RIP Lee Tamahori

Lee Tamahori , rose to the film industry in New Zeeland, from photohrapher, to boom and sound, to tv director, gritty cult fame with Once Were Warriors in 1994...

They called him to Hollywood where he became the director of the worst James Bond in history, Die Another Day (2002).

Mullholand Falls, his neo-noir was a flop but it's worth rewatching. 

Lee Tamahori (1950 - 2025)

Together (2025)

New entry in the Body horror genre, after the recent The Substance, this is the debut feature of writer/director Michael Shanks. Liked it more than the overrated Bring Her Back. For me the other interesting horror fodder this year include 28 Years Later and Weapons. 

Together is an ambitious little horror flick, with themes of love and obsession, about a couple that moves in a little village house, far from town, and a mysterious pit in the woods.

Dave Franco and Alison Brie are married in real life so the intimate scenes have more power, intensity and authenticity than with other actors.

Supporting is Aussie Damon Herriman (The Nightingale, OUATIH, The  Bikeriders), and when he's on screen you know something ain't right ;)

Shot in Australia in only 21 days. Debut at Sundance Film Fest in Jan. 2025. Was presented even in  Locarno film fest !

Powerful score by Cornel Wilczek. End song, Another One by Golden Suits (2016). 

The effects are good for their budget, some morph coming from The Thing and more recently Color out of Space.

7 out 10 ! 3 1/2 out of 5 !

RIP Terence Stamp

Mouring one of the greatest British Icons, made big by Italian cinema and American popcorn (und more).  Terence Stamp was 87. He was Toby Dammitt in Fellini's sketch of Poe's omnibus Histoires Extrraordinaires/ Spirits of the Dead. He was in Pasolini's Teorema, as he was general Zod ;). 

He won best actor in Cannes in 1965 for The Collector.

From his film debut in Billy Budd (1962, where he received his onbly Oscar nomination) to his last bit in Last Night in Soho (2021) he was a cool, silent, sometimes very menacing presence. 

For me it was at most fun as the perverted host of the short-lived series The Hunger (1997-98).

Other highlights: Modesty Blaise, The Hit, The Limey (featuring Poor Cow).

1st ime I saw him as a kid as the badguy Wazir in the Clive Donner's Thief of Baghdad (1978,  actually a made for TV film).

Stand-out, Australian The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), which can be seen streaming now on HBO Max.

Far from the Madding Crowd indeed...

The Surfer (2024)

 “Don’t live here, don’t surf here”.

Another Nic Cage for Acting president, method of madness award ;)

Australian-Irish The Surfer was Cages first official Cannes fest selection in 34 years (after 1990's Wild at Heart!).

Mandy was in Quinzaine. Also Dog Eat Dog. 

A cross of Wake in Fright with The Wicker Man (one of Cage's most insane films is the remake of the cult British film of 1973), it's a psychedelic drama, unfolding in the Australian surfing territory.

Great score by Francois Tetaz, all reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's sound. 

Written by Thomas Martin, who took a cue from the short story that based 1968's Burt Lancaster's The Swimmer. 

Directed by Lorcan Finnegan who debuted with an interesting curio back in 2019, Vivarium. 

But the most interesting thing in it is Julian Mc Mahon, recently passed away at 56 :( He's the main attraction in the film, as Scally, the macho guru of the beach, dressed all in Red.

Sight and Sound review here. 

8 out of 10 / 4 out of 5 

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

 #furiosa

"Do you Think you have it in you to make it EPIC?"

Yes, they do. Und they did;) And what an Epic. Oh, what a lovely day continues...

Here are my previous two posts on FURIOSA, 1st one when the trailer came out on Dec. 1st last year, then when on 21st March 2024 was announced to be in Cannes (as I surely expected). Six to seven minutes of standing ovation, depending on who you read ;)

Now, I just saw it and not only IT ROCKS, it also ROLLS. As a in a Rolls Royce of a film. Well, more like a Harley ;)

Film of the year and one of the best of this decade, scout's honor (film scout that is ;)

*

Furiosa Is ‘David Lean, But With Motorbikes Instead Of Camels’ 

Says New Immortan Joe, Lachy Hulme who took over from Hugh Keays-Byne (d. 2020-Vale)

Mithologically this is also based on the Word Burgers of the History Men and eyewitness accounts of those who survived."
Actually The History Man also appears in this one. Played by George Shevtov. And it's his voiceover. 

The film is told in Five epic chapters, very different than all the other films. And it's basically about a Peach ;) Also it has an epic length, 2h28 min, which went so fast, I personally wished to be longer. 

Fifth installment of the Mad Max Universe, born 45 years ago in Oz (Australia). As Mad Max: Fury Road happened in sequence, in 3 days and nights, this one happens over the timeline of 18 years.  

