No Other Land (2024) opens tomorrow

HARUN (a qudraplegic man crippled by an Israeli bullet): Is anyone coming?
HARUN's MOTHER: No, no one is coming

Exchange in a tent between parent and child after they are left alone for the night

As people move to close down this year's NYFF because of the financial support from Israeli sources, they seem to be completely unaware that NO OTHER LAND is playing the festival  and that with in it's crushing 95 minutes is an emotional bomb that is going to change hearts and minds in ways that protests will never manage.

The film a record of the systematic destruction of an West Bank community from 2019 until 2023. It's a document of how the Israeli government is using the military and the settlers to drive out the Palestinians so that they can claim the land.

Finished literally days before the October 7 attack, the film is a blistering explanation of where the anger that spawned that attack came from. It's a film that broke the audience of writers at NYFF and was the first in 10 films screened to get long applause from most of audience.

The filmmakers make clear that the people in the village have been there for generations with some families living there since 1830. This is not a reclaiming of land the Palestinians took for a new settlement but the removal of a people who had been there since the beginning of time.

My attitude toward the film as a film was, for a certain amount of time, that the film was a solid retelling of Israeli human rights violations and then the story of Harun takes center stage an the film drops the gloves and it makes clear, in no uncertain terms, that the treatment of the Palestinians is nothing short that genocide. My heart, and the hearts of those around me were crushed.

Harun was shot for defending his home and then left for dead. He survived but as a quadriplegic who had to be cared for my his mother, because there is no medical help for him and literally moved around in a cart. It's no wonder seeing things like this day after day that the light in director Bael Adra's eyes dims and fades over the course of the film.

Let me make clear that is not a statement directed at all Israelis but the government under Netanyahu, they are criminals. 

Many will call this a political film, but it is not. It is made by a group of directors and reporters who are both Israeli and Palestinian. There is no side. Frankly it is simply a document of a great wrong against humanity. The only politics in the film is that it's Israelis with guns and heavy machinery against Palestinians with cameras.

A week before I saw this film I saw the film WE WILL DANCE AGAIN, about the October 7 attack and was shocked at the brutality of what happened, and then I saw NO OTHER LAND and my single thought was of course the October 7 attack happened...but why didn't it happen sooner?

This film is an absolute must see.

Easily one of the best and most important films of not only the festival but 2024 as well.

Liz Whittemore on MISSING FROM FIRE TRAIL ROAD (2024)

This originally appeared at Liz's home REEL NEWS DAILY

Sabrina Van Tassel‘s TRIBECA 2024 documentary MISSING FROM FIRE TRAIL ROAD speaks for those without a voice. Indigenous women are in crisis. Why aren’t we talking about the statistics of missing native women? The number is vastly higher than any other group in the United States.

The film focuses on the story of Mary Ellen Johnson Davis, missing since 2020, as her family tries to piece together all the information they can, while also showing up for those in their community with similar circumstances. There are far too many unexplained disappearances and deaths for one community not to call it an epidemic.

The reservation has its own justice system, under which not a single white man has been prosecuted in connection to a disappearance. Families must rely on the Feds to intervene. They never do. It is endless, lawless mayhem.

Story after story, family after family, one thread connects them all. That is abuse from white outsiders. You can’t tell this story without delving into the trauma of native children stolen from their families and physically and emotionally tormented in boarding schools. MISSING FROM FIRE TRAIL ROAD delivers the horrific truth through the words of survivors.

A quote from a manual given to households when children the government was ripping from their homes reads, “The goal is not to make scientists, or doctors or lawyers out of these citizens. The goal is to make domestic housewives and farmers and laborers.” Keeping the population suppressed remains the goal. It’s cyclical genocide. It is the continuation of colonization, plain and simple.

The question remains. How many of these documentaries need to be made to get the message across? Tribeca 2024 audiences can share the native plight and, perhaps, move the dial toward justice. Do something.

