A Competent Mission

Mission: Impossible III

by J.J. Abrams

There isn’t anything really wrong with Mission: Impossible III, but there isn’t anything really bold or surprising either. There are a few action sequences that are great, but I never really cared that much about the characters and it all seemed very calculated. I loved Mission: Impossible II and John Woo basically combined a series of action sequences with a connective tissue that strengthened the relationships built tension between the characters. Tom Cruise is perfect as Ethan Hunt – too perfect. He looks great and moves great and nothing is ever wrong. I couldn’t help but think of 24, which manages to be a bit more exciting covering similar territory, but always keeping the focus on the characters. While the first Mission: Impossible played with the characters and relationships and the second one was structured around the action, the third one carefully balances everything in a nice safe package that I don’t regret opening, but it’s something that I wouldn’t really watch again, unlike the first two in the series.

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tags: allconsuming, review, film, missionimpossibleiii

Classic Noir Story

Laura

by Rouben Mamoulian

Laura is a classic film noir that explores many of the themes of the genre without having a lot of the distinctive look. Noir is a state of mind, and Laura is a lot of fun with witty, rapid-fire dialogue and quirky characters. It’s filled with interesting twists as we find out more about the woman who is murdered and realize that we know less and less. A good film to see to see more of the subtle characteristics of film noir.

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tags: allconsuming, film, review, filmnoir, laura

OK Documentary on the Military Industrial Complex

Why We Fight

by Eugene Jarecki

For me it didn’t get off to a good start. The opening music of the film reminded me of Philip Glass and seeing some archival footage with that music made me think of The Fog of War which is one of the best documentaries that I’ve seen. It’s not good when you start thinking of another film at the very beginning of a film.
But it’s not a bad film and there are some good moments in Why We Fight and a lot of confirmation of things that I had known about. So while I didn’t have a problem with the message of the film, the structure just didn’t work for me. There were several narrative threads that went throughout the film and they were fairly skillfully weaved together, but the spacing and pacing made in more academic than emotional. I would have liked to have spent a bit more time with some of the people in the film as they explored and explained the ideas.
Many of the ideas and issues were explored in a much more nuanced and personal way in The Fog of War, so if you had a choice between two films to watch to start thinking about war, politics and how it changes people and the reasons for using military power, it’s a much better place to start.

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tags: allconsuming, review, documentary, whywefight

Funny Updated Film Noir

The Ice Harvest (Widescreen Edition)

by Harold Ramis

While I think that The Ice Harvest was marketed as a comedy, it’s more of a darkly funny thriller or film noir. John Cusack anchors the film as the antihero in the midst of a mid-life crisis where he must make moral decisions. He’s also a mob lawyer. While it’s not a great film, it’s definitely enjoyable if you like Mr. Cusack or film noir or seeing Billy Bob Thornton as another cynical con man. One of the things that I found interesting about the film was how boldly it veered between humour and violence. It’s a slightly odd mixture, but worth seeing if you’re in the right mood.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, theiceharvest, filmnoir, comedy

Experimental Melancholy

It's a Wonderful Life

by Sparklehorse

Maybe it was in a dream, or maybe I heard it somewhere else, but when I heard the song “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the film Happily Ever After I instantly recognized it. I first heard Sparklehorse in a short film by Gariné Torossian that was constructed around the song “Babies on the Sun”. I haven’t seen the music video for the song “It’s a Wonderful Life” (which was directed by Guy Maddin) so that’s not where it’s from. But somehow, when I heard it, it struck a chord with me.
Beautifully orchestrated with a melancholy tone throughout (and a track with Tom Waits!) it’s become an instant favourite that is perfect for when I’m in a more casual mood. Scratchy and a bit experimental without electronic overtones, it’s has an analog feel with more traditional instruments forming the background instead of synthesis. I don’t have the words to describe it accurately, but take parts of Radiohead, Boards of Canada, a little Tom Waits, and smooth it out a bit and you’ve got something close to Sparklehorse.

