bernardovillela

Mini-Review: The Ghastly Love of Johnny X

Posted on October 3, 2015 by bernardovillela

The Ghastly Love of Johnny X

There is an odd concoction of elements that the Ghastly Love of Johnny X is trying to blend. Its charms, however, are not enough and the spell it attempts to weave doesn’t have enough staying power to make it a truly successful venture.

What it does well is riff on nuance pretty brilliantly, create some memorable lines, it’s odd and unique and has its moments in terms of cinematography, production design and musically (in terms of arrangement if not always the singing – yes, it’s a musical too).

All that sounds good and the tale of a man exiled from his home planet to earth to wander with a gang of ’50s style hoods and try to earn his way home does have potential. The issues it ends up facing are that it devolves into being what it seeks to emulate in the worst ways as opposed to transcending to it while still making us laugh at its tropes; namely a cheesy ’50s movie except this one plays quite a few genres at once. In short, the pace begins to suffer; there are touches slightly too modern; the plot, goals and motivations of characters become muddled and the comedy starts to click less consistently.

Also, as a musical there are some very long stretches between some of the numbers that are far too big. It’s not an entirely regrettable experience, but one I can’t say I’d recommend.

4/10

Review: Alfie the Werewolf (Dolfje Weerwolfje) (2011)

Posted on October 3, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

A brief editorial note. Somewhere along the way laziness officially took over and I stopped citing both the original title and the English translation in reviews of foreign films. This is now a thing of the past. Enjoy!

Alfie the Werewolf (Dolfje Weerwolfje) (2011)

Alfie the Werewolf is the tale of a foundling boy (Ole Kroes) who is staring to feel ostracized because he is treated differently than his brother (Maas Bronkhuyzen) at school. When the full moon comes he starts to discover just how different he may be. The title gives away just what tha difference is.

The treatment of the concept is most definitely one geared towards humor and a youthful audience, as opposed to one that lends an excessive amount of gravitas to it. The seriousness, the dramatic undertone, is left to the handling of the character’s wants and needs rather than any preternatural elements within the narrative.

If you’re looking for an analogous American film The Little Vampire comes to mind, even though I think that one plays into the darker side of the vampire lore albeit in an infantile fashion. In this film the werewolf is given the treatment of a kind of species rather than a curse or burden. This may be an expected approach when you consider this film is aimed at children. In certain ways, this also allows the condition to act as a metaphor, much as it always does.

While this is certainly not the film nor the score that Finn possesses Fons Merkies’ music is quite a standout in this film. It’s still fully orchestral but frequently has a melodic, lighter, jazzy feel that allows some of the common tropes of the subgenre to relax a bit.

Yet again this is an adaptation of a Dutch children’s novel. This series of books has been translated into English but their availability in the US in physical editions is scarce. They are easier to find as eBooks. Due to this fact its good that the film has been brought to North America through Attraction Distribution so that kids may be able to discover the story.

Perhaps what’s most refreshing about this film, from a production value and aesthetic standpoint, is the fact despite being a 2011 domestic release in the Netherlands it does not shy away from practical effects work. Yes, CGI is use where it’s truly beneficial like making the lycan child run about, but for more settled scenes he’s in a suit and make up. It is very well-done indeed.

Alfie the Werewolf is an enjoyable film for all members of the family, and perhaps most intriguing for parents is that it is a fairly benign way to reach a compromise with your kids on viewing material. It could satisfy the desire to see a werewolf movie but would not be potentially emotionally scarring in the process.

6/10

Mini-Review: The Moth Diaries

Posted on October 2, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

This is a post that is a repurposing of an old-school Mini-Review Round-Up post. As stated here I am essentially done with running multi-film review posts. Each film deserves its own review. Therefore I will repost, and at times add to, old reviews periodically. Enjoy!