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ETAT (2024)

SOUNDTRACK… is a staggering a achievement. Hands down one of the very best documentaries of the year, it’s a film that you are going to watch multiple times because it is so full of information and amazing sequences that you will need to see it again and again to process it all. Structured like a jazz piece the film moves and breaths and dances around like something that is a living breathing entity. It’s an overwhelming piece of filmmaking.

The film is the story of what happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960’s when all the hope was crushed by the intervention of non-African powers made sure that Patrice Lumumba's life was cut short. It’s a sad tale that set the stage for a great deal of what has happened in the last 60 years.

This is a hell of a film which doesn’t seem to leave any stone unturned. It goes into all sorts of unexpected places and connects them up via a brilliant structure that bounces us from point to point with out losing our attention and making sure we are following along. I was kind of shocked at the details this film shows us,  including the insanity of what happened during the shooting of the infamous documentary AFRICA ADDIO (the directors may or may have paid to film an execution). When the two and a half hours were done I was ready to go again.

I need to see this again in order to really write on it. For now, just see it. 

Know I love this film a great deal. I can’t imagine it not getting on the Oscar short list and making a run for the award.

Highly recommended.

Liz Whittemore on CHASING CHASING AMY (2023) which opens Friday

Liz Whittemore of Reel News News Daily drops by to share her thoughts onCHASING  CHASING AMY

12-year-old Sav Rodgers watched the film Chasing Amy, and his life was forever changed. Developing a kinship — and maybe a slight obsession — with it as he grew into his queerness, he decides to fund and direct a documentary that examines its role in LGBTQ+ film culture. He makes significant progress, even garnering the support and collaboration of its director, Kevin Smith. However, as the production of the documentary continues, Rodgers realizes that the legacy of the film and his relationship with it might be changing. So where does that leave him?

Sav Rodgers brings Tribeca audiences a personal story of self-discovery, being othered, and catharsis. Kevin Smith‘s 1997 film CHASING AMY is a snapshot in time. While younger generations might perceive it as problematic, for those who saw the movie during its theatrical run, it represented a sexual awakening, a different point of view, and an “oh shit” moment. A complicated love letter to a controversial LGBTQIA+ film CHASING CHASING AMY is one of the best docs at this year’s fest.

The moment Sav Rodgers meets Kevin, it’s fireworks. Kevin gives Sav access to everything the rest of us have always wanted to know. Smith confesses that Holden is him. The film plays through his lens, and much of the story comes from real people in his life. Some conversations are word for word. Just ask a close friend of Kevin and GO FISH screenwriter Guinevere Turner, who put much of herself into Amy when collaborating on the script.

The film includes interviews with critics from all generations. Each has a different perspective on the characters and the dialogue. This aspect is fascinating, filled equally with smirks and head nodding for a Gen Xer such as myself. Jason Lee talks about his hesitancy in some of Banky’s dialogue. Everyone involved understands that the film would in no way fly today.

Joey Lauren Adams, who gives us the iconic performance as Alyssa, explains her power in the role through archival interviews and a sense from the film. Kevin was, perhaps, ahead of their time in featuring a strong bisexual woman. But, the biggest irony may be Joey’s truth about CHASING AMY. This pivotal interview changes everything for everyone. Both Kevin and Joey get into their complicated past with Harvey Weinstein. Their experiences are vastly different. I am so grateful for their honesty. It means so much to so many survivors. *Waves hands in the air*

Intertwined with everything else in this glorious doc, Sav lets us into their relationship with his girlfriend, Riley. Delving into deeply personal issues, he may or may not realize how universal they are until now. One part fanboy film, another part film history, all self-discovery story, and a love letter to Riley, CHASING CHASING AMY is tailor-made for Smith fans and indie fans, the queer community, and allies.

Read more of Liz's writing here

LOST ON A MOUNTAIN IN MAINE (2024)

The film is the true story of 12 year old Donn Fendler who got separated from his family while they were hiking on a mountain and the a storm moved in. The film charts the course of the next nine days as nDon tries to find his way home and his family, along with an army of searchers, tried to find him.