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tags: allconsuming, review, music, sparklehorse, itsawonderfullife

Updated Noir in a High School

Brick

by Rian Johnson

A common problem with many updated films noir is that they mistake the look and dialogue as the most important elements. While noir is about crime, it’s a genre that was formed out of the angst and uncertainty of post World War II America. Unlike other genres, the classic film noir was made as a crime thriller with largely european directors working in a visually stylized way within financial constraints. Updated film noir often substitutes surface for substance. But in Brick Rian Johnson treats the source material with respect and by setting the story in a high school he maintains the connection to the dark heart of film noir, which is existential dread. Instead of seeing the story unfold in the closed world of the criminal world, we see things within the insular world of high school. It works brilliantly and it’s a film that instantly has jumped onto my top ten list of films for 2006.

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tags: allconsuming, film, review, brick, filmnoir

True Story with a Great Performance

Owning Mahowny

by Richard Kwietniowski

Owning Mahowny is based on the true story of a man who took money from the bank where he worked to support his gambling addiction. It’s an interesting story, but in the film adaptation it’s just ok. What really saves the film and makes it worth watching is Philip Seymour Hoffman, who gives a fantastic performance (once again) along with John Hurt in a great supporting role. But overall it’s a film that never really takes off, it’s technically competent and there isn’t anything really wrong with it, but the only amazing thing is Hoffman as the man who we watch as his luck runs out.

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tags: allconsuming, film, review, owningmahowny

Romantic Dramedy

Happily Ever After

The first film that I saw by Yvan Attal was My Wife is an Actress and Happily Ever After has the same leads, who are Attal and his real life spouse, the stunningly beautiful Charlotte Gainsbourg, and they once again play a husband and wife (along with their real son playing their son). It’s a film that careens joyously at times between happiness and sadness as we follow the couple and their relationship. Filled with music that I loved and with great performances, it’s a fairly unique, almost feel-good film about adultery and love in France. An unromantic look at romance that secretly believes that love conquers all.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, happilyeverafter

Interesting Photography and Buggy Story

Microcosmos

by Claude Nuridsany

There are small stories in Microcosmos, but the real fascination of the film is the photography of the insects and tiny worlds that they live within. The challenge in any documentary, especially one about animals or insects, is finding a way to establish some sort of connection or organizing principle to make it interesting. Unfortunately I never really connected on an emotional level with this film, but the images are great. If you are into bugs or macro photography, it’s interesting, but overall I wanted more of a story .

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, microcosmos

Politics Through the Eyes of Teens

Machuca

by Andrés Wood

The beautiful film Machuca tells a story of friendship set against the background of Chile in 1970s when Allende was overthrown. It’s not about the politics, but they form a constant background and work their way into everything. The subtlety of the story is what makes it work along with great art direction and wonderful performances from the young cast. A complicated story that humanizes a time and part of the world that I know little about.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, machuca

Gorgeous Revisionist Western

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

by Robert Altman

Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of a man and a woman and a small frontier town. The look and feel of the film is amazing as we watch the town develop and the seasons change as the story unfolds. Altman gives the world that he creates a casual, accidental feeling as the plot emerges. But it’s not accidental and the threads all converge into a very memorable conclusion set against deep snow in the town. Altman revises the Western by bringing a realism to the characters, pace and location of the small town within a tragic story.

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tags: allconsuming, review, film, dvd

A Weekend With JLG

Weekend

by Jean-Luc Godard

No matter what you think of Jean-Luc Godard’s films, his influence and challenges to cinematic conventions are undeniable. In Week End Godard takes aim at politics and society in a film that still can be shocking and powerful after nearly 40 years. It has an exhausting range of emotions and techniques. At times it feels arbitrary and thrown together, but the film never lets you be complacent and I don’t know if anyone will enjoy the whole thing. But there is a good chance you’ll see some of the most memorable, horrifying, or thought provoking images. From a cinematic point of view the extended tracking shot along a traffic jam and a sequence where camera pans around a large area twice are some of the most remarkable things I’ve seen in a film.
It’s an important work that is filled with and embraces contradictions and is a surreal political statement by the filmmaker who constantly pushes the limits.