Also Fury Road took over 20 years to be made and 15 years of changes in the script, this one took 9 years in the Max Universe, but much less in terms of development and production (Miller did his Three Thousand Years of Longing in the meanwhile). George Miller is 79 now, so even for his terrific shape, I would hold my fingers crossed for a Sixth film, as I guess both Furiosa and Max have ended their character arcs). Heard in a Miller interview he has also the story of Max's year before the events in Fury Road. I would love to see that, with Tom Hardy. There's even a page and a title for this (The Wasteland). Surely WB would milk this cow forever and there's comic books and so on, but this is Miller's verse and vision, and I don't think anyone can follow up. But this is not the issue at hand. Haters and detractors will go on about sloppy CGI (really????), 'Woman Power' concessions and length, but it's their loss (as it always is and will B.)

*

The casting of Anya Taylor Joy came into the production of Three Thousand and the pandemic and is due to Edgar Wright who showed Miller a rough cut of Last Night in Soho (playing now on netflix, stream it now !). It worried me at first but now, seeing the film I think she's great !  Great eyes, also very few lines, physical acting (she's got to drive a lot and the actrees didn't drive at all!)

Also it worried me a bit that Chris Hemsworth is given such a heavy burden, being a villain, a nemesis and a mad father figure (Dementus, aptly named). And he's great too. The Teddy Bear surely helps. And the makeup, Oh, what a nose (Charlton Heston's Ben Hur?). He plays like a cross between Peter O'Toole in Lawrence, a mad messianic biker in a chariot of bikes in a Roman swords & sandals epic, and every Mad Gary Oldman performance of your choice. "oh what a day, what a deal, what a day"...

And then there's Brit Tom Burke as Praetorian Jack, who played Orson Welles in Mank (my faved film of 2020), looking like a young Stacy Keach. 

And a fabulous child Furiosa, played by Aussie Alyla Browne. 

And Angus Sampson returns as The Organic Mechanic as John Howard does as The People Eater.

Plus Rictus Erectus is here again (Nathan Jones) ;) - and so is his bro, Scabrous Scrotus (Josh Helman), who played a different part in 2015's MM: FR.

More infos on Mad Max Fandom wiki.

**

"There were 264 women and men on that stunt department. One of the sequences took 79 days to shoot. Every day, you're subjected to bad weather, covid, and exhaustion. Our one priority, led by George, is not to injure anybody. The second is to make the film that we enjoyed" (producer Doug Mitchell)

***

The music score is a revision on Fury Road score, done also by Tom Holkenborg (formerly Junkie XL), more emotion and drama and a diggeridou. And a duduk (which gets it closer to the sound of Gladiator).

The cinematography in magnificent scope is by new zeelander Simon Duggan (Live Free or Die Hard, The Great Gatsby, Hacksaw Ridge), who took over from Aussie Johan Seale, who came out of retirement to make Fury Road (& then Longing).

Should I say something about the set design, costumes, art, the VFX, the stunts, the amazing craft. No. Just Kudos. Exceptional. 

Miller wrote this with Nick Lathouris (same as Fury Road), but there are seven story contributors, including Action designer and 2nd unit director Guy Norris.

****

-The best prequel ever (Godfather 2 included !), no s*it...

As Mad Max: Fury Road (whose prequel to the key this is), is one of the best films ever made-and surely I have seen in this century and millennium !

Also helps it's Rated R.

*****

5 stars+=Eleven out of Ten -yes,this one goes to Eleven ;)

Empire 5 star review here.

Saw X (2023)

Tobin Bell is for the 1st time the lead in SAW X, the tenth film of the infamous porn torture gimmick McGyver franchise started in 2004 by Aussies ex-pats James Wan and Leigh Whannell. This is a smart sequel, set after Saw and before some events from that film and before Saw 2, and considered to be the best of all in the series, except the original, cos' yep, that was the 1st.

Bell is John Kramer, better known as Jigsaw. Now in Mexico in the seek for a cure for his brain cancer.

Bell is a great veteran character actor who's career has been turned up to cult status and stardom with the Jigsaw character. He is 81 now, and also a very good balladeer. See here. He looks fragile now and somehow reminds me of Clint Eastwood. He's also the reason I went to see this film, with great precaution, being ready to leave the theater if i get too bored or offended. But the screening was like a heavy metal concert of sorts. Dumb but loud, and sometimes fun. 

A strong asset of this Xth entry is blonde Norwegian actress Synnøve Macody Lund, as Cecilia Pederson, a worthy adversary for John.

