Celluloid #143

In Home


the Arbor (2011) Barnard - Experimental documentary about the playwright Andrea Dunbar. She grew up in England's version of the projects and had her first play published at the age of 15. All of her plays were based on autobiography and observations from the neighborhood. Her life was sad and full of poverty. She struggled with alcoholism and mothered three children, each with a different father, none of which she took particularly good care of. This movie is unique for the interview style where actors lip synch the actual recorded interviews of friends and family. Sounds like it could be gimmicky, but actually works quite well in this story. 4.5/5

Dirty Harry (1971) Siegel - Harry Callahan is a San Francisco cop trying to stop the Scorpio Killer. This movie is stylish and totally effective as an over-the-top action flicks where we get to see crazy criminals get what's coming to them . There's also a laughable conservative undercurrent, especially obvious when Harry manages to catch Scorpio, only to have him released because he did not follow proper protocol. I think we are supposed to be outraged by liberal concern for due process and civil rights...in any case, while my politics weren't swayed, I was completely into this. 4/5

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Ray - Classic teenage derelict film, but surprisingly tame. (It's possible that I'm just not calibrating correctly for 1955). Jim is new in town and doesn't have any friends. He drinks some and gets into fights primarily as a form of rebellion against his wealthy parents. He has a crush on the neighbor girl, but her boyfriend is a douchebag and Jim gets into a knife fight with him. Unable to finish their fight, they decide to meet up later for a game of chicken, which ends disastrously for the douche. The girl seems to get over things remarkably fast, and the next thing you know, she's telling Jim she loves him. Pretty silly, but important in the history of "teen" films. 3.5/5

Celluloid #142

In Theaters


the Grey (2012) Carnahan - Liam Neeson vs. wolves. This could have been a fun man vs. nature story, but there were numerous problems: 1) Really bad dialogue. 2) Not nearly enough wolves. 3) Too much serious God-talk. All of the above could have been remedied if the film didn't take itself so seriously. Up the camp, and I would have been in. 2/5

A Separation (2011) Farhadi - The film opens with an Iranian couple filing for divorce. She wants to move to the West to give her daughter a more free life, while he wants to stay to take care of his elderly father. The clerk will not grant the divorce, so she moves into her parents' house. He is forced to hire an in-home care person to look after his father while he's at work. A series of events happen to trigger even more courthouse drama. This film is great primarily for the way each character seems like a real person, and it is easy to sympathize with just about everyone involved. A taut legal and family drama that also manages to shed a lot of light on class differences in Iran. 4/5

In Home


Miral (2010) Schnabel - Pretty forgettable film that traces Palestinian presence in current-day Israel from before and after the influx of Jews. Initially, we see a lady start a school for orphans and I guess we are supposed to see the inherent good in this culture. (PS - what is Willem Dafoe doing in this movie?) Decades pass and we see one student, Miral, grow up and become involved with a revolutionary movement. A big disappointment from a director who made one of my favorite films of 2007 - the Diving Bell and the Butterfly. 2/5

the Wave (2008) Gansel - A teacher with anarchist leanings gets assigned to teach Autocracy. Through class discussions, the students complain about discussing the Third Reich yet again, because Germany is "way beyond that." Mr. Wenger decides to conduct his own social experiment, with the Autocracy class as his guinea pigs. Unfortunately, the outcome is way too obvious, and predictable, and worst of all, preachy. 2/5

Celluloid #141

In Theaters

Haywire (2011) Soderbergh - Steven Soderbergh was impressed watching a MMA match featuring former American Gladiator, Gina Carano, to the point that he decided to make a film around her. She plays Mallory, a government agent whose boss tries to kill her, so in return she tries to kill him and anyone who gets in her way. You watch this film to see her be a badass and to rough up a bunch of dudes. Those scenes are totally delightful. The acting may not always be the best, but who cares! (There are also plenty of feminist messages to take away if interested, but the film never shoves that in your face.) This and Warrior would be a quality MMA-centered double feature. 4/5

In Home


Bellflower (2011) Glodell - This may be the bro-iest film that I have ever watched. Two dudes build flame throwers, get drunk, get in fights, and hang out with blonde girls. Woodrow and Milly meet at a bar while participating in a Fear Factor type activity and the two hit it off. We see their blossoming romance and the eventual dissolution of their relationship, which then touches off an epic downward spiral for every character in the film. This film succeeds at representing an accurate depiction of a certain SoCal subculture of gearheads, however, I don't think it succeeds much as an actual film. It often feels like an amateurish student film, and I feel like so many critics are giving it a pass because the budget was extremely low and the cars and flamethrowers are pretty cool and took forever for the two main guys to build in real-life. The director seems like a sweet guy, but this film does present a pretty low opinion of ladies that is had to shake. No recommended double feature...you should probably just watch Mad Max instead, because that's the film these guys are obviously obsessed with. 2/5

Cold Fish (2010) Sono - The Japanese do not disappoint in bringing together ultraviolence and fetishistic sex as an antidote (or signifier) of repression. Humorously, the two main male characters (Mr. Murata and Syamoto) are both fish store owners. Mr. Murata's store is much fancier and has rarer fish, but we soon find out that his wealth does not originate with the fish, but rather with his yakuza-like lifestyle. He and his wife have made many people disappear and force the timid Syamoto to become an accomplice for fear of retaliation against his bratty teenage daughter or his slutty new young wife. Ironic double feature with Finding Nemo. 3.5/5

Possession (1981) Zulawski - Super crazy film that would have you believe that Anna is demon-possessed, but based on the actions of her husband Mark, you could also make a case for his possession. There's also a gross monster involved. The last third spirals out of control (which is amazing considering how little sanity there was to begin with) into almost sheer incomprehensibility. This totally belongs in the New Cult Canon and would pair nicely with Splice for a double feature. 4/5