Celluloid #115

In Theaters

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011) Herzog - The 3-D aspect of this film is hardly a gimmick, but rather a way for the viewer to actually see what it is like inside the Chauvet Caves. They really are quite stunning - walls glittery with all of the minerals, stalagmites and -tites, bear skeletons, and the wonderfully interesting 30,000 year old cave paintings. In addition to the beauty of the cave, you also get the pleasure of typical Herzog queries about the soul, existence, and dreams that permeate humanity. 4.5/5

Poetry (2011) Changdong - A cute old lady has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She tries to cope by joining a poetry class, but finds herself being frustrated by lack of poetic inspiration. More importantly, she is the caregiver for her apathetic teenage grandson. It comes to light early on that he and five other friends were involved with repeatedly raping a classmate, leading to her suicide. The fathers of the boys are polite, yet completely inappropriate by trying to handle the situation by paying the girl's mother off. Mija (the old lady) doesn't have the money anyway, but feels highly conflicted. She is a woman whose own life has become quite sad, and beauty may be the only thing to keep her going. 3.5/5

In Home

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Takahata - Sad story about two siblings whose mother was killed in a bombing. On their own, they seek shelter with an aunt, but she quickly becomes resentful of having to feed two extra mouths during a time of extreme rationing. Eventually the brother and young sister leave the aunt to live in a shelter alone. Having to fend for themselves, the girl soon becomes malnourished. 3.5/5

Logan's Run (1976) Anderson - In a colony in the future, people are not allowed to live past the age of 30, but are promised "renewal" in an elaborate ceremony at the end of their lives. Sometimes individuals run, and it is the job of "Sandmen" to kill them if they try to escape. Logan is a sandman given the task of destroying "Sanctuary," a place for those trying to escape to seek asylum. However, in undertaking this assignment, Logan's superiors remove his last four remaining years, causing Logan to actually look for a way out. He and Jessica, a young woman working for "Sanctuary," actually make it out of the colony into the outside world where they meet their first old man - played by a pleasantly bumbling Peter Ustinov. The film's premise is interesting enough, it just hasn't aged very well. 3/5

My Brother's Wedding (1983) Burnett - I loved Burnett's first film, Killer of Sheep, for its lyrical portrayal of the hardships of the black working class. This film focuses on the same group of people (pitted against the black bourgeois) with the climax being whether the main character, Pierce, will make it to his best friend's funeral or his brother's wedding. Basically, just not as compelling as previous fare. 3/5

Celluloid #114

In Theaters

Hanna (2011) Wright - It was really refreshing to see a teenage girl action hero (not dressed like a skank) and a woman as the villain in this film. Hanna is basically a feral child raised by her assassin father to be able to protect herself and essentially get revenge on this woman who caused Hanna to live in hiding in the woods anyway. While I enjoyed the basic premise, the soundtrack got a little too wild at times and many of the action sequences felt a too much like a music video. 3.5/5

In Home

Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) Jutra - Lots drinking and yelling in this Quebecois small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. All of the boys are scoundrels, but in a playful way. Benoit is our young protagonist and through his eyes, we are exposed to the mysteries of love and death. He also has to overcome his uncle's unhappiness with life in the country. 3.5/5

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1958) Wood - Aliens are trying to make contact with Earthlings to basically tell them to cool it with making bombs because eventually their stupidity will destroy the entire universe. For some reason the plan also involves reanimating corpses for use as thugs. Strange and campy. 3/5

Celluloid #113

In Theaters

Carancho (2011) Trapero - During my trip to Buenos Aires, I was shocked by how crazy the driving seems - rarely a stop sign to be found at an intersection and lines marking lanes treated as optional. Basically, driving seems like a chaotic free-for-all. It comes as no surprise that Argentina has thousands of deaths a year caused by car crashes. This Argentinian film focuses on a doctor who rides around in ambulances and a disbarred lawyer who is now an ambulance chaser for an insurance scam. Bloody, visceral, sometimes sexy. Tension develops to the point where you get nervous every time someone gets in a car, but also so thrilled. 4/5

Certified Copy (2011) Kiarostami - To begin, this seems to be about art. In particular, the idea that a copy can be just as important on an emotional level as the original. A man has written a book on this very subject and a woman who comes to a reading offers to show him around town. After a while, we get the impression that the two know each and may be an actual couple. However, the question remains - was the first part all an act, or their relationship a farce? Conceptually interesting, but doesn't quite add up to an enjoyable watch. 3/5

Jane Eyre (2011) Fukunaga - I've never read the book and am not typically interested in period dramas. I saw this because the director last did Sin Nombre. The film is lush, beautiful, and melancholy in tone. Jane is a girl first cast off by her evil aunt and sent to a boarding school where her only friend dies and everyone is beaten. By the time she gets a job as a governess on an estate, she is in need of affection which the vicious and temperamental Rochester gives her. It's easy to understand why she falls in love, but not to return to him. I know it's far too progressive for the time, but I just wanted to see this 19 year-old get to live. 3.5/5

In Home

Le petit soldat (1960) Godard - A film about torture and a war where everyone is wrong (namely France and Algeria) and maybe love is the only thing that can redeem a person with no ideals. Mostly the selling point of this film is getting to gaze upon Anna Karina's face. 3.5/5