 Pulsating score again by Charlie Clouser (ex Nine Inch Nails), the creator of the film signature theme, that brought a lot of thrill and production value to a very B first film. Also Shawnee Smith returns as Amanda, and another surprise cameo which I won't spoil here will turn up on the mid end credits. 

Directed by the editor of the series, Kevin Greutert, who is also the editor here. He directed also Saw VI and Saw 3D in the franchise.

Here's a history of the Saw franchise. 

or video- the films 1 to 9 explained on youtube here.

and the ratings of imdb for each film.

*

Never thought I will see another Saw film in a theater, I guess I saw only the first Saw in the cinema, and then also another title from the franchise, can't remember which one, probably no. 2 or 3, and saw Jigsaw and Spiral (#8 & 9) at home but wasn't impressed. Skipped at least half of the films. Now, as far as I can guess, the Saw franchise and spin-offs are far to be done and will come back with more bloody gimmicks and R rated traps. 

3 out of 5. 6 out of 10. 

The Nightingale (2018)

Due to her episode The Murmuring in Guillermo del Toro's anthology The Cabinet of Curiosities for Netflix, I checked Jennifer Kent's filmography. And saw her follow-up to The Babadook (my review here), her debut feature in 2014 (and horror movie of that year) is The Nightingale (2018), a gritty but also poetical feminine revenge period thriller set in Tasmania in 1825 which she wrote as well. A very intense but slow moving (especially the first half hour) film, it runs 2h 16 min.  Irish actress Aisling Franciosi (Clare) holds the film in a very powerful performance.  Brit Sam Clafin is the good looking but mega evil baddie lieutenant Hawkins.

Shades of recent  mini-series The English came to my mind, but this was way before that. 

Special Price of the Jury in Venice 2018.  And Marcello Mastroianni award for best actor to aboriginal Baykali Ganambarr (Billy). Plus a ton of awards, at home in Australia and ww. 

Supporting rogue, Damon Herriman as Ruse, he is Charles Manson in Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood and Mindhunter series, also at home in Oz in the series Mr. Inbetween and the mini-series The Tourist.

Clare is the Nightingale because she sings with a golden voice. The end credits feature 1988 The Chieftains song, The Strayaway Child, featuring a performing didgeridoo. 

3 1/2 out if 5 / 7 out of 10 

Goldstone (2016)

Pe urmele lui Aaron Pedersen (German in Killing Ground) prin Australia dau de acest titlu si din prima am intuit ca am gasit ceva bun. Da, chiar foarte bun.

Goldstone e un noir, thriller, western, in the outback, pe teme clasice, atemporale care arata ca un film din anii '80 care omagiaza westernurile din anii '40 si piná acum.
Scris, regizat, filmat (cadre de sus ca un design vzizual, cred ca de pe drone) si montat de Ivan Ser (Toomelah, Dreamland), totodata compozitorul muzicii  -un fragment din soundtrack aici.
El e autorul altui film de gen, Mystery Road (2013), devenit acum serial TV, cu acelasi Aaron Pedersen, in acelasi rol ca in Goldstone,  Jay Swan (get it ? :), detectiv,  aici ars deja dupa evenimentele din Mystery Road,  care e gritty si intens, dar Goldstone e peste !
Acum Pedersen vine in pustietatea unui asezamint minier pentru a cauta o fata disparuta.
Incep sa inteleg ca omul-de sorginte aborigena-de unde conotaii rasiale-, chiar e star la el in Oz-land.
Secondat de Alex Russell (care deja e pe la Hollywood, l-am vazut in Unbroken, anul trecut in Jungle, si de curind in Only the Brave), politistul tinar si simpatic si cu Jacki Weaver intr-un rol asemanator cu cel din Animal Kingdom si David Wenham (Faramir in trilogia Inelelor-LOTR) si aborigenul David Gulpilil (care a debutat in Walkabout -1971, totem al filmelor autraliene de aproape jumate de secol).
O tona de premii si nominalizari in Australia, in competitie la London Film Festival si Toronto.
4 din 5, 8 din 10

Killing Ground (2016)

tot catch up -recuperari, datorita faptului ca aparea in anumite topuri de filme horror din 2017, si datorita faptului ca e australian !
Killing Ground e un film de debut dur, scris si regizat de Damien Power, un alt soi de Long Weekend, dar cu un twist de time-lapse si montaj temporal in paralel, care il vrea mai smart decit e, dar forta sta in cei doi rednecksi -German-Aaron Pedersen (v. Goldstone) si Chook-Aaron Glenane, acesta aduce cumva cu un Graham Chapman ars de speed, si mai ales copilasul Ollie care pare sa fi suferit cu adevarat la filmari :) destul de dur, deci nu penru cei salabi de inger-i...
cine incepe cu dar toate aceste filme se trag din Wake in Fright !!! Chiar si romanescul Ciini !
da, nu prea te faces sa mai vrei sa mergi cu cortul (aviz, Tomi !:)
7 din 10, 3 1/2 din 5 !

