THE DEEP BLUE SEA is Renny Harlins latest attempt to revive a career that withered and should have died a long, long time ago. Harlin, perpetrated, I mean, directed CUTTHROAT ISLAND, which ended his marriage to Geena Davis, but oddly enough, it did not stop studios from giving him big bucks to repeat his mistakes. His latest… Read More »
AUDITION (ODITION)
Sometimes you see a film and you just have to wonder about the person who made it. Such is the case of AUDITION, a Japanese film that must be the result of a bad break-up of a particularly insidious form. I mean, any film that has as its villain a woman scarier than Freddie, Jason… Read More »
WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP
In calm, measured tones a plummy British voice intones the virtues of the town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin at the end of the 19th centurythe fine fishing, the pure water, the way of life it engenders. Its like listening to the beginning of a fairy tale told by a favorite uncle. Its also a… Read More »
MR. DEATH
There is a nagging question at the heart of Errol Morris’ latest meditation on the foibles of humanity, MR DEATH. Do we use facts to make up our minds about things, or do we find facts that confirm what he already want to believe? And, more importantly, why do we choose to believe what we… Read More »
LIES (GOJITMAL)
Ah, sadomasochism, the gift that keeps on giving–welts, bruises, tattoos in all sorts of interesting places and that’s the theme of LIES, the latest flick from Jang Sun Woo, up until now one of my favorite directors on the world scene. But, hey, everyone slips up occasionally. For Jang its a particularly joyless coupling of… Read More »
CUP, THE (PHORPA)
I dare say that the premise of THE CUP is one you havent encountered before. Bhutans first feature length film is set in a remote monastery in that tiny country. There, near the Tibetan border lives a junior monk who is soccer mad. Many of the other monks share his passion, but Origyen is the one who eats, drinks, sleeps,… Read More »
A WAKE IN PROVIDENCE
A WAKE IN PROVIDENCE isn?t groundbreaking, isn?t particularly original, nor is it something that you?ll still be mulling over days or weeks after you?ve seen it. What this blend of comedy and drama does have is one sterling virtue that places it in a very special category. I had a great time watching it. It?s… Read More »
HIMALAYA (L’ENFANCE D’UN CHEF)
When Eric Valli first traveled the Dolpo Valley of Nepal, which may be with the exception of the Easter Islands, the most remote inhabited area on earth, he was struck by more than the stark and powerful beauty of the terrain. He was enthralled by the mountain people he met, their strength, their openness and most of… Read More »
TUVALU
TUVALU is that rarest of rare cinematic gems. It is truly like nothing else and yet its originality has everything to do with telling the story and nothing whatsoever with shock value or self-conscious posturing on the part of its creator, Veit Helmer. First of all, theres no dialogue, as such, in this surreal comedy… Read More »