The Moth Diaries

It’s a bit of a shame when a film that offers a different perspective on a subgenre fails to catch lightning in a bottle. The Moth Diaries is not only subtle vampire tale set at an all girls school, but is also directed by a woman. It’s a slow-burn, which never quite catches fire all the way and it doesn’t really bend convention too much save for the casting and setting. Some of the better parts of the film are the overt allusions to the Gothic literature, from which all vampire tales draw at least some inspiration, which doesn’t bode too well for the piece at hand. The film doesn’t seem to detach itself too much from the source material, and there is an excessive amount of voice over for the story being told. Perhaps the novel is a better vehicle for this tale than the film as constructed.

5/10

Mini-Review: Intruders

Posted on October 1, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Intruders

I can’t put it right at the top, but when all is said and done, Intruders will likely end up being one of my favorite horror films of the year. It starts almost immediately with a scene that you think will just be a great teaser but instead ends up being the first building block in a parallel storyline (in terms of both time and place). Aside from being a bi-lingual film, the film does a great job mirroring certain themes and elements in the storylines, giving elements different spins in each. The film is very tense but also cloistered in its drama and fear-inducing, which it makes it very effective indeed. To say too much more would be to start giving things away. I think that fans of the horror genre, Spanish horror in particular should see this film.

10/10

Review: The Magicians (2010)

Posted on September 30, 2015 by bernardovillela

The Magicians is a family film that works on a few levels in terms of the stories it tells and also in terms of the tones it is setting.

The Magicians concerns itself with a boy Ben (Thor Braun) who sees a magic show by the famous Hans Smid (Daan Schuurmans) and wants to learn magic. Seeing it as a good opportunity to bond with his son, Ben’s father, Koos (Theo Massen) agrees to learn with him and they form a team. His friend Sylvie (Java Siegertsz) acts as their lovely assistant. Everything changes for all involved when in the debut of their new disappearing trick, she really disappears.

One common pitfall of the family film this title manages to escape is that it manages to have humor and drama working in symmetry most of the time keeping the mood fairly light without diminishing the stakes. It doesn’t veer too far off course into overriding emotion or the another and doesn’t bludgeon you over the head with its messages them but rather incorporates them nicely into the action. The film also has a logical but unexpected turn of events that leads it towards its climactic sequence enjoyably.

Another common pitfall of the family film is the buffoonish father trope, which can at times be too cartoony. The performance by Maasen in tandem with the writing make Koos and endearing and lovable sort despite his very apparent and numerous quirks. Also noteworthy here is the seemingly one-note, prototype of the too-cool older sister (Chantal Janzen) does have some unexpected and well-delivered variation in her arc also. Rounding out the cast are the winning Thor Braun equal parts convincingly awkward and convincing screen presence, and Schuurmans with a deliciously hammy supporting turn.

Most family films would only be tasked with resolving the concerns of one family unit. The Magicians decides to take the task of trying to sort out two family situations. There is also the ongoing struggle Sylvie faces in her house with her father living overseas and her mother being detached leaving her mostly to the care of an Au Pair. This dual purpose is most refreshing and combine that with the unusual-though-not-unprecedented disappearing foible it keeps you engaged.

The Magicians is well-edited and paced. It tells its story briskly, in a manner lacking pretension but conversely it’s not devoid of content. The whole family can enjoy, laugh, and learn from this film.

7/10

Mini-Review: Berberian Sound Studio

Posted on September 30, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Berberian Sound Studio

I can’t say that there’s not a spark of creativity and ingenuity in the concept of this film and with some of the shots. There is a metamorphosis, however, it’s one you have to wait for and sit through many of the same kinds of scenes over and over again. In fact, I’m surprised I even saw it because I had quite nearly given up on the film. Even granting it that, after so much ennui, that payoff, too, failed, and angered me. It’s a film that quite honestly barely ever progresses past its initial concept, and when it does, does too little with it.

3/10

Mini-Review: Amour

Posted on September 30, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Amour

It’s funny, weird not ha-ha, how certain topics make themselves known during given cinematic years. I already had Amour on My Radar even before that was an official post on this site. However, earlier this year I saw another film that dealt with the topics of terminal illness and euthanasia, Time of My Life. That film was slightly more up my alley because of how it was handled.

