Movie Review: In Darkness

I read a short plot review of this movie in the New York Magazine earlier this year and was determined to go and see it... Of course, that never happened, a common occurrence in my life, so I ended up buying it on DVD and watching it the other night. Directed by Agnieszka Holland (Europa, Europa) and Katarzyna Adamik, In Darkness is an adaptation of a true story. During World War 2, in the city of Lvov (Polish at the time, Ukrainian today), Polish plumber and petty thief Leopold Socha, works in the underground sewer tunnels and knows them off by heart. When he discovers a group of Jews who are trapped in the ghetto and who intend to hide in the tunnels from the Nazis and their Ukrainian helpers, he makes a deal with them - with their money they can buy his help and silence. During the liquidation of the ghetto Socha hides the Jews in an isolated area of the tunnels and brings them food and water. What starts off to be a mere business transaction between Socha and the Jews becomes a story of survival and tolerance amidst a world of violence, death and oppression.

The dialogue is mainly in Polish, with some German, Ukrainian, Yiddish and Russian thrown in here and there, and this is definitely not a movie of euphemisms. Holland doesn't hold back when portraying the absolute horrors of the war, and honesty is one of the main themes running through the storyline. Once the money runs out, Socha is incapable of letting "his" Jews die alone in the sewers and makes their survival his personal mission, even when faced with the dangers of being caught and executed. I found it a little difficult in the beginning to differentiate all of the characters in the tunnels, but it becomes easier after the groups are separated and the plot focuses on a smaller group of strongly played survivors. My favourites were definitely Socha, Mundek and Klara, who constantly have to battle their own fears and emotions in order to remain strong for the others.

Definitely one to watch if you are into movies about human nature at its best and worst; not if you can't deal with watching violent death scenes.

More information:
Agnieszka Holland on Wikipedia

Movie Review: Gainsbourg - A Heroic Life

Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)

I wanted to see this last year when it was released in a few independent cinemas in NYC, but as usual, time got away from me, and I never made it in time. Whenever I am in California I always make at least one trip to my favourite record store, Dimple Records, and picked up a copy of the DVD there. As always, I never read reviews before reading or watching anything, so I didn't know what to expect, except that it was a new biopic on one of my favourite artists, the incomparable Serge Gainsbourg. Love him or hate him, you cannot dispute the immense amount of talent this man had.

The film starts with Gainsbourg (or the young Lucien Ginsberg) at home with his family while Paris falls under Nazi occupation and pretty much follows the timeline of his life via the multiple women he either had affairs with or married (Juliette Gréco, Brigitte Bardo, Jane Birkin and Bambou to name a few). There is a real personal twist on the part of the writer and director, Joann Sfar, where he uses his imagination as to how he thinks Gainsbourg's imagination worked, adding a graphic novel type element to the film in parts. I won't say any more about that because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may have not seen it before. Music is of course an integral part to the storyline, portraying Gainsbourg's shift from painting to writing songs for himself and others, beginning with his random meeting with the multi-talented Boris Vian, through the different periods of his influences (and there are many), with special attention held on some of his more scandalous pieces (Je t'aime moi non plus and his reggae version of La Marseillaise for example).

Eric Elmosnino, who plays Gainsbourg, looks remarkably like him, and channels his multi-faceted personality wonderfully. Gainsbourg was an asshole and a drunk, but he was also full of talent and very much loved. I'm so happy that he was portrayed correctly - some biopics tend to elevate an artist instead of showing how they really were. Gainsbourg was always someone I wanted to despise because he could be so horrid, but never could, because he was just so original and wonderful. Laetitia Casta, who I never really thought much of, plays a great Bardot, but the English actress, Lucy Gordon, who played Jane Birkin, really shone in her role. While I was watching the film I kept trying to think about where I had seen her before, until it dawned on me that she had played an English girl in Les Poupées Russes, a French film that I adore. In any case, I just found out that she died not long after the filming wrapped on the Gainsbourg biopic, which made me feel very sad - such a talented actress...

An all-around positive review for this biopic - if you haven't seen it yet then I really suggest you do, even if you aren't a fan of Serge Gainsbourg. It's hugely entertaining.

More information on Serge Gainsbourg:
Wikipedia (English)
Gainsbourg.net (French)

Contagion - movie review

I saw the trailer for this twice and was really REALLY excited about seeing the movie. Mass hysteria, contagious disease, Gwyneth Paltrow dying in the first few scenes? I was looking for a movie a la 28 Days Later, or even Book of Eli, where humanity is seen at its worse and also, ultimately at its best. Having Gwyneth Paltrow (ok, her character) die in the first few scenes was just an added bonus. It would have been even cooler if Chris Martin had joined her too...

All in all it really doesn't live up to the hype. I was very much underwhelmed to be honest. Nobody really stands out, even if the cast is chock full of superstars (Kate Winslet, Jude Law with a weird tooth, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard), and I found myself laughing at the silliness of some parts. Basically what was really annoying was that the film was trying to be a little controversial, but failed because it couldn't bring itself to actually convincingly portray what they really wanted to do: show that pharmaceutical companies actually control so much of what happens in this world today.
Bloody hell - if you want to make a point then just DO IT. Don't pretend and then back off. Grr.