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tags: allconsuming, film, dvd, jlg, godard, french

The NB Filmmakers' Co-op

A bit over two decades ago I walked into the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Co-operative in Fredericton. It started me on the path that gave me my career as a filmmaker and a teacher. While many people think of the coop as a place where they can get equipment and finish films, the important thing is the community and support from the people who are members. I’ve met some of my best friends through the coop and learned a lot about filmmaking and life.
I haven’t lived in Fredericton for over 5 years now, but I’ve still maintained my membership in the NB Filmmakers’ Co-op and they’ve recently moved from their home of two decades into a newly renovated Charlotte Street Arts Centre, which is a great facility filled with other artists.
Last weekend I was back in Fredericton and was able to stop in and see the new location and see some friends. It’s still a wonderful place that helps people tell their stories through film.

See more progress on: New Brunswick Filmmakers' Co-operative

tags: 43places, filmcoop, film, nbfc

Classic and Gripping Bank Heist

Dog Day Afternoon

by Sidney Lumet

Al Pacino is a great actor to watch, and it doesn’t get any better than his performance in Dog Day Afternoon. It’s a superbly written and directed film that breezes by as we watch a bank heist that doesn’t unfold as it was intended. Some films don’t age very well, but this one holds up as a wonderful example of the possibilities of great filmmaking when everyone is doing their best work. Pacino is mesmerizing to watch as the standoff wears on and we find out more about him and how things got to where they are in the film. It’s also a glimpse at another time with an odd innocence in the way that the police and the bank robbers interact along with the media and the public. It’s a great film that makes a statement and is also very entertaining.

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tags: allconsuming, dvd, review, dogdayafternoon

Cool and Vaguely Nostalgic Pop

Let It Die

by Feist

I love Leslie Feist’s voice and when combined with the quirky lyrics and clean arrangements of Let it Die it is a somewhat melancholy, but poppy recording that I very much enjoy listening to. I first listened to Feist when I saw a great short film directed by Renuka Jeyapalan called Big Girl. There were two songs on the soundtrack and I jotted down a note when I saw “Feist” in the credits. One of the songs, “Mushaboom” is one of my new favourite songs. It’s good to chill out to and will also put you into a more contemplative mood if you listen to the lyrics.

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tags: allconsuming, review, music, feist, letitdie

Darkly Funny Chat Show Parody

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge - The Complete Series

by Dominic Brigstocke

Steve Coogan is a talented performer and to see him in the “live” chat show parody, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge is a treat. The 6 episode series, written by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, and Patrick Marber, has a host who is clueless and guests that become increasingly more contemptuous of the host. The series conclusion is both inevitable and surprising. It’s probably a very acquired taste, but if you like dark, uncomfortable comedy (like the original The Office), then this bit of mid 90s comedy may work for you. Otherwise, it may be a bit too much to take. I quite liked it.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, tv

Mixing Oil and Drama

Syriana

by Stephen Gaghan

In a similar way that Stephen Gaghan adapted a British miniseries into Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, he does a similar thing with the complicated political story of Syriana. It strikes a balance between a rant about politics and oil and a thriller, and it worked for me. But it’s probably a personal thing, but I enjoyed it and was even surprised by it. It’s very well-shot and wisely avoids large chunks of exposition and focuses on the characters and the gaps where we can fill in the blanks. A solid film, but not something to see if you don’t want to think or pay close attention.