DOGS/Câini -best debut in Cannes 69

"DACA ESTI DESTEPT, NU FI PROST" / If you're smart, don't be DUMB"
best words i've heard in a while on screen and off.

the debut of Bogdan Mirica (Bora Bora), Câini, is an outback western set in Dobrogea which has not much in common with Romanian minimalism, but confronts the genre conventions and defies them.
Dragos Bucur as Roman,Gheorghe Visu as Hogas in a Kitano mode, Vlad Ivanov as his creepiest best as Samir, a touch of Evileast, Costel Cascaval as Pila, brilliant, Raluca Aprodu as the girlfriend, Teo Corban as the Vet.
Great widescreen cinematography bu Andrei Butica. Atmospeheric music.
Featuring a leg. The lower part. In a boot. (like Lynch presented an ear in Blue Velvet).
and a great fanstastic dog, Cara as Politia, that i hope it'll get a Palm DOG !!!
0 -but then i saw Nellie, the dog from Paterson and hmmm, that is the winner...
My riffs: Wake in Fright and a whole Oz fest, No Country for Old Men, Blood Simple, The Searchers, so forth.




Vlad Ivanov interview in Cannes aici for Cinemap mag and FB page.
https://www.facebook.com/revistacinemap/videos/1025711834182138/

Variety Review here

le teaser
best genre film I've seen in a while.
highly recommended.
in theaters in September.
Til then in ZFR in TIFF.
good luck, guys !

George Miller-Presedintele Juriului @Cannes 69

Great news ! bonnes nouvelles ! tocmai scriam de conationalii sai emuli cu Wyrmwood si bang, stirea de azi, finally ceva de bine !!! What a Lovely Day -Reduxxx
Parintele lui Mad Max (dar si al lui Babe), George Miller MD, va fi anul acesta seful juriului la Festivalul de la Cannes, editia cu numarul 69 (11-22 mai 2016) . Australianul va implini 71 de ani pe 3 martie, si poate (poate poate...) pina atunci va fi si posesorul lui Oscar din cele 10 nominalizari pe care le are Mad Max: Fury Road, inclusiv cel mai bun film si cel mai bun regizor.
Sa vedem daca vor fi si filme romanesti anul acesta (noile Mungiu, Puiu, Jude ?) si ce parere va avea mr. Miller despre (NU mai atit de )Noul Cinema romanesc. Se anunta un festival interesant, de la cifra editiei la chef du Jury ! Keep you posted !

dupa Variety !!!

Wyrmwood (2014)

aka Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
cel mai interesant film cu zombi din ultima vreme si totodata un omagiu si un take de Mad Max din tara origina(L/R)a a road warrior-ului.
in genul nou denumit: zombedie ;)
Autorii: doi frati inventivi australieni, Kiah Roache-Turner si Tristan Roache-Turner, auteurs totali, script, productie, regie, scenografie si montaj. De nevoie, si-au filmat in timpul weekendurilor, oevre-ul, si le-a luat 4 ani ! Insa a meritat !
un film cult absolut, nebunesc si plin de umor (negru, aborigen), ultra-singeros si kinetic, si cu un twist legat de combustibil, care rezolva criza intr-un mod neasteptat. Mad scientists, mai mult Day of the Dead decit Dawn of...
reminiscent de debutul lui Peter Jackson-_Bad Taste, de debutul altor frati: The Spierig Brothers (Undead) si Ford (The Dead)

4 din 5, 8 din 10 !
asteptam Wyrmwood 2 !!!

Rod Taylor RIP

Acum 2 -3 nopti umblam prin varful de dvu-ri prafuite si regasec DARK OF THE SUN (aka The Mercenaries. aka Katanga) unul din filmele mele preferate pe care l-am pus deoparte, si mi s-a facut megapofta sa ma uit la el. E unul din cele mai bune filme de razboi, cu mercenari si e regizat de Jack Cardiff, unul din cei mai buni DOP's ever. Necrologul lui l-am scris aici as DARK DARK OF THE SUN.
Muzica seamana cu Morricone, cu un pic de Ortolani, dar e Jacques Loussier, si QT a folosit-o in Inglorious Basterds

