MOVIE REVIEW
Taxidermia (2006)
Here Media/Regent Releasing
Based on short stories by Hungarian poet Lajos Parti Nagy, György Pálfi’s “Taxidermia” is a sweeping absurdist fantasy that spans three generations and half a century. Arriving in American theaters some three years after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the film itself has traversed a similarly long and winding road. After wowing Tribeca festgoers in 2007, its domestic release was suddenly in limbo when its original distributor filed for bankruptcy.
Continue reading “The Stuff Extremes Are Made Of” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Francois Duhamel/The Weinstein Company
First and foremost, “Inglourious Basterds” is better than “Death Proof” – but then it would be some feat if it had actually been worse. This time, Quentin Tarantino's self-indulgence is relatively corralled, thanks to a bunch of voluntary narrative restraints that pretty much force the director to calm down. In “Death Proof,” Mr. Tarantino was in your ear constantly, fidgeting and giggling and nudging you in the ribs. There are whole stretches of “Basterds” where he shuts up. It must have been an almighty effort.
The problem is that he's achieved this zen condition by being relatively conventional. Or as conventional as a man with his crazy ear for speech patterns and keen eye for the female instep could ever be, when making a WWII epic set in a Nazi-occupied sector of the Twilight Zone.
Continue reading “Triumph of the Ill Will” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Flame & Citron (2008)
The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival
The eponymous anti-heroes of this stylish and exciting thriller from Ole Christian Madsen were never mentioned in any history lesson that I ever took. Otto Von Bismarck, Winston Churchill and even the Venerable Bede were all present and correct during my studies but not "Flame & Citron." The latter might console themselves from beyond the grave with at least being well known in their native Denmark.
Continue reading “Keeping a Friend Close as Enemies Get Closer” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Katyn (2007)
Koch Lorber Films
The great Polish director Andrzej Wajda has reportedly been waiting his entire life to tell the story of the Soviet massacre of Polish Army officers in the Katyn Forest during WWII. After experiencing “Katyn” – his studious, eloquent rendition of that terrible day and its aftermath – one understands exactly why. The film is not just about the buildup to the mass murder, its obfuscation by those responsible and the outpouring of national grief that followed it.
Continue reading “Polish Master Seeks Truth and Reconciliation” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Valkyrie (2008)
United Artists
Given the avalanche of negative publicity that’s befallen “Valkyrie,” from the German government’s early refusal to let Bryan Singer shoot at his desired locations to the squabbling over the release date and the media’s oppressive scrutinizing of Tom Cruise’s personal life, it feels like the movie’s been in release for years. Getting to finally see it, then, becomes one of those much anticipated Holy Grail moments wherein one gets to ascertain precisely what the great big fuss has been about.
Continue reading “If You’re Going to Try to Kill the King” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Adam Resurrected (2008)
Bleiberg Entertainment
In the long litany of Holocaust movies, there’s never been one remotely like “Adam Resurrected.” A surrealist black comedy set in an asylum for Holocaust survivors located in the middle of Israel’s Negev Desert, the movie forgoes austere formalism for a loose-limbed madcap romp through damaged psychological terrain. Paul Schrader’s film – based on the controversial Yoram Kaniuk novel – unfolds as discordantly as one might expect.
Continue reading “House of Fools” »
MOVIE REVIEW
The Reader (2008)
Melinda Sue Gordon/The Weinstein Company
Adapting any old book into a film isn't too difficult. Adapting a good book into a good film seems near impossible. Stephen Daldry's latest film, "The Reader," is no exception. Originally a sparse, straightforward and quietly brilliant book at 218 pages, the movie version of "The Reader" is over two hours long and advertises with the bombastic tagline: "Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you know." It's a tall order; and while they certainly give it a shot, the film can't quite deliver.
Continue reading “War Crimes of the Heart” »