46th new york film festival.

[samsong]

a pretty understated lineup this year.  so far i've seen:

hunger - brilliant if familiar first half.  flaunts the cookie cutter aesthetic of an astute film student, compositions and use of sound vying for meaning to the point that it's suffocating, but there are some extremely effective set pieces in the prison--it plays out like a melville film directed by bresson/pasolini(?).  also really loved the wordless exposition of one of the guards.  the narrative and tonal shift halfway through isn't nearly as successful as it wants to be, but this is the work of a talented filmmaker.

24 city - an inexplicably moving experience, in no small part due to jia zhang ke's immaculate framing, elegance in tone and editing, and strange use of music.  i just kind of love his movies.  it plays out in monologues--all of which have the same arc but are engaging nonetheless--intercut with "documentary" footage.  as always, jia blurs the line between fiction and reality with very compelling results.

wendy and lucy - reichardt does neoreallism with what might as well be billed as a hipster remake of umberto d.  in all seriousness, a beautiful and wrenching follow-up to old joy.  to say one is better than the other is moot--they're both great.  wendy and lucy does however manage to achieve a deeper level of simplicity and narrative minimalism, and is in that sense a more refined work.  the trimming of things like the political talk radio show are absent.  only the essential.  michelle williams is perfect.

happy-go-lucky - this is much, much better than the trailer will lead you to believe.  it's also far from touching mike leigh's best work but that was never expected of this, at least not for me.  sally hawkins is lovely.  some very strange scenes that, though well intended, ring hollow and stick out as contrivances to reveal more about/complicate the character.  but as always, leigh is sensitive and ambivalent, and for the first time in a while, charming.

tony manero - a film made from the balls about a 52 year old chilean man whose obsessed with saturday night fever during pinochet's coup.  it's at once a really deranged character study and indictment of a lot of bad things (including american cultural imperialism, the detriments of totalitarianism, etc.) with incestuous undertones, ultraviolence, and disco.  i really loved this movie, my favorite of the festival alongside wendy and lucy.

summer hours - my experiences with olivier assayas's films has been dubious.  i love his ideas but am indifferent about his films (i've only seen demonlover, clean, and his short in paris je t'aime, which i quite like), but here he doesn't seem to be struggling with his tendency towards muddled plots and underdeveloped, overcooked themes.  an elegant family drama that, in its lightness conveys the weight of obligation, distance over time, and generational dissonance while de-romanticizing the notion of art's immortality.  this one's good.

[matt35mm]

Thanks Samsong.  I'm really looking forward to seeing these now, especially Wendy and Lucy.  I've seen Happy-Go-Lucky and pretty much agree with you on that.

[Astrostic]

glad to see you liked 24 City, which I loved when I saw it in Toronto.  I have basically the same feelings as you do about Hunger.  I wanted to ask if you will be seeing Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman.  Unfortunately it didn't show in Toronto, and it is my most anticipated movie right now.  I've heard great things about it from people I really trust (including Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who thought it was the best film he saw in the Cannes competition).

[samsong]

now that i know that about the headless woman, i'll check it out.  i'm going to try to go to lola montes, night and day, and ashes of time tomorrow.  i'll update with thoughts.  anyone in new york planning on going to anything?

[I Don't Believe in Beatles]

Are you seeing any of the Oshima films, Samsong?

[samsong]

thinking about seeing max mon amour, the man who left his will on film, merry christmas mr. lawrence, boy, and the ceremony.  if i'm not broke by the time those films play, i'll go.  i live right by lincoln center so the walter reade's a stroll away.

saw a few more movies...

lola montes - the one ophuls film i've seen that i'm relatively indifferent about, and that hasn't changed after a second viewing but the restoration is unbelievably gorgeous, especially on the giant ziegfeld screen.  i love peter ustinov.

night and day - another droll film about male sexuality--hong sang soo's been drawing from the same well for his entire career.  setting his film in paris, hong channels eric rohmer (normally his work feels unprecedented) and burdens himself with a two-and-a-half hour running time, resulting in a work that's considerably less exciting and muddled.  it isn't without its moments, though: a shot involving a public bath house and a pig is one of the most genius images i've ever seen.