Eroul (anti-eroul ?) din film este ROD TAYLOR, unul din primii actori carora le-am stiut numele in copilarie ! Tough guy, aussie too ! Masina timpului, Pasarile, Duminica la new York ! Si e primul Mare disparut pe 2015 :( in movieland ! Australianul cu ochi albastri avea 84 de ani si a plecat definitiv cu Masina timpului pe 7 ianuarie 2015.
Azi daca ma intrebi, rolul meu preferat al lui Rod Taylor e definetly Dark of the Sun, si in 36 Hours, un thriller alb-negru halucinant scris de Roald Dahl !, in care joaca alaturi de recent disparutul James Garner, si de comeback, rifful australian din Welcome to Woop Woop (1997)! Tarantino, megafan al lui Dark of the Son, i-a oferit un ultim rol minunat, in Inglourious Basterds, anume cel al lui Winston Churchill !
*interviu cu Taylor despre QT aici
Dincolo de George Pal, Cardiff, Hitchcock, John Ford, John Huston, Taylor a jucat in Zabriskie Point al lui Antonioni !!! A jucat cu John Wayne in The Train Robbers (1973). Un interviu din epoca il descria: The Last of the Hollywood Hellraisers. Parerea mea e ca taylor a fosdt Australianul hellraiser nr. 2 din Hollywood, dupa the original Oz hellraiser, mr.Errol Flynn.

Not seen yet by me, Gli Eroi (1973), al lui Duccio Tessari, cu Rod Steiger.
Not seen yet by me, Fate is the Hunter (1964) Mystery Thriller alaturi de Glenn Ford, regizat de Ralph Nelson (care se gaseste integral pe youtube)

Interviu cu Rod Taylor (la min 6,20 vb despre Orson Welles !)

necrolog in Variety
site oficial:
www.rodtaylorsite.com

ON JAMES BOND: Producer Cubby Broccoli wanted me to screen test for James Bond when he was preparing "Dr. No" in 1961. I refused because I thought it was beneath me. I didn't think Bond would be successful in the movies. That was one of the greatest mistakes of my career! Every time a new Bond picture became a smash hit, I tore out my hair. Cubby and I have laughed about it ever since.

- Rod Taylor, interviewed in Starlog magazine, July 1986

Babadook, The (2014)

"If it's in a word or it's in a look, you can't get rid of The Babadook..."
HORROR OF THE YEAR 2014 undoubtably
unless its Under the Skin which
1. is not horror by definition, though i got it to be more horror or fantastic than SF
2. it's basically 2013 as it premiered in Venice Film Fest in the Fall 2013
:)
also it's # 3 The Babadook on NME's list of movies of 2014, numa ca sa fie un trei :)
and wow, The Babadook e regizat de o femeie ! australianca Jennifer Kent, totodata debut !
cel mai creepy copil pe ecran in a looooong time (Samuel-Noah Wiseman), si o performanta feminina la superlativ-Essie Davis -Oscar in a fair world !
Repulsion (Polanski) and Possession (Zulawski) come to mind, minus The Exorcist citat in film, chiar se putea si fara, pt ca e un caz de clear insanity ! Bits of Orphanage (Bayone) si The Canal la feminin. Cartea din film este si ea un exemplu de cum se poate crea suspans si creepiness prin mijloace simple !
sper sa nu e faca remakeul in SUA but most surely they will.
a low-budget gem that'll become a genuine horror classic.

am auzit de Babadook pe la inceputul verii cind sapam dupa filme pentru Dracula # 2 dar ceea ce m-a convins sa il vad a fost pitch-ul lui William Friedkin si desi Billy zice ca e pe lista lui de most frightening horrors, alaturi de Alien, Diabolique si Psycho !!!
William Friedkin ✔ @WilliamFriedkin
I've never seen a more terrifying film than THE BABADOOK.
It will scare the hell out of you as it did me.
4:14 AM - 1 Dec 2014

#
Dar trebuie vazut ca si in cazul spaniolului Mama (2013) cu scurt metrajul original din 2008, aici un filmulet alb negru din 2005 care a declansat o "facere" de 9 nu luni ci ani -seee ;) ?
aici pe vimeo: monster by Jennifer kent, in b and w, 2005

Monster - Jennifer Kent from Jennifer Kent on Vimeo.

sau
http://vimeo.com/39042148
mi-a adus aminte de Kitchen Sink, un scurt metraj vazut in Danemarca in 1995, dar din 1989, de Alison Maclean

4 din 5, 8 din 10 !

The Hunter (2011)

Frumos si trist, dar inegal, The Hunter e un nou film australian care va intra in cinema si in SUA (cumparat de Magnolia Pictures dupa premiera de la Toronto). Regizat de Daniel Nettheim, al carui singur film de cinema dateaza din 2000, in rest a facut TV, si de
producatorii lui Animal Kingdom, cu Willem Dafoe in rolul unui vinator singuratic, angajat de o companie farmaceutica sa vineze ultimul tigru tasmananian, o naluca sau legenda. Pe linga peisajul tasmanian si fata de ascet a lui Dafoe (well, he was Jesus, wasnt he ?), structura e destul de eliptica si oarecum incoerenta.