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tags: allconsuming, review, film, syriana

Documentary on the Rebirth of American Cinema

A Decade Under the Influence

by Richard LaGravenese

A Decade Under the Influence tells the story of the American directors who challenged the conventions of Hollywood and reinvigorated storytelling and established the tone for many films that followed. It’s fascinating to trace the paths of the young filmmakers who were influenced by European directors who drew their inspiration from classic Hollywood films. Divided into three tv hours and filled with clips, it gives a great overview of a critical time in the development of the art of film that shares a lot with how things are developing now. While it’s nearly 3 hours long, it zips by and left me wanting more, but I guess a lot of the stories and insight can come from watching the amazing films that came out of the fertile period in the 1970s.

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tags: allconsuming, dvd, review, documentary, 70s, adecadeundertheinfluence

A Fascinating Woman

Jules and Jim - Criterion Collection

by François Truffaut

While the film is called Jules et Jim, it’s very much built around Jeanne Moreau’s character, Catherine, who is at the apex of a love triangle. Like other French New Wave films, there is running, location shooting and a joy in cinema that runs through the film. While it is a period piece, Truffaut cleverly establishes the time through archival footage combined with voice-over. It keeps the film feeling like a novel while we focus on the interesting things, which are the three main characters. It’s fun and has one of the most fascinating female leads in any film. I saw echoes in Arnaud Desplechin’s Kings and Queen as well as in many other films. Jules et Jim is a fascinating exploration of love and friendship.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, julesetjim, truffaut, film

Historic Battle Personalized

Gallipoli

by Peter Weir

Peter Weir’s Gallipoli is a powerful, but human portrait of friendship that culminates in going to war. Understated, respectful and subtle, it tells the story in a simple and beautiful way. Well shot and with a strong early performance by Mel Gibson and a remarkable performance by Mark Lee, it manages to show the complexity of war from the perspective of the young men who go to fight. Weir efficiently and effectively stages the scenes and keeps it to exactly the right length.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, film, gallipoli

My Favourite Coffee Shop in Halifax

I’m very much a creature of habit and just about every day I have a cup of coffee (and sometimes a muffin or cherry cheesecake swirl) around the corner from the office at The Mud Room. They have the best coffee (Fair Trade and Organic, of course), good food and great people there. When I don’t bring my lunch my fallback is the excellent Veggie Chili that they have or one of the soups or sandwiches.
One odd fact is that even though the building is on an adjacent block and up one street, it has the same address as the office. I thought that blocks were supposed to be consistent in cities…
The Mud Room is a small, but comfortable place crammed in the lobby area of an older building. When I come in I don’t even have to say what coffee I want in my mug (but I do, even though they know) as I always get the dark roast. Mmmm. Dark and strong and delicious.

See more progress on: The Mud Room

tags: 43places, mudroom, halifax, cafe

Beautiful Adaptation

Orlando

by Sally Potter

I haven’t read Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, but from what I’ve read of her work, Sally Potter’s adaptation is probably the best of all possible adaptations. The entire film seems to be constructed around Tilda Swinton’s remarkable face as we follow the journey of Orlando from Man to Woman over the course of two centuries. It’s very carefully structured and shot and may be a bit dry for some, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Potter’s later film, Yes, has similar themes, but packs more of an emotional punch, but Orlando is very much worth seeing.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, orlando, film

Character-Driven Heist Joint

Inside Man

by Spike Lee

Inside Man is a solid heist film with great performances from the whole cast. Spike Lee knows how to shoot a film and he wisely focusses on the characters as more details of the story are revealed. The heist film is a well-trodden path and Lee injects some of his visual style and themes into the genre. Very enjoyable without being flashy or over-the-top, just a film for grownups with the sensibility of a 70s crime film.