ashes of time redux - wong kar wai's kung fu epic is as rapturous, bloated, and unconventional as i could hope for it to be.  someone please tell me what the fuck is going on in this movie.  while alienating in its density, it's a beautiful object to behold and feel, endlessly kinetic and passionately crafted.  wong kar wai and chris doyle were there for a q&a afterwards, and their dynamic is great/hilarious.  wkw told a fantastic story about doyle getting extremely drunk the night before they were scheduled to shoot the burning of a house.  still drunk, doyle was put on one of the second unit cameras (wide crane shot) instead of the a-camera, only to end up driving the crane towards the fire.  he stops just in time, comes down, then proceeds to strip naked and pour water on himself.  when asked what the hell he was doing, he shoulders the camera and says that there are shots he knows that wkw wants, and runs into the fire.  (none of the shots were used)  wkw took a picture of this and keeps it as a reminder of the kind of passion they were making films with back then.  needless to say, i want (to see) this picture.

[Reinhold]

i'd really like to see Death By Hanging on saturday if i can spare the time

[matt35mm]

Well I found out that Wendy and Lucy is playing at the London Film Festival and then at the Brighton Film Festival (where I live now) a month later.  I'm so convinced that I'll love this movie that I am tempted to go to London, watch it there, and then watch it again here a month later.

[samsong]

penultimate day of the film festival--kazakh double feature and david bowie.

chouga - anna karenina in 88 minutes--what begins with lyrical promise unwinds into second-rate (aki) kaurismaki, but no where near being the "dull, lifeless" travesty that the new york times made it out to be.  poignant but obvious, punctuated with poetic passages that ultimately don't mount to much.  on a side note, i hate that muted acting, sparse compositions, and deliberate editiing warrant the adjective of  "bressonian."

tulpan - this film almost makes up for the lack of emir kusturica's recent output in the u.s., a generous and joyous miracle of a film that's effortless in its ability to astound. (superlatives run amok!)  tulpan is an elemental near-masterpiece that someone aptly described as a collaboration with god.  another great "find" from the festival, one that i highly recommend seeing if you ever get the chance. 

saw a couple oshima movies:

boy - a topical indictment of moral decay in postwar japan about a boy whose parents make a living by having him run in front of cars and pretend to get hit in order to collect money.  oshima's compositions are immaculate, though the alternating film stocks and music are contrived at best.  his penchant for counter-culture didacticism is a bit overwhelming and far too present; my experience with his work so far is that the intentions precede the work.  they're certainly worthwhile, but i'll take imamura over oshima in an instant.

merry christmas mr. lawrence - one of the strangest movies i've seen in a while.  i think it had something to do with cultural understanding and comradery, or how david bowie's presence provides for better or worse a very intense (homo)sexual charge.  navigating the darker side of human desire seems to be oshima's major preoccupation in his later career, the two examples that i've seen (this and in the realm of the senses) are dubiously admirable.  some great performances though it seems like everyone's acting in different movies.  completely muddled and baffling. 

[Stefen]

Samsong, post more.

please.

[©brad]

Samsong, post more.

please.

yeah i second this.

[samsong]

thanks.  i'll try.

the last day of the film festival, two films:

the man who left his will on film - sporting the cool formalism and obtuseness of alain resnais and the political vigor of godard, oshima's 1970 film is a woefully pretentious aesthetic marvel, sometimes fascinating, definitely alienating.  the opening sequence is vivacious and exciting, a truly great bit of filmmaking that gives way to well framed shots of disenchanted youth reveling in their fashionably pseduo-intellectual ennui with a sex-infused subplot and existential chase scene sprinkled in.  not my favorite movie but not a complete loss.

the wrestler - i'll start by saying that this movie has one the worst title/opening credits sequences i've ever seen.  the wrestler unapologetically asserts itself in the tradition of great american sports movies without attempting to do much more than that, but familiarity isn't a problem when it's executed with this kind of precision and heart.  i can only hope that aronofsky's indefinitely traded in his abrasive, attention-starved showmanship for the tempered and mature sensibilities he displays in this film.  at this point it goes without saying that mickey rourke is the real draw here, and it's really not possible to imagine just how good he is until you see it for yourself; he does most of it not all the heavy lifting, elevating the film beyond its solid but unspectacular script.  marisa tomei is s e x y and definitely, definitely naked, and it is good; she's also excellent in an underwritten supporting role.  evan rachel wood, on the other hand, spares no second on screen to grit her teeth and let the tears flow--she lays it thick.  this is the movie that many critics erroneously touted million dollar baby as being: the wrestler is lean and elegiac, american through and through, a simple story told well.  the wrestling scenes are incredible, tangible in their physicality and layered in significance. 

