conor.

npr: Filmmaker Richard Mosse on the parallel between infrared...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:26:02 +1000

Filmmaker Richard Mosse on the parallel between infrared film bringing to light the unseen, and his perception of the Congo’s unseen “humanitarian crisis.”

harshbarge:

Gorgeous and surreal. A film about Congo shot entirely on infrared film. Hot pink trees!

The filmmaker/photographer Richard Mosse also makes a great point about what we consider “journalistic” or “true”, saying that we don’t see in black and white, yet we consider Robert Capa’s photos to be closer to “Truth”.

I’m procrastinating study for tomorrow’s admin law...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:46:56 +1000

I’m procrastinating study for tomorrow’s admin law exam so I made a poster for one of my Sydney Film Festival faves, BORGMAN.

Frances Ha, 2013 - ★★★½

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:56 +1000

Frances Ha, 2013 - ★★★½:

I think I was quite disappointed by this film, which I had hoped would mark a clear return to The Squid and the Whale and Kicking & Screaming in terms of the intersection between snappy, witty dialogue and emotional power. Instead, we have a film that roots itself in French New Wave convention whilst trying to keep the social influence of Lena Dunham’s Girls at bay.

Greta Gerwig is amusing and engaging as the titiular Frances, and certain scenes work spectacularly in providing a glimpse into the existentialist ennui of the twentysomething in the modern world and yet, especially since Oh Boy also played at the Sydney Film Festival, it comes off as not quite full enough of a film.

The brash confidence of the direction and storytelling, in throwing Frances suddenly into situations and locations, is impressive to watch yet the story as a whole seems a little stretched and the ending feels like a cop out. I can’t really stand montage storytelling so it irked me quite a bit.

Still, it is well-made and funny and provides some great character moments and dialogue. Worth the watch but not at all the revelation I was looking forward to watching.

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Only God Forgives, 2013 - ★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:56 +1000

Only God Forgives, 2013 - ★★★:

Beautiful violence and cinematography elevates only a select few scenes in a film that more akin to the Pusher trilogy than Drive in terms of the simplicity of plot. However, this film goes further than Pusher in having a virtually paper-thin plot that acts merely as a connection between fantastically stages sequences.

Gosling’s character is exceptionally weak in construction and it feels at times as if there were serious narrative elements overlooked in the making of the film and, if this is so, the efforts to make it merely a sensory experience don’t succeed over the course of what feels like a long 90min.

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You're Next, 2013 - ★★★½

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:55 +1000

You're Next, 2013 - ★★★½:

Although perhaps not as game-changing or funny as I’d been led to believe, You’re Next is a thoroughly enjoyable slasher flick that contains some of the best sound design I’ve heard in any film, let alone one from the horror genre.

It ‘s great to see an independent horror film imbued with such talent in directing and editing and seems to firmly plant itself within some independent horror movement (Ti West & Joe Swanberg act in it, as does actress/filmmaker Amy Seimetz) which can only be good for filmmaking in general.

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Stories We Tell, 2013 - ★★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:55 +1000

Stories We Tell, 2013 - ★★★★:

A beautifully intimate documentary that unfolds with a very self-aware sense of narrative structure. As such, whilst it packs a huge emotional punch, the film itself, I don’t think, lives up to the grandiose concept of the ‘story’ that the narration sets up, mainly because it is such a gigantic idea to pin down. The re-creation scenes, whilst necessary in the telling of the story, didn’t quite work for me when compared to the real emotion of the old footage of the family and still photographs.

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Borgman, 2013 - ★★★★½

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:54 +1000

Borgman, 2013 - ★★★★½:

One of the most odd and enjoyable films of the Sydney Film Festival, Borgman moves to the beat of its own drum with an in-film narrative logic and genre pastiche that shouldn’t, in any capacity, work but does so thanks to the clear creation of a filmic atmosphere so wholly its own. This film left me giddy, it was so funny and contained so many interesting sequences, I think I’m reacting to this the same way many people did to Holy Motors, beyond indulgence to the point of near poetic and absurd artistry.

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The Act of Killing, 2013 - ★★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:54 +1000

The Act of Killing, 2013 - ★★★★:

I have to begrudgingly praise this film. It was, by far, one of the most courageous and brave documentaries I have ever seen, focusing on a horrifying legacy with detachment from running commentary and yet a startling intimacy with these monsters of ‘war’. The film humanises these men, often not to garner sympathy but to remind us of the lack of humanity in everyone and it very successfully raises concerns about the modern state of Indonesian government, history and education.

The reason I am reluctant to praise so widely is that this is a film I do not particularly ever want to see again. It’s not that it’s too depraved or confronting, it’s that it is so much of an effort to sit through and absorb that a second run-through would most likely be redundant. The faults of the film are fairly clear and fairly damaging, those being the overlong and near-indulgent runtime (note: I saw the 158min Director’s Cut) and the haphazard narrative layout of the film, which moves forward with irregular pacing and without any firm sense of direction.

