|
Server : Apache/2.4.62 System : FreeBSD fbsdweb2.web.rcn.net 14.1-RELEASE FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE releng/14.1-n267679-10e31f0946d8 GENERIC amd64 User : www ( 80) PHP Version : 8.3.8 Disable Function : NONE Directory : /domains/dparrot/ |
Upload File : |
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>nyff-99</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY TEXT="#000000" LINK="#ff0000" VLINK="#800080" BGCOLOR="#ffffff">
<B><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=6><P ALIGN="CENTER">NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL</P>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=4><P ALIGN="CENTER">1999 - 37th Festival</P>
</B></FONT>
</FONT><FONT SIZE=3><P>The 1999 NY Film Festival was more mixed than usual (an unusual number
of disappointing films: for example, Kevin Smith ["Clerks"] new movie,
"Dogma," was unbearably vacuous and jejune it a typically Hollywood sort
of way, its 2 hr. plus running time not at all supported by the few
funny moments; and "Sicilia," a new film by Jean-Marie Straub and
Danielle Huilet which was SO pretentious and boring that it totally
undid whatever artistic merit it had); but it was still terrific fun
--as always-- and well worth it. (Those of you in or around NYC would
do well to join the Lincoln Center Film Society to avail yourself of the
Film Festival and other events.) There were some GREAT films, too:</P>
<P>"Being John Malkovich" (a first feature, wonderfully directed by Spike
Jonze) was the clear winner. It is a film you should RUN out to see as
soon it is released. Extremely well done, it is based on an insanely
wonderful premise: an out of work puppeteer, John Cusack (how much work
can one expect to find doing "The Abelard and Heloise Puppet Show"?),
takes an office job where he discovers, behind a filing cabinet, a door
that leads to a portal into the subjective experience of John Malkovich,
where one is allowed to spend fifteen minutes and is then spit out
somewhere along the New Jersey Turnpike. How the young writer, Charlie
Kaufman, got Malkovich to do this film is amazing --and a credit to
Malkovich; but we are extremely fortunate that he did. It is an
incredibly funny film.</P>
<P>"All About My Mother," Pedro Almodovar's film that opened the Festival,
is also a gem. It has all the wonderful, bizarre humor of his earlier
films (in addition to weaving in and out of "All About Eve," the film is
deeply involved with "Streetcar Named Desire" --with most of the main
characters [including a marvelous transsexual] doing Blanche Dubois at
some point in the film), it is also poignant and sensitive. Another must
see when it is released.</P>
<P>"Rien Sur Robert," written and directed by Paul Bonitzer, was a
hilariously dark French farce. Frabice Luchini plays a film critic who
has been discovered to have written a review of a movie he didn't see
(as actually happened a few years ago in France --supposedly about Emir
Kusturica's "Underground"), and who is being crucified by the French
literati. More central to the plot, he has a girl friend who constantly
professes her love for him, while at the same time describing to him
--in hilariously pornographic detail-- her sexual encounters with other
men. A thoroughly enjoyable, brilliantly done work.</P>
<P>"Julien Donkey-Boy," written and directed by Harmony Korine ("Kids,"
Gummo"), and the first American film to be certified by the Dogma 95
brotherhood (the strict code of cinematographic realism set down by
Danish filmmakers like von Trier and Vinterberg ["Celebration" --a film
from last year's Festival which, if you haven't seen, you should!],
which, for example, prohibits the use of artificial lighting, music not
actually produced on camera, and most post production alterations), is
an incredible look into the world and family of a schizophrenic young
man (based on Korine's schizophrenic uncle). It is an impressionistic,
intense, disturbing, yet amusing melange of scenes --mostly done without
an actually scripted dialogue-- that works to create a powerful,
evocative whole. The young man is incredibly portrayed by Scottish
actor Ewan Bremner ("Trainspotting"); the pregnant sister is played by
Chloe Sivigny, and wonderfully weird, director Werner Herzog does a
brilliant performance as the not so wonderfully weird father. Korine's
work is not for everyone, but this a great film for those who like this
kind of thing. By the way, this, like all of his films, was produced by
Independent Pictures --the company our son Alex is working for.
(Currently in release)</P>
<P>In the "REALLY GOOD, but not great" category:</P>
<P>"Topsy-Turvy," which was written and directed by Mike Leigh ("Secrets
and Lies"), is a musical about Gilbert and Sullivan. Extremely funny in
parts, beautifully filmed and acted, it gives a perhaps
too-Kaleidoscopic view of G&S, their work, their times, and their lives.
It is full of details that go nowhere, and therefore it does not really
hang together as a whole. If you like G&S, however, it is clearly worth
seeing. Based primarily around their writing the "Mikado," it is fully
of that particular work --and a joy to those who like it to start with.</P>
<P>"Pola X" by Leos Carax ia a disturbing but engrossing film based on
Herman Melville's novel, "Pierre or the Ambiguities." Riveting,
although very weird, it is an unusually absorbing work --and VERY sexy
in spots.</P>
<P>And, in the "DIDN'T QUITE MAKE IT" category:</P>
<P>"Boys Don't Cry" is an interesting story by Kimberly Pierce, with some
excellent performance by Hilary Swank and Chloe Sivigny, that just
didn't quote do it for us. (Currently in release)</P>
<P>"Felicia's Journey," written and directed by Atom Egoyan ("Sweet
Hereafter"), was a beautifully filmed, incredibly welted (with a
particularly marvelous performance by Bob Hoskins), masterfully
well-directed piece that, unfortunately didn't go anywhere. Egoyan
managed to fritter away the magnificent platform he so wonderfully
created throughout the great majority of the movie --making it
ultimately quite disappointing.</P>
<P>"Time Regained" is Raul Ruiz's attempt to do Proust's "Remembrance of
Things Past" on the screen. In over two and a half hours he does
achieve some interesting things; but, "ce n'est pas Proust!" (as they
say). And the distance by which he missed made it ultimately painful:
Proust could spin things out slowly and luxuriously over a vast amount
of time in a way most cannot.</P>
<P>And, some GEMS from last year's Festival that are currently playing:</P>
<P>"Same Old Song" ("On Connait La Chanson") is a MARVELOUS work by Alain
Renais ("Last Year at Marienbad" and "Hiroshima Mon Amour"). It is an
homage to Dennis Potter --and as in Potter's "The Singing Detective (a
six hour BBC serial which, if you haven's seen you should), the
character's often break out into song (lip-synched, in Renais' case, to
French popular songs). It is very funny, enormously well-done, and
totally enjoyable.</P>
<P>"Black Cat/White Cat" is Emir Kusturica's ("Underground") warm, funny,
and very human film about Gypsies.</P>
</FONT>
</FONT><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="line1.gif" WIDTH=573 HEIGHT=6></P>
<P><A HREF="nyff.html"><I>Return to NYFF Reviews main page. </I></A></P>
</HTML>