This being a Haneke film I knew it would be handled differently in tone. That’s fine. While this film is quite good: especially in terms of the triad of Trintignant, Riva and Huppert; there’s a certain cessation of the pre-established flow late in the third act. It’s not as if the scene in question (which I’ll not describe here) didn’t work logically, it was an editorial choice that was dubious to say the least in terms of pacing and emotional impact that really hurt the overall effect.

7/10

Review: May Allah Bless France

Posted on September 29, 2015 by bernardovillela

May Allah Bless France is a work of ultimate auteur filmmaking, not unliked The Perks of Being a Wallflower, inasmuch as the film is not only written and directed by the same man, Abd Al Malik, but he is also the author of the novel upon which the film is based. This immediacy instantly gives the film a decided edge over your standard rise-to-fame biopic.

The specifics of this story are how Régis (Marc Zinga) rises out of his underprivliged circumstances with the support of family, education and rap. Unwilling to be a simplistic chronicle it also balances the subplots of his adoption of the Islamic faith, his relationship with his girlfriend (Sabrina Ouazani), and losses along the way where he must choose definitively the course his life will take.

Special commendation is earned by this film for the manner in which it it discusses Islam, and its perception, as well as engaging in some debate among the faithful about how to best practice their religion, a struggle with dogmatism – while also not holding back the forward momentum of the plot.

The film is certainly carried with impressive, charasmatic and effective ease by Marc Zinga who embodies his character so well I wasn’t so sure he wasn’t the auteur. That fact, and the decision to make the film black-and-white, along with some other plot elements do make the case for this film being a modernized spin on Truffaut’s The 400 Blows.

It doesn’t reach that height because the film is more consistent, taut, and engaging; in this film its montages accompanied by the freestyle and polished versions of rap songs, performed excellently by Zinga. One song (“Tin Soldier”) is quite and earworm, and all of them have serious content to them. This frequency of music toward the end of the film means it finishes quite strong after being inconstent in its first two-thirds.

When this film was finished I was left with a smile on my face and quite moved by how it closes. In this story you have a protagonist who comes to the early realizaion that generally speaking he, like other African emigrés, are not wanted in France, yet they still love their country. Most importantly Malik doesn’t allow his sense of ostracism to define him but rather it forms the core of his motivation to succeed. The uplifting message of hope, change and perseverance is truly universal and this is a film many should see.

7/10

Mini-Review: Detention

Posted on September 29, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Detention

To accentuate the positive first, I cannot, nor can anyone in all likelihood, accuse Detention of being unoriginal or predictable. One of its few perks is that it does not ever make it obvious where it’s going next, and in its own insane way does manage to link everything together in the end. However, the film seems to think it’s a lot more clever and funny than I find it to be. It’s part (sub)genre-hopping horror/sci-fi and mostly comedy but the comedy portion is very forced, nearly all of it. Few and far between are the jokes that work for me and rarely did jokes strike me as genuine reflections of character. Instead the characters always seem to be in a state of limbo between being a stand-in for a horror archetype and a human vessel for a punchline.

I can see how the film has produced divisive reactions, and I always prefer a film that strives for divisiveness. When all is said and done, attempting to please everyone creates tepid cinema. Truly universal stories, at their core, come from a very personal place – so, I can easily see how this might be someone else’s cup of tea, but it’s not mine.

2/10

Mini-Review: Clandestine Childhood

Posted on September 28, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Clandestine Childhood

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, for I mentioned this when I reviewed Teddy Bear, not only do I truly enjoy the fact that Film Movement pairs a short film with its feature, but whenever possible it’s by the same director, and on occasion the short that inspired the feature. Here that is the case and it’s interesting inasmuch as the short serves as a springboard to the feature rather than just being expounded upon. The film is very well-shot with creative use of color and effective lighting throughout. It illuminates the oppressive atmosphere rebels in Argentina faced living under the regime of the late-’70s/early ’80s with human characters, humor and sensitivity. It’s not a wonder that Avila’s first feature earned him a spot at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes.

8/10

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The Movie Rat