Sadly LOST ON A MOUNTAIN IN MAINE is going to get lost in the shuffle and it’s a major loss. This film is the sort of thing that back in the days before home video, say the mid 1970's, would have been a major it and played for weeks in theaters near you.

This is great filmmaking. What makes the film work is the inclusion of select interviews with some of the people involved. Filling in details that are not in the story (for example sneakers are not good for being lost in the wilderness since they tend to disintegrate rapidly) the film gets a weight it might not have. Make no mistake this is not a typical TV docu-drama but something else entirely. It’s closer to what Warren Beaty did with REDS rather than the History Channel.

To be certain you know going in that Donn comes out the other other end, but the enormity of what he went through and his ability to actually survive keeps us riveted. It’s a stunning achievement and highly recommended.

Luther: Never too Much (2024) opens Friday

A look at singer, composer, producer and godlike entertainer Luther Vandross.

This is gloriously celebration of a man and his music. Pointing out a lot of things you probably didn't know (I never knew about the Bowie stuff)  this is a film that will make you fall in love with the man and his music all over again.

It is also a sad tale since everyone's focus on his weight resulted in damage to his body that eventually killed him.

I was moved, as was many in the screenings (I saw this twice at Tribeca) I attended - I could see them wiping their eyes.

Highly recommended. 

Nightcap 10/27/24: Random notes including Timmy Williams, The Indie Awards

Back at Tribeca I started talking to this guy on line for a public screening. We were a good way into the conversation before I found out the guy was Timmy Williams of The Whitest Kids You Know. The conversation continued to the movie and briefly afterward. It was such an amazing talk that I asked if I could send Matt Schulman his way so he could go on Overdue Rentals, Matt's podcast. Tim said yes. 

A couple of weeks ago Matt welcomed Tim to his show. The result was an almost two hour talk, nominally about George Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS but it goes all over the place in the best possible way.

If you want to listen to some great film talk go here.

And while you're at it listen to some of the other Overdue Rentals episodes because there are some great talks there.

(For those curious, I am mentioned a couple of times the first time around the 16 minute mark)

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If you didn't see the piece about the Indie Awards which I was involved with it can be found here.

I'm mentioning it again as a shout out to my mom, who wanted me  to either make movies or write on movies. It's something she would have been proud of.

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The plan for November and December is to do Doc NYC, some new releases and a lot of catch up posts - including some of the films I discovered while doing the Indie Awards.

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I just shifted posts around and Unseen is now set to go into mid July of 2025

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A random note about FLOW, which will only make sense once you see the film,  I got into two discussions about the characters in the film and about how there are so few. You have to understand that outside of the small fish, the only animals we see are just the ones we are introduced to.  If we see a herd of deer, its the same herd later. The dogs come back. If there are single characters, the cat, the whale, they are the only ones we see. There are no multiples.

That's the only thing I am going to say about what is in the film and what it means.

Artifact War (2024) Austin Film Festival

Jump to see ARTIFACT WAR. This under the radar gem is one you’ll want to see repeatedly.

The film is the story of a group archaeologists and academics who, even before the war in Syria, took steps to chart the antiquities and museum artifacts in case anything happened. Once the war started and the factions inside the country either sought to steal the work or destroy it, they took steps to either rescue the material or provide a trail so that if anything ended up in the markets it could be identified as plundered.

A collection of talking heads, archival footage and recreations (because somethings were too dangerous to go shoot) this film pulls us in and drags us along. It tells a story that probably none of us have heard before, but which, thanks to films like the Indian Jones films we have more than a passing interest in.

I loved this film a great deal. I did not expect to get sucked into. I never looked at my watch, I just watched and waited for the next twist or turn.

What a delight.

And know that my saying that isn’t lessening the story being told, but rather it is a way of saying that because the story of trying to protect our heritage is told so compellingly people might be more willing to do something to help prevent this from happening again or at least be aware when something appears in museum or somewhere else to realize that it might have been looted.

Recommended.