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tags: allconsuming, film, review, insideman, spikelee

Classic Scorsese

Mean Streets was Martin Scorsese’s breakout film that also established a lot of his themes and techniques that he’s used in all of his films. It’s still a powerful film that has a breathless energy with a wide range of shots and styles incorporated in. The French New Wave is a strong influence and it is combined with the “method” acting of Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro to create a loosely plotted portrait of men in Little Italy struggling to find out who they are. It’s filled with memorable scenes and performances and was a major influence on many filmmakers.
tags: film, dvd, review, scorsese, meanstreets

Chilled Out Soulful Grooves

In a Space Outta Sound

by Nightmares on Wax

I’d heard a few songs by Nightmares on Wax before and enjoyed them. When I saw the new album on Bleep, I listened a little bit and took a leap and bought it. I’m so very glad that I did.
In a Space, Outta Sound is playing very often on my iPod. It’s perfect to focus and relax me. It’s familiar and new at the same time with samples that suggest so much more. Lovingly produced with so many intricate details that begin to emerge the more that you listen to it. The digital tracks for this recording from Bleep are very high-quality with larger files that translate into an amazing-sounding album.

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tags: allconsuming, music, review, bleep, nightmaresonwax

Interesting Look at a Film That Never Was

Tigrero

by Mika Kaurismäki

Tigrero was a film that Sam Fuller was going to make in the 1950s on location in South America. Mika Kaurismaki made a documentary that followed Jim Jarmusch and Fuller as they went back to the village that was going to be used as one of the locations. Fuller shot 16mm footage as he was preparing for the film and he hadn’t returned for 40 years. While on the surface it is about the village and the film that was never made, it’s really about Fuller and Jarmusch and there are some neat moments as they talk about filmmaking. A neat look at a couple of cinematic outsiders – one quiet and one crusty.

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tags: allconsuming, review, film

A Startling Early Film

The Passion of Joan of Arc - Criterion Collection

by Carl Theodor Dreyer

The first thing that I noticed about The Passion of Joan of Arc is how different it is from other silent films. The film is shot with bold angles, fast cuts, an extraordinary number of closeups and realistic performances. It took me a few minutes to get into it as it was so unlike what I was expecting.
It is a simple story that is based on the transcript of the trial of Joan of Arc with raw and realistic acting. The drama is played out almost completely on the faces of the characters. No makeup was worn by the actors and the simplicity of the performances is perfectly balanced by unusual angles and cuts. I hadn’t realized that such sharp and rich images were possible with the technology of the time and it almost seems as if the film could have been made in the late 50s or early 60s instead of in 1927. If you’re interested in silent film or the history of cinema, you have to see this film.

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tags: allconsuming, film, review, dvd, thepassionofjoanofarc

Early Musical Truffaut

Shoot the Piano Player - Criterion Collection

Shoot the Piano Player is a fun, French New Wave film by Francois Truffaut that tells the story of a piano player with a gangster brother. He is drawn into the world of his brother and manages to find romance as well. What is great about the early New Wave films is that they are filled with energy as they run around and shoot on location or drive in cars. The plot isn’t that important as it’s more about making a film and slyly commenting on the techniques and traditions of filmmaking. It’s fun and worth seeing to develop more of a perspective and understanding on the New Wave and Truffaut’s later work.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, criterion, truffaut, shootthepianoplayer

Fast-paced, Stylish Fun

Sexy Beast

by Jonathan Glazer

Unlike most people, I saw Jonathan Glazer’s Birth before I saw his Sexy Beast and I was pleasantly surprised and loved the film (as well as Birth). But Sexy Beast is quite a different beast indeed. It’s an odd mix of romance and ganster film with a remarkable supporting performance from the always watchable Ben Kingsley that almost overwhelms the entire film. I’m glad that I didn’t know a lot about the film and won’t spoil the fun for you if you haven’t seen it. It’s cinematic storytelling at a high level in a well-shot, well-acted, well-edited, and great sounding film. Emotionally it runs the gamut from humour to horror, but generally with a slightly light and romantic tone.

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tags: allconsuming, dvd, review, film, sexybeast

Helping Friends, Changing the World

Last week was March Break and because I’m a teacher I didn’t have to work (at the College). But it gave me the opportunity to help a friend who has been working on a film for a few years. It was a lot of work with one day of 24 hours of continuous work.
Was it worth it? Would I do it again?
In a heartbeat.
It is a documentary film telling the remarkable story of a man named Kingsley Tweed. He helped to end segregation in Bermuda and has struggled and raged against injustice around the world. I was able to help in a small way to get it done and I’m proud of that.
I love working on important documentary films and I love helping friends. What more could I ask for?

