The Act of Killing

I’m a gangster; a free man.

I’ve been anticipating this film since I first heard that Werner Herzog and Errol Morris were executive producers on it. It opened at Madison’s Sundance 608 this weekend and I was able to catch the late Saturday show after my daughter was asleep. At this point, I can’t really write much about it. There are fine summaries all over the internet that explain the context and the controversies involved.

I think The Act of Killing is a great film and one that should be watched by many more people than will be able to see it in theaters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an MPAA rating and it is only showing in 29 theaters in the United States. 

Gut reaction: 4.5/5

 

To the Wonder

I want to keep your name.

I saw this film on campus last night. It is the second film in the Cinematheque series: ROGER EBERT: THE GREAT MOVIES, OVERLOOKED FILMS & GUILTY PLEASURES. The first film was The Third Man.

This is a strange movie. It’s in this film series because Terrence Malick’s work has held a prominent place in Ebert’s writing on film and his review of To the Wonder was the last piece of film criticism that he filed with the Chicago Sun-Times on April 6th, 2013. This selection also makes sense because our university tries to bring films that are more difficult to see to the big screen.

I enjoyed this film. The camera work is beautiful and the music is perfect. It feels a little bit like an experiment. It’s an experiment in non-narrative filmmaking. I was going to say story-telling in that last sentence, but I don’t think that really captures what is happening. It seems like Malick is more concerned about the viewer’s engagement with the images and the sound than with the story itself. It reminds me of phenomenological research. The research question would be something like What is the essence of the experience of falling in and out of love? The ASC has a good interview with Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, the cinematographer on Malick’s last three films. In the interview he talks about the crispness they strive for in their shots. He says that Malick doesn’t want the focus to train the viewer’s eye on one thing in the frame. The audience can decide for themselves how they want to engage. Ebert describes it as a film “that would rather evoke than supply.”

My only major hang-up with this film is the casting. It’s not that I don’t think the players did a fine job. I just think they look too much like Calvin Klein models. I wish they would have cast more normal looking people in these roles. For some reason, Olga Kurylenko and Ben Affleck just don’t fit in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Do beautifully sad love affairs not also happen to people with pockmarked faces and flabby arms?

On the whole, this film is a success. I would be interested to see a film shot in a similar way but playing with different feelings and experiences. It’s almost a cliche’ for this to be about love. I want to see this experiment replicated but with themes like urban living, addiction or sports.

Gut reaction: 3.5/5

One film I liked more: The Bridges of Madison County

One film I liked less: Before Sunrise

The Third Man

You were born to be murdered.

Awesome movie. It was a treat to see it on the big screen. There is some incredible camera work in this movie considering it was released in 1949. Also, the zither plays throughout.

I don’t really understand why Harry Lime invited Holly Martins to Vienna in the first place, but I’ll excuse that. Maybe I should read the Graham Greene novel that this is based on.

It’s crazy that Alida Valli doesn’t even get a full name credit on the promotional image. Her name appears in the same way (“Valli”) on the 35mm print. Super disrespectful.

Gut reaction: 5/5

One film I liked more: The Big Sleep

One film I liked less: Casablanca

Le Grand Amour + Happy Anniversary (short)

I had the pleasure of seeing these films at The Cinematheque at the University of Wisconsin, Madison this evening. This was my first exposure to Pierre Étaix. There are four more features and two more shorts in this series. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to see some more of them. Criterion recently released a collection that includes all the films in this series. It’s available for rent at Four Star Video Heaven in Madison, WI.

There is something magical about seeing a film from the late 60s projected on 35mm. The theater was packed and lots of people were laughing at the slapstick comedy. I wish this kind of film had more influence on contemporary romantic comedy. People that work in that genre could learn a lot from Étaix.

YouTube doesn’t do it justice, but here is a taste of Le Grande Amour. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8EXmAoadsA

Gut reaction: 4.5/5

One film I liked more: Holy Motors

One film I liked less: Amélie

Woyzeck (Completist Series – Werner Herzog)

I’d rather have a knife in my body than your hand on me.

This is the first film that we watched in our Werner Herzog completist series. It’s really awesome. It’s dark, funny and weird. That a great combination. I wasn’t sure what to expect with early Herzog, but this was every bit as good as the films of his I have seen. I’m excited to continue down this path.

Here is a trailer for the film.

Next we are going to watch Grizzly Man. I’ve seen it before, but I really like it.

Gut reaction: 4/5

The Internship (Sneak Preview)

You’re kidding, right?

I had a chance to see this movie a week before its official release date. It was alright. It delivered exactly what I expected. There is something refreshing about that.

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

In the end, it was luck. We were *this* close to nuclear war, and luck prevented it.

I told my dad about this movie after I saw it for the first time. As a Vietnam veteran, he was interested in seeing it but we never got a chance before he passed away. Tonight’s showing with Errol Morris in attendance would have been the a good way to see it with him. The Q&A was incredible. History is a crime scene.

FILMMAKER ERROL MORRIS IN PERSON!

One of my favorite filmmakers is coming to campus tomorrow night. My university is awarding him an Honorary Doctorate at commencement this year. It should be a cool event.