Filmul e bazat pe un roman al Juliei Leigh, cea care a scris si regizat scandalosul Sleeping Beauty-in competitie la Cannes anul trecut-. Cartea a fost scrisa cu 12 ani inainte (1999) si a primit premii in Franta (Prix de l'Astrolabe Ettonants Voyageurs),in Anglia (Betty Trask Award), si in SUA The New York Times book of the year. Personajul principal, vinatorul, in carte M, in film Martin, este un insingurat, care relationeaza cu familia la care il pune in gazda Jim Mindy (Sam Neill), si al carui tata a disparut in salbaticie anterior. O tona de nominalizari la premiile Institutului Australan de Film, premiu pentru imagine (superba, de Robert Humphreys) si muzica (Michael Lira, Andrew Lancaster, Matteo Zingales). Ar fi meritat la cinema si probabil mai crestea cu juma de punct.
3 din 5, 6 din 10

Sleeping Beauty (2010)

Filmul Juliei Leigh a socat un pic Cannes-ul anul trecut (unde a fost ales in sa participe in Competitia oficiala). Dar Emily Browning, pe ecrane in acelasi timp in Sucker Punch, face un rol-oglinda in adevaratul Sucker Punch, fanteziile erotice ale unei Belle de Jour adormite. Un film ciudat, pe alocuri neplacut (Atentie; nu e pentru puritani !), kinky si sick-o, mentorat de Jane Campion, scris si regizat de o scriitoare australiana, Julia Leigh, in debutul ei, criticat pentru regia destul de manierista art-house europeana (Campion, Haneke, Von Trier). Am citit ca realizatoarea i-a cerut actritei sale sa vada Antichrist-ul lui Von Trier si sa se inspire din rolul Charlottei Gainsbourg (initial trebuia sa joace Mia Wasikowska si bine ca a reuntat). Browning este excelenta in rol si cred ca merita un premiu de interpretare, la fel de mult ca si Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia ! Ritmul de somnambulism si voyerismul inerent, cu tot cu fondu-urile care-l incetinesc, ii dau filmului aerul unui vis, cosmar erotic, care se petrece intr-o lume paralela cu realitatea. -o cronica interesanta in Sight and Sound ! Empire-4 stele ! Filmul va fi prezentat la noi pe ecrane in primavara la festivalul de film B-est, editia 8-a. 7 din 10, 3 1/2 din 5 ! potential de revizionare: for the kinky ones ;-> !

The Shout (1978)

Tagline: A film of intense perversity - the madness of the mind. Bazat pe o povestire de Robert Graves, cel cu Claudius imparat si zeu, si scenariu de Michael Austin, cel care l-a contactat pe producatorul Jeremy Thomas, The Shout e trecut la categoria horror supranatural, dar e la fel de mult o drama existentialista, si un threesome, bazat pe dominare, intr-un setting englezesc clasic, in timpul unui meci de cricket pe pajistea de linga un azil de bolnavi mentali, in care multe lucruri care se intimpla s-ar putea sa nu aiba loc. Este o poveste in poveste in poveste si Strigatul din titlu este un mecanism de teroare si aparare aborigen, care te omoara pe loc... Cast impecabil: Alan Bates (la care m-am gindit de dimineata, apropo de Ken Russell si Ollie Reed si Women in Love) in rolul lui Crossley, care si-a petrecut (sau nu) 18 ani in desertul australian, John Hurt ca un muzician si sound effects producer, Susannah York, sotia lui, triunghiul shout-ului, secondati de Tim Curry si Robert Stephens. regie si mai impecabila :): polonezul Jerzy Skolimovski e chemat in Anglia dupa ce Thomas vazuse The Deep End, filmul are acea calitate magica de a te afla sub puterea unei vraji (despre care se vorbeste in film), si se joaca si cu frecventele temporale. Alte referinte: Joseph Losey si Alain Resnais. Si Possession al lui Zulawski, cit si Antichrist de LVT. un interviu exhaustiv cu producatorul Jeremy Thomas, al carui al doilea film a fost . El l-a ales pe Skolimovski, dupa ce a vorbit cu Nicolas Roeg si acesta a pasat. E oarecum un film asemanator cu Don't Look Now al lui Roeg, sau cu The Last Wave al lui Peter Weir. o cronica amuzanta pe intelesul tutuLor de Zombie 6 aici -Muzica de Tony Banks si Mike Rutherford de la Genesis, se gaseste pe albumul lui Banks, "A Curious Feeling", anume prima piesa, From the Undertow ! . Chestia cu efectele de sunet aduce oarecum a Exorcistul. Premiul special al juriului la Cannes, in 1978, ex aqueo cu Ciao, maschio al lui Marco Ferreri. -imaginea de Mike Molloy, DOP australian care a mai lucrat pentru Jeremy Thomas de la prima sa productie, Mad Dog Morgan, la The Hit si debutul sau regizoral All the Little Animals, format: 1.85.1. dupa cum scrie pe net: "This film's power lies in its refusal to solve the riddle." 9 din 10 / 4.5 din 5 !

