filmbrain on NYFF

Und überhaupt Filmbrain. Das sympathische Weblog aus dem Big Apple berichtet quasi live vor Ort vom New York Film Festival:

Woman is the Future of Man

Woman is the Future of Man is Hong at his most minimalist, and at the same time his most European. Even without the Gallic infused violin and accordion score, the film harkens back to the nouvelle vague, and there is more than a hint of the Rohmer-esque to it.

Though not as satisfying as his other features, Woman is the Future of Man once again proves that Hong is unequaled when it comes to honestly exposing the weaknesses of the male psyche, particularly as it concerns women, relationships, and sex.

Look At Me

With incredible performances throughout (clearly Jean-Pierre Bacri's finest hour), Look at Me is a wonderfully entertaining film that, while nothing revolutionary, is destined to be a crowd-pleaser at this year's festival.

The Big Red One

With this restoration, The Big Red One can now be added into the pantheon of great WWII films. At the same time, the film can also be considered one of Lee Marvin's greatest achievements as an actor. (Fuller was even able to get a great performance out of Mark Hamill, something Lucas never could.) It's only a matter of time before somebody writes the inevitable comparison to the far inferior Saving Private Ryan, but there's no doubt that Fuller's personal statement about the war, in this new version as he intended, will better stand the test of time.

Notre Musique

Notre Musique, the latest bit of cinematic poetry from Jean-Luc Godard, is a philosophical treatise on war that examines the various conflicting forces that have time and again led us to battle. Structured as a Dantean triptych (made up of the three "kingdoms" of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven), it's a film that, although containing a narrative, is more akin to Godard's political works from the 70's. One key difference, however, is that it is ultimately a very optimistic film, even when one considers its bleak subject matter.

Undertow

Full of twenty-something angst and cringe-worthy dialog, All the Real Girls could have been a far better film had Green worked with a more mature screenwriter. He's a wonderful director of actors, and his work with cinematographer Tim Orr proves that he has a vision -- it's just that he hadn't yet come into his own as a writer.

House of Flying Daggers

Critics have accused Zhang Yimou of making action films with a Western audience in mind, and though this film appears to be guilty of that, it doesn't detract from the sheer pleasure of watching it. House of Flying Daggers isn't a great film, but it hardly matters -- though the plot might be predictable and the ending a tad too overdramatic, it's a highly enjoyable, entertaining, richly cinematic two hours. Bring popcorn.

Weitere Filmblogs aus NY mit Eindrücken und Besprechungen: out of focus | milk plus