ve not yet seen (but will be looking forward to, hopefully as a Blu-ray extra)... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopBangkok 09: Fixer: The Taking Of Ajmal Naqshbandi
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2009, 04:51 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 Fixer is my must-see film of this festival. It may well be the best documentary of the year. Ian Olds’ film has already shown in the Rotterdam & Tribeca film festivals, as well as several documentary festivals over the course of 2009, and picked up awards at pretty much all of them. I fully expect it –eligibility permitting - to go on and take the Best Documentary Oscar.
Ajmal Naqshbandi was an Afghan citizen and journalist. He was also a fixer – a local who in wartime works with foreign journalists to arrange and translate meetings/interviews with ‘the enemy’. In this case that was, of course, the Taliban.
In 2007, Ajmal, the Italian journalist for whom Amjal was fixing, and their driver, were kidnapped by soldiers of the Taliban commander they were trying to meet. Accused of spying, they were held for ransom: five Taliban prisoners for Ajmal and the Italian journalist; as if to prove a horrific point, the driver was executed early into their... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopBangkok 09: Ong Bak 2
Posted on Monday September 28, 2009, 02:51 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 I’m not an expert on martial arts films. I’ve seen most of what you’d call the key works, but I don’t trawl Asian DVD shops looking for obscure stuff recommended by websites for diehards. Everybody knows though, about Tony Jaa’s debut in Ong Bak a few years ago, so missing the sequel whilst at a Thai film festival would be ridiculous.
First of all, it’s actually a prequel, taking place somewhere in the 13th century. It’s never directly referenced, but there are a series of shots of the tree from the first film, so I've made the assumption that Jaa is playing a distant ancestor, named Tiang, of his character in the first film, Ting. Also, Petchtai Wonkamlao (who played Dirty Balls in the first film) has a pleasing cameo as a village idiot.
This time around, Jaa is not only star, but also co-writer, co-director, action co-ordinator and producer – his first time behind the camera, and he does remarkably well, having surrounded himse... Continue reading... Comment Now (2 comments)
Back To TopStill Looking For This Year's The Wrestler...
Posted on Sunday September 27, 2009, 22:22 by Damon Wise in Words From The Wise
The 57th San Sebastian Film festival came to close on Saturday with the European premiere of Mother And Child (pictured), directed by Rodrigo Garcia and starring Naomi Watts, Samuel L Jackson and Annette Bening. Annoyingly, I missed it, and since it's not in the LFF, I'll have to wait a while to see if there's anything to the buzz about it that began in Toronto. Garcia has been making what Hollywood used to call “women's pictures” for a decade, and though I really liked Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her, I didn't really like the follow-up, Nine Lives, so I was intrigued to see where this one was heading. I noticed that, though positive, the Variety review was very cautious on the subject of awards, so maybe this isn't the breakthrough hit of the festival season that I was perhaps expecting.... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopBangkok 09: Fireball
Posted on Friday September 25, 2009, 23:54 by Sam Toy in Words From The Wise
 The first day of the festival proper served up, entirely appropriately, the first screening of a Thai film, and one which had been sitting as a solid Ooh! Ooh! on the Damo excitement scale since reading about it. Three words had me hooked: “Basketball” and “Muay Thai” (it doesn’t have a hyphen, so I’m saying its two words). Yes, it's guys beating the shit out of each other whilst trying to also play basketball; this is Fireball.
Today was also the experience of my first Bangkok traffic jam. My hotel room is about three or four miles from where all of the festival action is happening – in two MASSIVE cineplexes atop two MASSIVE shopping malls within stonesthrow of each other – but depending on the traffic situation that can mean 15 minutes or 45. Today I needed the former and got the latter, which resulted in my missing the opening scenes. I hate missing the beginning of a movie and considered bailing, but pressed on.
I arr... Continue reading... Comment Now
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Read comment Athens 09: Black Metal, Zombies and Ouzo
"hey! i was an extra (zombie of course) in Evil - In The Time Of Heroes!!!! all to" vagb
Read comment Bangkok 09: Ong Bak 2
"Ong Bak franchise is pretty cool, but if you want to see really great Tony Jaa/elephant lovin'/Thai-" Pelle
Read comment Bangkok 09: Breathless, Ponyo and the Golden Kinnaree winners!
"Grave of the Fireflies, though it was animated by Studio Ghibli, is not a Miyazaki film. Isao Takaha" bogmog
Read comment Bangkok 09: Ong Bak 2
"Not quite up to the level of the original Ong Bak, but Tony Jaa doing his stuff is always great. But" rich
Read comment What about the prequel, Quentin?
"I cant say I am too bothered about there being a prequel. Although I enjoyed parts of I.B. I also fo" gambit21
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