The Way Back (2010)

nu sunt un fan al australianului Peter Weir desi i-am vazut absolut toate filmele (de la The Cars That Ate Paris -1974-incoace), si ceva din ceea ce face nu ma emotioneaza. Mi-a placut cel mai mult Gallipoli (1981) si The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) iar The Way Back are ceva din ele. Am un soft spot pentru Mosquito Coast si Fearless dar din punctul meu de vedere acesta e cel mai ambitios film al sau. Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World, opus-ul anterior, din 2003, nominalizat la 6 Oscaruri m-a plictist de moarte. Dar soarta face ca acest film sa fie controversat, pentru ca autorul cartii The Long Walk: The True Story Of A Trek To Freedom (aparuta in 1956), Slavomir Rawicz, care a zis ca i s-a intimplat lui, a fost acuzat ca a furat povestea si in 2006 un alt polonez, atunci de 84 de ani, Witold Glinski, a zis ca i s-a intimplat lui.
Este povestea epica a evadarii din Gulag, in 1940 a unui grup de 7 oameni, condusi de un polonez, si trecerea lor prin Siberia in Mongolia, si desertul Gobi,in China si Tibet, prin Himalaya pina in India, un drum de 10.000 de km, strabatut pe jos, la limita rezistentei umane.

O poveste extraordinara, filmata in Bulgaria, Maroc si India, pe care Ridley Scott ar fi facut-o poate mai emotionanta, dar nu cred ca mai vizuala. Un proiect ambitios, epic, cu tenta clasica, in maniera lui David Lean, despre limite si depasirea lor, in ideea de libertate si ideal, care a fost initial cumparat/optionat de actorul Laurence Harvey, mai tirziu trebuia sa fie un vehicul pentru Burt Lancaster si a stat in development hell pina ce Weir l-a ales si a continuat sa se lupte sa-l faca (co-scenarist si co-producator), si dupa ce controversele care tin de originalitatea, si autenticitatea povestii.
-Muzica atmosferica excelenta a lui Burkhard Dallwitz, compozitor germano-australian (Co-autor alaturi de Phillip Glass la muzica din The Truman Show), aminteste de Hans Zimmer la Thin Red Line si Clint Mansell la The Fountain.

actorii: Jim Sturgess (Janusz, vazut in Across the Universe), Ed Harris (Mr. Smith, ca de obicei excelent), Saoirse Ronan (pe care o veti vedea in Hanna), Dragos Bucur (the funny man), Alexandru Potocean (the artist) -doi romani pentru care ma bucur in mod special, in roluri de intindere pe intreg filmul-mai mult ca Colin Farrell (un rol Method, gangsterul, cu accent, tatuaje, si dantura speciala), si Gustaf Skarsgård (unul din baietii lui Stellan), iar intr-un rol secundar (mai degraba episodic), Mark Strong.
*
un interviu cu Weir la iesirea filmului in Australia !

-si partea a doua

in mod rusinos, avind 2 actori romani in roluri principale (Dragos Bucur si Alexandru Potocean), chiar daca nu sunt creditati pe poster,

acest film nu a mai fost distribuit in cinema (Media Pro?, de ce sa-l mai aduca, nuu?) si a iesit la noi pe dvd. Ar fi un film de vazut neaparat in cinema, imaginea superba a lui Russell Boyd, in format 2.35.1,
-probleme cu distributia mai peste tot (finantat independent cu aport Abu Dahbi, Polish Film Institute si companai polneza Monolith Film si National Geographic), nominalizat la Oscar de make-up (excelent) dar a luat Rick Baker pentru a saptea oara (pentru The Wolfman)
4 1/2 din 5, 9 din 10 !!!

