Sweet Sixteen (UK, 2002, Ken Loach, director): A completely charming mix of hope and despair set in Greenock, a troubled suburb of Glasgow. Fifteen-year old Liam spends his time trying to scrounge enough money to buy a caravan (trailer) for his mom and him to live in when she’s released from prison. He needs money fast, and decides to cut in on his mom’s boyfriend’s heroin trade. Of course, he’s soon in way over his head. Among the rest of the non-professional cast, Martin Compston’s performance floored me. He captures that period between childhood and adulthood with just the right mix of emotions. He was sitting in the seat right behind me and when the film was over, I turned to him, speechless, and just shook his hand. 10/10
The Man Without A Past (Finland, 2002, Aki Kaurismäki, director): This sweet-natured film tells the story of a man given a fresh start. After being brutally mugged, the man loses his memory and has to rebuild his life. Without a job or money, he lands among the poorest of Helsinki’s denizens, living in a cargo container by the docks. He meets and falls in love with a Salvation Army worker, and this relationship in particular made the film seem like an old 50s melodrama. The warm lighting and bright colours added to the romantic feel. This little twist of irony, as well as a generous helping of deadpan humour, had me smiling even as our hero struggled against the prejudices of a society unable to trust a man without a name. 9/10
Falcons (Iceland, 2002, Fridrik Thór Fridriksson, director): Mawkish and heavy-handed, this film was (almost) saved by two things: the cinematography capturing the incredible beauty of Iceland, and the luminous Margrít Vilhjélmsdóttir. Keith Carradine plays an ex-con who travels to Iceland “to forget.” Instead he meets a woman who might be his daughter. I saw Fridriksson’s excellent Angels of the Universe two years ago, which was adapted from a book. This time, for his first English-language film, he chose to write the screenplay himself. I wanted to like this more, but the story was just too trite. 6.5/10
Spun (USA, 2002, Jonas Akerlund, director): Boasting a raft of young talent (Jason Schwartzman, Patrick Fugit, Mena Suvari, Brittany Murphy), this is a frantic tale about a group of methamphetamine addicts. Raunchy, disturbing, and often very very funny. The pace does tend to wear out the viewer, though. Since we saw the “unrated” cut, expect the final “R” version to be more manageable in length. Brittany Murphy and John Leguizamo do amazing work here. 8/10
Well, it’s that time of year again. The film festival starts on Friday. We spent most of Monday lined up to get tickets and choose alternates. Here’s my final schedule. Stay tuned for the patented CC “capsule reviews”:
Brooke is away until tomorrow, so tonight I invited Brent (my ex-roommate and best man) over to sample my latest culinary triumph, Apple and Caraway Stuffed Chicken Breasts (I changed the recipe to leave out the currants). Don’t worry. I’ve made this for Brooke twice already. We ate dinner watching The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942), accompanied by half a bottle of Château La Baronne. Things sure have changed since my bachelor days!
The movie was fine, but marred I think by some odd casting. Bette Davis is great, but playing opposite her was some rube named Richard Travis, who was absolutely wooden and boring. It’s no wonder he was limited to B-movies for the rest of his career. And Jimmy Durante? Well, it’s a good thing his screen time was limited to about 15 minutes, as that’s about all I could take. I love screwball comedies, but there are many finer examples than this. From this era alone, you could take His Girl Friday (1940), or The Philadelphia Story (1940), or any of Preston Sturges’ films (The Lady Eve (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Sullivan’s Travels (1942)). It’s true that they don’t make films like this anymore, and The Man Who Came To Dinner would be a great film if released today. It’s just not that great when compared to some of the other greats of its time.
By way of contrast, this morning I watched a recent Bollywood blockbuster, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). Unbelievably corny, and filled with impossible plot twists; nevertheless, I was completely absorbed. The chemistry between the two leads was very real, and the emotions were genuine. Well before the predictably happy ending, I was reaching for the Kleenex.
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