Sunkiss (2024) Tallgrass Film Festival 2024

SUNKISS is a kind of curate’s egg for me. The film is shining calling card for writer director Dice Ross who has made a film that is very much alive. It’s a film that heralds the arrival of great cinematic voice. The problem is that the short form nature of the telling doesn’t quite work.

The film is the story of two teenage girls who are very close. Toward the end of the day they are picked up by two older men.

Told with a skill and an assured hand that allows the flashy turns to seem like they are part of the story and not merely showing off. Dice Ross directorial choices are magnificent. I can’t wait to see what she does with a feature. She will almost certainly shake the pillars of cinematic heaven.

My problem is that I’m not certain that the flow of the story works the way it should.  We go from a halcyon time between the girls to the meeting of the guys and the film ending as things go dark. The pieces are fine, the problem is that they don’t fully link up. The ending should be a punch, and while it implies things it doesn’t fully connect. I wasn’t sure why we are being told the film this way, or more to the point why it’s structured this way and ends here. I’m left wondering why these pieces are being shown and not others. It’s not that there isn’t anything bad, more that where the end comes I’m not certain what I’m supposed to be feeling. Leaving it where it does makes me wanting to know more-since there is so much more to say.  Yes it would work better in a feature where we get more information on either side.

My quibbles about the story aside this is a film you’ll want to see, simply because what Dice Rose does is so monumental that you’ll want to get in on the ground floor of a great career.

Flow (2024) Animation is Film 2024

FLOW is one of the great films of 2024. It’s probably one of the greatest animated films ever made. I suspect in five years it will be hailed as a classic.

A kind of fable, the film is the story of a cat who ends up on a boat with some other animals raveling across the world during a flood.  It’s a tale of life on a grand scale told without dialog.

This is a a grand adventure. Set somewhere else at some other time and place where people are no longer around the film creates a world where anything is possible. Animals that should be together are. There are references to places here on earth, but nothing concrete. There are some magical creatures, and fantastic turns but it all makes absolute perfect emotional sense. 

I know that everyone is going to have their say about the film. Countless podcasts and You Tube videos explaining a film that doesn’t have to be explained, but simply experienced, will be popping up soon. That we live in a time where everyone has to put out pieces where they explain what the director, whom they never met, meant, or more likely saying how their take is the only right one, is a sad one. Everyone should be able to have the film mean what ever they want it to mean. FLOW needs to thrive however it thrives in the hearts of everyone who sees it.

As a work of art, this film is of the highest order. The images and storytelling are near perfect, not always in a brain logic sense but in a dead on heart sort of way. This film moved me viscerally and I wanted to to stop the film several times just because I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to just cry at the beauty of it all. (Several people behind me at the screening were loudly sobbing)

Cinema does not get much better than this.

Similar in some ways to director Gints Zilbalodis’ earlier AWAY, which is about a mystical journey, this is a vast jump in quality. This is film is a film where the student becomes the master. Everything here is nigh on perfect with the character design and animation being of a quality that few animators ever achieve. All you need to is watch  the eyes of the cat, or any of the characters and you’ll be amazed. Its so good that you’ll wish that the filmmakers could get special Oscars for their work- or compete in the best performance category. I’m serious-the best performances of the year are all computer generated.

In some ways the film may remind you of some questing computer games. Some games like MYST came to mind (and one person I spoke with after the screening listed others).  And while I can see the influence perhaps in image referencing, I can’t say that the it is more than an influence. I say that because films are not games. We do not have control. The questing structure is as old as humanity. Additionally I have never been as invested and connected to a video game story or game characters as I am here. There is a realness here that makes FLOW something greater than it’s influences. 

In a weird way the film also feels like Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld. I can't say why, largely because it's been years since I last read the stories, but there is still something haunting me.

This film is any, and every, superlative you can think of. It is a film at the highest level of cinematic art. It will move you in ways you didn’t think were possible.

Highly recommended.

Look for FLOW to have  a long life.