See more progress on: Ship it

tags: 43things, film

Early Kubrick

Killer's Kiss

by Stanley Kubrick

Killers Kiss is Stanley Kubrick’s second feature-length drama and that’s one of the main reasons that it’s an interesting film. It starts off as a fairly conventional film noir with a voice-over filling in details. It’s beautifully shot by Kubrick himself and has some great shots and editing (by Kubrick as well). It’s a bit of a mixture of styles with some documentary-style shooting of a boxing match with a fantastic sound edit and a very cool long shot at the beginning of a rooftop chase sequence. A great use of light and shadow in sequences makes it a treat to watch, but overall it’s more interesting historically as Kubrick honed his skills to razor sharpness in later films.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, kubrick, film

Biopic With a Solid Performance

Capote

by Bennett Miller

Philip Seymour Hoffman deservedly got an Oscar last night for his performance in Capote. The film tells the fascinating story of how Truman Capote researched and wrote his “non-fiction novel” In Cold Blood with the assistance of author Harper Lee (played very well by Catherine Keener). Capote is portrayed as a solitary genius, who was always the centre of attention, but was also very lonely. Nobody seems to understand him or see through the public persona and the selective truths he told except for Harper Lee, who can instantly figure out what is really going on with him. It’s an interesting film in how it combines several stories and characters together in a way that isn’t very radical. But it’s definitely worth seeing as it is a great story.

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tags: allconsuming, film, review, capote

Amazing Melodrama

Kings & Queen

by Arnaud Desplechin

I didn’t exactly know what to expect with Kings & Queen, but all the reviews I read were positive. By the time I saw it, I had forgotten the details of the reviews and went into the film fairly cold. I’m glad that I did, but even after seeing it once, there is so much going on that it will be a film that I watch a few more times. Arnaud Desplechin makes 2 1/2 hours fly by as we follow a woman and her former lover through a series of events with flashbacks thrown in to provide context. The film is almost evenly divided between the two chacters with one more melodramatic and the other more comedic. There is a wonderful tension in the film between what we think about the characters and the events, and what we see. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a film that is at the same time so experimental and conventional at the same time. It creeps up on you and then forces you to rethink what you’ve seen. The style isn’t showy, but it changes to fit the material and the mood of the scenes and the events. The ideas and characters from this film will be rolling around in my head for days.

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tags: allconsuming, review, dvd, kingsandqueen, film

Musical and Visual Coming of Age Story

C.R.A.Z.Y.

by Jean-Marc Vallée

C.R.A.Z.Y. is a wonderful film from Québec that tells the story of Zac, born on Christmas day 1960, and follows his journey as he grows up and deals with his family, including 4 brothers and his mother and father. Filled with great music and a luscious visual style along with elements of magical realism, it’s fun and moving at the same time. The script cleverly weaves together the story of the family (with the brothers initials forming C.R.A.Z.Y.) along with Zac figuring out who he is and how to relate to his family.

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A review of "Danger: Diabolik"

Danger: Diabolik

by Mario Bava

I’d heard of Danger: Diabolik for a while and I’m glad that I finally saw it. It’s an over-the-top adaptation of an Italian comic book that is filled with a playful visual style that looks fantastic. The colours and framing are amazing and it’s the epitome of 60s style. Directed by Mario Bava (with some shooting by him as well) in an energetic, breathless style with every frame lovingly composed. It’s as if the film constantly says, “watch this” and something outrageous or spectacular happens. I wanted to see the film after I saw CQ and found out that one of Roman Coppola’s inspirations was Diabolik. What I wasn’t counting on was the sense of fun and sheer cinematic joy that a late 60s Italian-French coproduction would have. I loved it and laughed at the sheer audacity of the film.

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tags: allconsuming, dvd, review, diabolik