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Oh Boy, 2012 - ★★★½

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:28:53 +1000

Oh Boy, 2012 - ★★★½:

A surprisingly poignant slacker tale of a disillusioned twentysomething in Berlin set to vivid black and white imagery and an great jazz score. Visually, the film evokes Woody Allen’s Manhattan and narratively there are probably also a few borrowed cues and yet the film seems to stake out its own territory; an interesting independent feature that puts character and dialogue above all and manages to pull off an entertaining and often amusing film.

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Blancanieves, 2012 - ★★★½

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:14:07 +1000

Blancanieves, 2012 - ★★★½:

An impressive act of adaptation that transports the Snow White fable to 1920s Spain and the culture of bullfighting, Blancanieves is a charming and evocative piece of filmmaking.

Although it takes some time to find its footing (the first act drags a bit), once the film’s narrative more clearly lines up with that of the Snow White tale it starts to become fantastic.

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Monsoon Shootout - ★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:14:06 +1000

Monsoon Shootout - ★★★:

A weaker Run Lola Run that centers on a rookie cop in Mumbai having to deal with the ethical dilemma of firing upon an alleged murderer rather than take him in for a trial.

Despite some narrative and dialogue issues, the film itself is quite enjoyable, and the twists and turns of the different potential ‘plots’ don’t necessarily stray to what is expected.

Whilst it never reaches the heights of other crime thrillers, the film as a whole carries a fascination with genre that is admirable.

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Grigris, 2013 - ★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:14:06 +1000

Grigris, 2013 - ★★★:

An African film is something that we aren’t exposed to often as an Australian audience and this was a very well made film, which is great to see for the region. However, the plot doesn’t match the interest of the setting and the character-centric story lumbers along to its end.

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For Those in Peril, 2013 - ★★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:14:05 +1000

For Those in Peril, 2013 - ★★★★:

A poetic fable that uses shifts between media format to create this fantastic sense of memory and unease. At the intersection between guilt and insanity, this film reaches a near indescribable sense of beauty and wonder.

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The Rocket, 2013 - ★★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:14:05 +1000

The Rocket, 2013 - ★★★★:

An extremely well made film that is very emotionally affecting. However, despite all of its moments of brilliance, the underdog genre tale seems to anchor it to that structure, perhaps tempering its individuality.

Regardless, once again the Sydney Film Festival shows a Competition film that lets us in to an unfamiliar world though universal themes and incredible performances by child actors.

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The Way, Way Back, 2013 - ★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:14:05 +1000

The Way, Way Back, 2013 - ★★★:

A pleasant coming of age film that suffers from the fact that Adventureland exists and is superb.

Often amusing and fairly rewarding, the film is at its best when Sam Rockwell is on screen and, despite an attempt to inject some serious family drama in the mix, the film too often hits the beats exactly for the genre, making it feel a tad too artificial, this fact accentuated by the film being set in the present and feeling nothing like it.

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Before Midnight, 2013 - ★★★★

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:59:02 +1000

Before Midnight, 2013 - ★★★★:

Before Midnight
Before Midnight 2013

A compelling end (or is it?) to the Before Trilogy, Midnight brings us back into the world of characters we have come to know and love over the space of two films and nearly two decades. It’s successes, though, are perhaps also it’s main jarring elements - that being the reminder that these are two real people, not romantic constructs.

Whilst we were swept away by them in the brilliant first two films, the third brings this sense of tension and unease that rears its head throughout the film, culminating in a very impressive third act that consists entirely of one big argument.

Another reason it is harder to love this film is the gap. Whereas the leap between Sunrise and Sunset was a disconnection for both the characters and the audience, here we have missed quite a large amount of evolution and, as such, there is a layer between us and Celine and Jesse not present in the second film.

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Wadjda, 2013 - ★★★★½

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:43:43 +1000

Wadjda, 2013 - ★★★★½:

In the tradition of The 400 Blows, this simple story of a young girl trying to maintain independence in a world of comformity is so much more than its premise, or even its production information.

Haifaa al-Mansour’s film, the first film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and by a female filmmaker no less, is both an interesting social commentary and a beautiful emotional journey. It’s a film that fills you with hope and joy and wonder.

The lead performance by Waheed Mohammed is one of the best child performances I can recall, bringing subtlety and restraint to what could have been a typical dramedy role.

The screenplay should also be praised. For a simple albeit funny premise of paradoxical relgious devotion, the film glides along at am engaging pace, only to bring together offhand dialogue in a wholly impressive way.

This has been the great surprise of the Sydney Film Festival so far for me. I knew it would be good, it’s in the Official Competition, but I never would have predicted how much I loved it.

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‘Looking For The Magic’ by Dwight Twilley BandEver since seeing...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 11:02:17 +1000

‘Looking For The Magic’ by Dwight Twilley Band
Ever since seeing YOU’RE NEXT at #sydfilmfest I have not been able to get this out of my head.

Mystery Road, 2013

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:44:20 +1000

Mystery Road, 2013:

SFF EMBARGO

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Stoker, 2013

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:28:58 +1000

Stoker, 2013:

SFF EMBARGO

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