[last days of gerry the elephant]

the wrestler - ...a simple story told well.

Spoilers
As cliche as the opening credits were, I still think the contrast between it and the movie was tremendous. You have to think about the implications during that sequence, followed by the opening shot. My mind kept wondering back to the title sequence to refer back to how great he "was"... and it wouldn't have been portrayed better any other way.
End Spoilers

I want to emphasize that people should not hype this one up at all. It really is a simple story told well, and I think that's fair if we leave it at that. It's easy for people to take some of the comments the wrong way because although it is an Aronofsky film, it's unlike anything he's done before. So avoid comparisons or expectations drawn from his previous works.

[Stefen]

Well, now I don't know what to think about The Wrestler. 

[modage]

OPENING NIGHT
Wild Grass / Les herbes folles
Alain Resnais, France, 2009; 113m
The venerable Alan Resnais creates an exquisite human comedy of manners, mystery and romance with some of France's - and our - favorite actors: Sabine Azéma, André Dussollier, Emmanuelle Devos and Mathieu Almaric. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

CENTERPIECE
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Lee Daniels, USA, 2009; 109m
Precious is sixteen and living a miserable life. But she uses all the emotional energy she possesses to turn her life around. Director Lee Daniel's audacious tale features unforgettable performances by Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. A Lionsgate release.

CLOSING NIGHT
Broken Embraces / Los abrazos rotos
Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2009; 128m
Almodóvar's newest masterwork is a candy-colored emotional roller that barrels from comedy to romance to melodrama to the darker haunts of film noir and stars his muse, Penélope Cruz, in a multilayered story of a man who loses his sight and the love of his life. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

36 Views of Saint-Loup Peak / 36 Vues Du Pic Saint Loup
Jacques Rivette, France, 2009, 84m
The legendary Jacques Rivette returns with an elegiac look at the final days of a small-time traveling circus.

Antichrist
Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2009, 109m
Surely to be one of the year's most discussed films, Lars von Trier's latest chronicles a couple's efforts to find their love again after a tragic loss, only to unleash hidden monsters lurking in their souls. An IFC Films release.

The Art of the Steal
Don Argott, USA, 2009, 101m
Bound to be controversial, this intriguing account of the travails of the legendary Barnes collection of art masterworks and the foundation set up to protect it raises vital questions about public vs. private "ownership" of art.

Bluebeard / La Barbe Bleue
Catherine Breillat, France, 2009, 78m
Two sisters reading Charles Perrault's 17th century tale of perhaps the first "serial killer" becomes a meditation on the enduring fascination with a character who has served as inspiration for countless novels, plays and films.

Crossroads of Youth / Cheongchun's Sipjaro
An Jong-hwa, Korea, 1934, 73m
The oldest surviving Korean film, this recently-rediscovered masterwork will be presented with live musical accompaniment as well as a benshi (offscreen narrator).

Eccentricities of a Blonde
Manoel de Olivera, Portugal/France, 2009, 64m
One hundred years young, director Manoel de Oliveira returns with another gem: a wry, moving tale of a pure if frustrated love adapted from a novel by Eça de Queiroz.

Everyone Else / Alle Anderen
Maren Ade, Germany, 2009, 119m
The ups and downs, joys and jealousies, frustrations and fulfillments of a young couple on a summer holiday provides the premise for this brilliant meditation on modern coupling.

Ghost Town
Zhao Dayong, China, 2008, 180m
A revealing, one-of-a-kind look at China far away from the glittering urban skylines, this portrait of a contemporary rural community in China offers extraordinary insights into everything from the role of religion to gender relationships to the place of social deviants.

Hadewijch
Bruno Dumont, France, 2009, 105m
A young woman searches for an absolute experience of faith-and in the process grows increasingly distant from the world around her.