Me Without You - movie review

I LOVE coming of age movies. Especially ones that are about two best friends who grow up together and who do fun things, like, you know, go to goth parties, and hang out in squats with punks. NOTHING like what I did growing up at all of course. I never went to a goth party, or hung out with punks in squats, or did any kind of illegal underage drinking or hash smoking, EVER.
I just love stories that you can relate to. We all had one best friend who knew everything about us, who was always there, through thick and thin, and who we would have massive fights with and make up with two minutes later.
Because of all of the above I am really surprised I had never seen, or even heard of, Me Without You before. A British film, based in the Isle of Wight and Brighton in the late 70's through to the early 2000's, the movie depicts the friendship between Holly (Michelle Williams) and Marina (Ana Friel), next door neighbours and best friends, and the things they go to together. I loved Holly, and identified with her much more than I did with Marina. Holly is the quiet, understated, literary one, while Marina is the wild, messed up, somewhat toxic friend.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. A lot. Especially when I heard the first chords of Tim Buckley's Strange Feeling during one scene. A movie with Tim Buckley on the soundtrack can never be a bad movie!

For anyone who enjoyed the following: An Education, Wish You Were Here, 10 Things I Hate About You, Almost Famous, The Breakfast Club...

I love Michelle Williams - she never fails to be completely enchanting in any role that she takes on.

One Day - movie review

Before I say anything, I have to say that I loved this movie (because what I may say afterwards may sound like I didn't). Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway were perfectly cast to play the two best friends, and I have to say that she did a great job with the British accent!

The storyline goes from Dexter (Sturgess) and Emma (Hathaway) spending a night together after graduation, and then moves to that same day (July 15th), every year, showing the progression of their friendship, as well as their own personal lives. It's literally hilarious at times (Dexter the pompous TV music show twat in the early 90's) and completely heartbreaking (Emma putting her writing career in hold to pay the rent by working in a Mexican restaurant), but all in all the story works, especially seeing as it was shot quite beautifully.

It all was a little TOO close to real life for me though, I really thought I was going to see a cheesy love story, when in the end I watched a story unfold that could more or less be my life, and Emma's character was a LITTLE too close to home. Needless to say I bawled my eyes out. And you will too.

Piece of advice: don't watch this with your best friend if he is a guy (or if you are a guy and she is a girl), and bring a box of tissues.

This week's movie list 09/06/11

I don't own Cable TV anymore, haven't for months. I'm always adding random movies to my Netflix Instant queue, and now that I finally have more time on my hands I'm actually able to sit down watch some of them... Or even make it to the cinema!

Here goes for this week (and they aren't all recommendations):

1). Rise of the Planet of the Apes: I saw this one at the cinema last night, and was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. And how human it is... Definitely recommend it.
And remember: don't go around adopting baby chimps and leaving them exposed to braincell rebuilding drugs. You may end up with some highly intelligent chimp issues on your hands...
On another note: am I the only woman in the world who is not entirely enamoured by James Franco?

2). Love and Other Drugs: I watched about 20 minutes of this and was grinding my teeth in irritating. Both Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal play two of the most obnoxiously annoying characters. I switched it off, so if it does get better further along, then so be it. I couldn't wait it out. Sorry.

3). Winter's Bone: Oh it's bleak. Believe the hype - it's bleak from the first minute til the last. But it's GOOD. Did any of you ever read the Heaven series by Virginia Andrews? That's what I was reminded of when I watched Winter's Bone. Except for the moonshine has been replaced by meth, otherwise the same type of deep America, rural, fucked up life. I already want to see Jennifer Lawrence in more roles - she's great.

4). Army of Crime (L'armee du crime): wonderful French movie, based on the story of a group of Communist resistants during World War 2. Led by the Armenian poet Missak Manouchian, the group of French Jews, Armenian refugees and Italian and Spanish Communists plot attacks against the Nazis in France... The film and the direction are just so French, I don't know how else to explain it. There's is always some type of beauty, power and strong emotion in each shot, even in the torture scenes.
A gem.

5). Glorious 39: I don't know about this one... Set in England in 1939 the story tells of a mystery within a rich family, focusing on the life of one of the daughters, Anne, and the mystery she seems to be unraveling. The plot is all a little far-fetched in my opinion, but I couldn't stop watching it. In any case, the costumes were pretty amazing - I need to get a red polka dot dress made in the same style as the one Anne is wearing in the first scenes.
I love Bill Nighy (he plays the father).

"Welcome" - film by Philippe Lioret

I just finished watching this and am still crying my eyes out. Bilal, a Kurdish teen, walked for months from Iraq, to try to find his girlfriend in England. As his attempts to cross the Channel with a handler fail, he decides to try to swim the Channel, and starts training at the local swimming pool. The relationship that develops between Bilal and his swimming instructor resembles an awkward father/son relationship, where the father figure, Simon (played by Vincent Lindon), tries to help Bilal, but obviously feels conflicted about this, as he is going through his own personal drama (divorce) at the same time.
The film also depicts how refugees are treated in France (they are not sent back to their country of origin if said country is at war; but do not have any rights while they stay n France - basically al is done so that they are pushed to go back home again). it is also illegal for French citizens to help or house refugees, and the police can literally search a home without a warrant if they feel the need to.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I've always liked Vincent Lindon, and he plays his role excellently here.

More information on the movie:
Mars Distribution (French)
IMDB (English)

This brings up a much larger question... The immigration situation is a huge deal in most Western European countries. Whereas in the past immigrants were pretty much welcomed with open arms (think of the Poles that were taken from refugee camps in Uganda after WW2, and given automatic British citizenship for helping rebuild England; or the Algerians who were given homes and work in France in the 60's and 70's when there were too many jobs and not enough people to do them); nowadays people are either sent back to their countries of origin or, if they are deemed to fit within the status of a refugee (see HERE for the ECRE definition) either are held in detention centers, or left to live on the streets with no status, means of income or housing.

I've heard so many arguments from French and English people about this "situation" (from the far left to the far right), everyone has an opinion about it, but no one has a real solution. In the end it should be up to us to actually HELP people who are running for their lives - not treat them like subhumans. Most of the time people will not leave the country they were born in with nothing except the clothes they are wearing if it wasn't because they were in grave danger of torture, rape or death.

Just something to think about.