(And it should be noted that the film does have a post credits sequence. It’s brief but explains what happens to one character)

THE OPERA! aka THE OPERA! – ARIE PER UN’ECLISSI (2024) Rome Film Festival 2024

THE OPERA! Is one of the best cinematic experiences of the year. By all rights this film shouldn’t work, it’s an operatic retelling of the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice told in a stylized way with songs both original and classical.  It’s a film that made me fall insanely in love with cinema again simply because this is a film that would not work in any other medium. It drifts in and out of reality, it drifts in and out of song. It’s a film that is so full of life and emotion, granted it’s amped up to an operatic degree that you will either embrace it whole heartedly as an expression of how we see the world, or you will dismiss it as overdone twaddle.

I am a passionate supporter of this film. I fell madly in love with the film thanks in large part to Vincent Cassel as Charon.  Cassel plays it as if he is our best buddy and he pulls us in, gives us a beer and chips and says “have I got a story for you.” Cassel keeps us grounded because he plays it complete straight and we can tether ourselves to him.

I absolutely love this film. I love the music, the images, and the performances.

This is film as opera…opera in the best sense of the word… the one that has allowed the art for to survive for centuries. This is a film that shows you why it's considered high art and emotionally moving.

I can’t say more than that because this film is one you experience and feel and not talk about and dissect. It’s a staggering achievement

I can not recommend this film enough. While I suspect that some of you will not like the film, I think a large number of you will love it. Additionally as a reader of Unseen Films you want to go off the beaten path and THE OPERA! Is exactly that.

Highly recommended THE OPERA! is one of the great films of 2024

Twittering Soul (2024) in 3D

Mystical things are afoot in the Latvian countryside.

Deimantas Narkevičius‘s film is only being shown in theaters because it was shot in 3D. The 3D images are incredible and seem to be stretching back into the screen.  They are so beautiful that they almost make the film worth seeing…

…the problem is that outside of the images the film has nothing going for it. It isn’t scary despite there being supernatural entities and is simply long and dull and incredibly unclear.  How unclear are things, apparently some of the characters are alive, some are dead and a few are mystical beings. Which is which, or even the fact that not everyone is a living human, is only clear in the final couple of minutes and even then we aren’t sure who is who.

Worse there is no narrative. I’m not sure what is really happening or why.  Add that to the uncertainty as to who the characters are and you have a real mess of a film. I don’t even know when the film is set since candle mix with electric lights. Yes the promotional material fills in a lot of the questions I have but my almost unbreakable rule is that films that require you to read on them to have them explained is a failure. This film requires you to read on it so you can have everything explained.

I’m puzzled as to why the film is being listed as a horror film in some places, when nothing horrific happens. Yes one character dies, but it isn’t even remotely spooky. This is more a supernatural fantasy than anything as seen by the bird drifting in an out of one character's mouth.

Sadly outside of the images this film is a total failure.

Not recommended.

(And before you see this film find out if they are using a bright enough bulb. The press screening I attended had the theater using a regular bulb which made many sequences much too dark to fully grasp what s going on)

Five Shorts: SPECTRUM, PICTURE DAY, PROFESSIONAL PARENT, SAINT VASSILY, and TRIPTYCH

 

Triptych
A Painter makes deal with the devil for success but fears her secret will be revealed.

Excellent short horror film with visual style to burn. Sure it may seem to be slightly familiar but the execution and the visual flair make this film an absolute killer.

One of my favorite horror films of any length that I’ve seen in 2024

SAINT VASSILY
An orthodox priest who is about to be ordained is caught in a web about a fellow priest.

This is an expertly made and excellently acted film  that probably should have been longer. There is a sense that we are coming in at point too far into the story to be full invested. I would love to know a bit more back story. What here is really good, and I want to see what director Masha Egieva does with a feature, but I was never fully invested.

Reservations aside, worth a look.

THE PROFESSIONAL PARENT
A woman decides to become the guardian for a Roma child.

This is a film that should have been a feature film. There is simply too much to this story that needs to be expanded upon. Part of it is the fact the story has a lot of threads that should be explored and part of it is there simply aren’t enough  films looking at the prejudice felt to the Roma population.  This would could be a great feature on that subject.

My wanting more aside this is a film to track down.