Independencia
Raya Martin, Philippines, 2009, 77m
Maverick director Raya Martin offers a kind of alternative history of the Philippines and its struggle for nationhood in this stylized tale of a mother and son hiding in the mountains after the US takeover of the islands.

Inferno / L'Enfer
Serge Bromberg, France, 2009, 100m
A film buff's delight, Serge Bromberg film resurrects the surviving footage of Clouzot's aborted, experimental film L'Enfer, revealing a slightly mad but beguiling project that will always remain one of cinema's great "what ifs."

Kanikosen
Sabu, Japan, 2009, 109m
Kaniskosen is a highly stylized, stirring, manga-flavored update of a classic Japanese political novel, with labor unrest aboard a crab canning ship evolving into a cry of a younger generation aching to break the bonds of conformity.

Lebanon
Samuel Maoz, Israel, 2009, 92m
Debut director Samuel Maoz takes us inside an Israeli tank and the emotions of its crew during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Life During Wartime
Todd Solondz, USA, 2009, 96m
Preparing for his bar-mitzvah, a young man must deal with his divorced mother's prospective fiancé as well as rumors that his own father is not really dead.

Min Yé
Souleymane Cissé, Mali/France, 2009, 135m
A work of startling originality, Souleymane Cisse's first film in over a decade insightfully and incisively chronicles the dissolution of an upper-middle class African marriage.

Mother/ Maedo
Bong Joon-ho, South Korea, 2009, 128m
Convinced that her son has been wrongly accused of murder, a widow throws herself body and soul into proving his innocence. Kim Hye-ja in the title role gives perhaps the performance of the year.

Ne Change Rien
Pedro Costa, France/Portugal, 2009, 103m
A shimmering valentine, Costa's latest is less a portrait than a kind of visual homage, to the artistry of actor and singer Jeanne Balibar.

Police Adjective / Politist, adj.
Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania, 2009, 115m
Discovering a teenager with hashish, a young policeman hesitates about turning him in. But his supervisor has other ideas in this beautifully acted, provocative modern morality play. An IFC Films release.

Room and a Half / Poltory Komnaty Ili Sentimentalnoe Puteshtvie Na Rodinu
Andrey Khrzhanovsky, Russia, 2009, 131m
Former animator Andrey Khrzhanovsky combines scripted scenes, archival footage, several types of animation, and surrealist flights of fancy to create this stirring portrait of poet Josef Brodsky and the postwar Soviet cultural scene. A Seagull Films release.

Sweetgrass
Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, USA, 2009, 105m
This breathtaking chronicle follows an ever-surprising group of modern-day cowboys as they lead an enormous herd of sheep up and then down the slopes of the Beartooth Mountains in Montana on their way to market.

Sweet Rush / Tatarak
Andrzej Wajda, Poland/France, 2009, 85m
Celebrated master Andrzej Wajda returns with a bold, experimental work that juxtaposes a story about a terminally doctor's wife rediscovering romance thanks with a heart-rending monologue written and performed by actress Krystyna Janda about the death of her husband.

To Die Like a Man / Morrer Como Um Homen
Joao Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal, 2009,138m
This touching, finely-etched portrait follows Tonia, a veteran drag performer confronting younger competition and her boyfriend's demands that she undergo a sex change.

Vincere
Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 2009, 129m
Mussolini's "secret" marriage to Ida Dalser, afterwards completely denied by Il Duce, along with the son born from the relationship, becomes the springboard for this visually ravishing meditation on the fascist manipulation of history. An IFC Films release.

White Material
Claire Denis, France, 2009, 100m
A handful of Europeans try to make sense of-and survive-the chaos happening all around them in an African country torn apart by civil war.

The White Ribbon / Das weisse band
Michael Haneke, Austria/France, 2009, 144m
The Palme d'Or winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival, this is a starkly beautiful meditation on the consequences of violence-physical, emotional, spiritual-in a northern German town on the eve of World War I. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

The Wizard of Oz
Victor Fleming, 1939, USA, 103m
The 70th Anniversary of the timeless classic, presented in a spectacular newly-restored edition makes the film a new experience even for those who practically have it memorized. A Warner Bros. release

SO not into this lineup!  i really want to see Broken Embraces and... thats about it.  might try to see Mother and Life During Wartime but JESUS, NYFF.  3 films from USA???