Animal Kingdom (2010)

"It's a crazy fucking world..."

am aflat de Animal Kingdom de pe lista de top ten a lui Tarantino pe 2010, e pe locul trei.
a luat Marele premiu a juriului la Sundance si a fost nominalizat la 18 premii AFI -institutul Australian de film(numar record!).
Scris si regizat de debutantul David Michod, e un crime drama apasator, o ruda australiana a lui Mystic River si The Town, sau mai mult a filmelor gen coming of age intr-o familie de criminali (un fel de fratii Karamazov criminali-cu o mama de tragedie antica, un fel de Gorgona blonda, cu numele de Mama Smurf, Jacki Weaver-nominalizata la Globul de Aur!),

gen optzecistele At Close Range, Rumble Fish, The River's Edge, State of Grace (1990). Sau australianul mult-premiat Lantana (2001), ca stil. Are slowmotion si on sound design adecvat, care mareste tensiunea si apasa atmosfera, si muzica orchestrala Michael Mann-esca (compozitor Antony Partos). Guy Pearce e un politist care incearca sa-l scoata pe adolescentul J. (James Frecheville) din acest mediu ostil si mlastinos care il va trage la fund.
In soundtrack se afla 2 piese de Partos cu David McCormack si respectiv, Sam Petty, o piesa cu Air Supply (All Out of Love), clipul se vede la TV, si apare ca fundal sonor in teaser:

una cu alta trupa autraliana, Mental As Anything - Berserk Warriors (1981), una cu Jimmy Cliff-Sitting in Limbo, una cu trupa neo-zeelandeza Dragon-April Sun in Cuba (din 1977), iar una cu Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, anume Refugee (din 1979),

e la minutul 33, intr-o scena importanta de noapte (no more spoilers, stiti ca nu prea imi place sa povestesc subiectele filmelor si ce si cum, astea se vad singure).
Singura mea problerma, nu mi s-a parut atit de involving...si pe alocuri pretentios...
interviu cu David Michod in Slant
sit oficial aici
metacritics score; 83 din 100 !

3,5 din 5/7 din 10 !
DVD extras: comentariu cu David Michod, comentariu cu actorii (partial, numai o ora), trailer, teaser, alte 4 trailere de la Madman !
***cu ocazia asta am mai auzit de un film australian, The Square, de Nash Edgerton, in acelsi gen. Will inform and report :-)

Red Hill (2010)

Tagline:Revenge just rode into town.
ceea ce-mi aminteste de "Death has come to your little town, Sheriff." (dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween, v.si topul meu de shrinks)

un alt film al anului 2010 care merita vazut pe marele ecran. Thank god for Oz !
E bine ca se fac filme australiene, imi aduc aminte ce bine ne-am simitit la Cannes cind am vazut Wolf Creek (al carui regizor, Greg McLean, e producator la Red Hill). Si acum, cind am venit la Brasov inainte de LemmyXmas, am dat la TV peste Mad Max, primul (1979), un film unic, exceptional de ciudat si violent in poezia sa singulara. Asta a fost botezul meu cu OZ, fascinanta Australie, de unde recent nu am mai vazut nimic, in afara de catch-up-ul la filmul post-apocaliptic al lui Geoff Murphy, The Quiet Earth (1985)
Acum am vazut westernul modern/cross/thriller/cross/horror, Red Hill, regizat (si scris, produs si editat) de debutantul Patrick Hughes (nume de care veti auzi soon la Hollywood), in selectia oficiala de la Berlin-Panorama, in 2010, dar am auzit de el via AC, care l-a ratat si el acolo.

Red Hill se petrece in doar 24 de ore in oraselul australian... Red Hill. Unde un tinar politist de la oras -Ryan Kwanten din True Blood-a fost transferat la tara, si numele lui e Shane (deja un rapel de western clasic) Cooper (pe sotia sa gravida o chema Alice Cooper !-).

Un cross intre John Carpenter (de la Assault on Precint 13 la Halloween) cu No Country for Old Men si westernurile lui Anthony Mann sau High Noon, cu un killler de neoprit, imbracat intr-un duster, cu chipul pe jumatate ars, aborigenul pe nume Jimmy (Tommy Lewis, cel din rolul titular cu acelasi nume, din filmul-far australian al lui Fred Schepisi, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith din 1978! Iar seriful redneck dar deloc fricos e Steve Bisley (din Mad Max si Chain Reaction, cel din 1980), toti localnicii au palarii si arme de foc, si locul e in mijlocul nicaierului, asa cum sade bine atmosferei.

O scena eerie vorbeste despre o legenda a unei pantere care bintuie locurile, si
m-am simitit transferat pentru o clipa in Cat People (meets Walkabout). Revenge western, cu muzica bombastica-tematica de newcomerul Dmitri Golovko (cu rapeluri de la Morricone la Tiomkin si Carpenter, si chiar un aranjament de strings la final).

O scena chul (si definetly cult), pe muzica de la jukebox si piesa Black Eyed Bruiser cu Stevie Wright (1975), produs de Wanda & Young, care suna intre AC/DC si Thin Lizzy! (in 2007 Rose Tatoo au facut un cover)

3 1/2 din 5, 7 din 10 ! (pentru niste stingacii si clisee din story, altfel i-as fi dat un 8 ! calitati de revizionare si de film cult clare)