PICTURE DAY
An Asain American tom boy causes problems with an act of rebellion

This is a small gem of a film about the pain of growing up the need for society to box kids in.

Worth a look.

SPECTRUM
The life of a young man with Autism, based on the director’s brother and made by a neuro divergent cast and crew.

I don’t have a great deal to say. This is a very good film looking at the trials and tribulations of the main character.

Worth a look.

AMERICAN CATS: The Good, The Bad & The Cuddly (2024) opens today

Comedian Amy Haggart (Full Frontal With Samantha Bee) looks at the cats in America, focusing on the drive to declaw the cats.

A funny and amusing film with a very serious under current AMERICAN CATS has some really great things in it. The trouble with the film is going to be how you react to Haggart and he acerbic snark. As much as I was enjoying the images and the discussion I  found I didn’t much care for Haggart’s personality. She simply rubbed me the wrong way.

My reservations aside this film is worth a look.

The Indie Awards

If you are a regular reader of Unseen you know I’ve been hinting at a secret project for the last four or five months and it’s finally been announced.  I was part of the selection committee for THE INDIES a group pf awards sponsored by Slamdance that is aiming to put films that were a bit off the radar on the radar.

The details of the awards can be found here.

When I was approached about being part of the awards I wasn’t certain if I belonged. I’m not this big writer. I just quietly do my thing… It wasn’t until I mentioned to Ben Umstead, who was acting as the shepherd for the committee, that I had seen well over half of the films being considered for the documentary categories going in that he politely said, “that’s why you are here,” that I understood maybe I did have a place.

To be honest I had a blast doing this.  Partly because pretty much all the films we saw and discussed were really good.  There are only a few films nominated but the truth is we could easily have expanded the nominations. The documentaries were such a great selection of titles that we were discussing things to the last moment.  The films were so good that I have reviews set to go of many films I discovered because even though the films didn’t make the cut, I still have to tell you about them. Most amazingly there were no real clunkers in the mix, there were a huge number of films, and the nominees were chosen picking the best by degrees. 

Mostly though this was a blast because I loved talking movies with everyone in our group.  I loved everyone who popped up on my zoom screen. I made notes for films to see based on everyone’s suggestions. I would love to get everyone of the group in a room, with no time limit and no enforced subject matter and see where the talk goes. What would be discuss other than documentarie? We did the whole thing over zoom and all I wanted when it was done was to simply hang out with everyone and talk movies.

Thank you, Matt, Soham, Tina, Shelagh, Vincent, Peter, and Ben, you made this a joy. I hope we can do this again next year.

I need to say that while I normally bitch and moan about the nominations for awards, I honestly can say that with the Indes everyone is a winner. Seriously. This is the first time with any awards, even my own Unseen Film Awards, that I can’t quibble with because all of the nominees kick ass.  The choices presented here are truly the best, and the selections were arrived at not through arguing but because everyone genuinely agreed.

Please do yourself a favor and track down all the films we nominated and watch them. They are some great films that will delight and move you.

More importantly go watch some small off the radar films not mentioned because there is real magic hiding in plain sight.

ZURAWSKI V. TEXAS (2024) opens Friday

This is a look at a lawsuit brought by women in Texas against the state’s medical rules for abortions in the wake of over turning Roe v Wade. The women are challenging the law for, among other reasons, that things aren't clear enough so that medical professionals are so afraid of doing anything, even when medically necessary that very often they are putting the lives of the mother in danger. There is a real risk of death or the women not being able to have another child through no fault of their own.

This is a vitally important film whose story  needs to be heard. Sure it was easy to put abortion bans in place, unfortunately the lawmakers, in typical fashion, didn’t think things through and left the people of their states hanging. The legislators  simply wrote the law and didn’t think about how it worked or what it allowed or didn’t.

The film charts the lawsuit filed by a number of women in Texas and the lawyers fighting for them. It’s a film that perfectly explains what happened and why. It’s a story that makes clear that things have to be changed, however it also makes clear that no one really wants to step up and fix something that makes sense.

