Ultimately this is a story about redemption, love, forgiveness, and courage. It's quite beautiful. I like an understated film.
Oscar bait for sure!
4/5
|
The Campbell Review |
Viva is a Spanish-language Irish film about a Cuban boy named Jesus, who works in a Havana drag club and dreams of being on stage. He unexpectedly reconnects with his now ailing, recently released ex-con former Heavyweight father. Ultimately this is a story about redemption, love, forgiveness, and courage. It's quite beautiful. I like an understated film. Oscar bait for sure! 4/5
0 Comments
The Wolfpack is a hands down, no-doubt about it, must see movie. Do it now. Wow. Locked away for 14 years, on the 16th floor of a Lower East Side housing project, 6 boys, their sister, mother and father live as their own tribe. With virtually no contact with the outside world except for being allowed to watch movies all day every day, the boys painstakingly transcribe every word, build elaborate sets, costumes, and props, and recreate their favorite movies to pass the time in their apartment. When one son decides to go for a walk around the neighborhood the dynamic begins to shift and slowly the family begins to leave the apartment and experience many firsts; going to the movies, eating in a restaurant, going to the beach, and so on. This is an American documentary that follows this family over 5 years as they expand their boundaries and slowly experience the outside world. This is riveting, exhilarating, incredible, fun, and ultimately very moving. I don't think there has been such a charming, honest, and bizarre view of family dysfunction since Grey Gardens. Oh, and these boys. Wow. I connected with this film not only as an unbridled cinephile, but also in the way the boys learn about the world through movies, in turn viewing thousands of movies partly due to unorthodox circumstances that resulted in staying home all day an awful lot as a kid. Wow. Wow. Wow. 5/5 Dancing Arabs is the newest film by Eran Ricklis. This is a coming-of-age dramedy about a Palestinian Israeli boy who is given the opportunity to attend Jerusalem's most prestigious boarding school and has trouble fitting in but befriends a classmate with muscular dystrophy and who, over the course of three years, develops a secret relationship with a Jewish girl, Naomi. This is a delightful coming-of-age film that is lighthearted and enjoyable. Nothing too political or heavy here. I'm a Riklis fan and have to recommend The Syrian Bride. 3.5/5 Mommy made me scream and shout out loud because I was so excited and it was so exhilarating! Mommy is the most recent film from Xavier Dolan--Quebec's wunderkind. I highly recommend his other films, particularly Les amours imaginaires and J'ai tué ma mère. Mommy is a film about mothers (and I really dig movies about mothers). It's quite an unusual film, in theme, narrative, and aesthetic. It was shot and is presented in 1x1 aspect ratio--that is a square that appears to be a vertical rectangle when projected on-screen. I was worried this would be gimmicky and hard to watch, rather it was used expertly and hugely effectively. The aspect ratio helps convey a heavy sense of claustrophobia that is suffocating and oppressive, underscoring the tumultuous, violent, and chaotic relationship between mother and son. Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clement, and Antoine-Olivier Pilon are perfection here. 5/5 Boyhood is a remarkable feat of filmmaking. This is a coming-of-age drama set and shot over the course of 12 years. Director Richard Linklater followed his cast, filming for a few weeks for 12 summers. Boyhood stars Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the parents and casts unknown Elar Coltrane as Mason and Linklater's daughter Lorelei as the children. The film follows Mason from ages 6 to 18 as he grows up in Arlington Texas with his sister and single mom. As with most coming of age films this film hits all the typical milestones but Linklater really does deliver. My only comment is that (particularly for Texas) this film was lacking in diversity. Otherwise, this is a great coming-of-age family drama about growing up in the US in the 2000s. If you are interested in films that were shot over long periods of time you might like to check out Micheal Apted documentary series Up, that began following a group of British children at age 7 (7 Up) and has followed them every 7 years. There are now 8 installments, the most recent was 56 Up. Also, Micheal Winterbottom directed a film starring Shirley Henderson, called Everyday. Everyday follows an Irish family (mom and 4 kids) while their father is in prison. The film was shot over 5 years using 4 real life siblings as the children. Boyhood 4/5 Suburbia (Penelope Spheeris, US, 1983) Suburbia is a low-budget independent film by Penelope Spheeris (Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne's World). Suburbia is about a group of homeless punk kids in LA who are squatting in an abandoned suburban housing development. This is a stellar film about chosen family, community, punk ethos, poverty, and abuse. There are some terrific live performances throughout including TSOL and The Vandals. Keep your eyes open for baby Mike B "Flea". 5/5 Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola, US, 1983) Rumble Fish is one of Coppola's lesser-known films. Rumble Fish was written during days off while shooting The Outsiders in Tulsa Oklahoma and was shot in the weeks following The Outsiders. Both films are adaptations of books by SE Hinton, about young people growing up in the early 1960s. While The Outsiders is a more straightforward adaptation, Rumble Fish has been described (by Coppola himself) as an art film for kids. As a result, the film is crammed with symbolism and literary references. Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, and Dennis Hopper make this film. Keep your eyes peeled for a baby Nick Cage and Vincent Spano, and Tom Waits. The heavy percussive score by Stewart Copeland is intense. This is truly a masterpiece shot in glorious black and white. 5/5 |
LindseyHere is where I post new reviews as I see films throughout the year. Archives
June 2023
Categories
All
|