If there is anything wrong with the film  it is that the film is so perfectly put together that it comes across matter of factly. The film perfectly states it’s point and explains the problem that it kind of removes some of the emotion. You come out of the film feeling that of course this is a problem that needs to be addressed, why isn’t anyone doing it…. And then you realize we’re talking about Legislators and we are not talking about the brightest bulbs in the box.

All kidding and quibbles aside this film is required viewing.

Write your law makers

Three Oscar qualified shorts ENDLING,HAMDARDI and UNSER KIND

 

Unser Kind (Our Child)
A Swiss couple go to Georgia to get a baby through surrogacy, however the fetus is determined to have health problems and the couple must decide what to do.

This is a good drama about the problem of surrogacy in countries where it isn’t legal. Raising a variety of questions from how do you hide the situation from authorities, to what do you do when tests show the baby will have issues and you may not want it any more, the film makes you think.

If there is a flaw it is that the film is much too short. Events feel rushed. This is a story with so much to say it should have  and should be a feature. I think a feature version of this would kick ass because it would have time to truly breathe.

Reservation aside recommended.

HAMDARDI
A customs officer steps up when a father and daughter run into trouble coming into the US.

An interesting idea That never comes together quite the way it should. The characters are a bit to cliche and the performances are uneven. Because it’s a short, things feel rushed. Everyone other than the father and the daughter feel  underwritten.  It’s not bad, however there is the feeling that had this been a feature everyone could have been more rounded.

Worth a look if you run across it but don’t rush out to see it. 

ENDLING
Fake documentary about the man who is caring for the last goldfish on earth.

A surprisingly goof little film about all sorts of thing, specifically being the last of something, conservation, loneliness and a few other things.

As much as I like the film for what it is, part of my wishes it wasn’t as light in tone as it is. Yes that’s what makes it charming, but at the same time this is film that has a lot to say and people may not catch what it has to say through the smiles.

Recommended

Rule of 2 Walls (2023)

Artists in Ukraine attempt to make art in the middle of a war.

This look at life in Ukraine during the war is one of the best films I've seen on the conflict. While the film can feel a bit scattershot at times, it's rawer and realer than any film I've come across before. This is life as it is being lived and we are better for it.

The power of the film comes from several different places. The first is the fact that the film never looks away. this is the first film where we really see the destruction. We see the dead. The cost of the war is not an abstraction, rather it is real and right in front of us.  The camera never waivers. 

It also is wonderful that the film is presented by everyone on screen and behind it. We hear the voices of the filmmakers on all levels. They speak their truth to us as well as covering the truth of the artists whose work we are seeing. We are brought in to what it took to make this film including hearing the hold music of a credit card company.

Wonderfully there is real life in this film. There are moments scattered all through it, little bits, such as people singing in a stairway, others going to a concert, others picking up bodies, still others making art. While many of these moments are not connected to anything they add so much to what we are seeing because it shows us life as lived.

What I love about this film is it doesn't feel manufactured most other Ukraine documentaries feel as though they are stage managed, They are part of a propaganda machine to present a certain point of view, to show the Ukrainian people standing tall an muddling though a was that's largely in the distance. That isn't the case here. War is real, the bodies are real, people are living in ruins. The pieces are jagged and raw. Nothing is polished and so it feels lived in.

If you are like me, and you've seen a number of Ukraine film RULE OF TWO WALLS may end up being  a film that connects them all up. Many of the stories connect to tales told in other films. For example a sequence in Bucha connected to a film called WHEN SPRING CAME TO BUCHA which I watched a short time before. Other references connected to other films. My understanding of the war expanded.

This is an amazing film.

It's one of the best I've seen on the war and as such is recommended.

Black Box Diaries (2024)

Shiori Ito‘s BLACK BOX DIARIES begins with a warning. It is Ito explaining how to handle what is going to be some inevitable triggers for some viewers. There is genuine love and caring radiating from this that helps make the difficult times that  follow easier to take.

The film is Ito charting the course of her decision to go public with the fact that she was raped by the head of a Japanese media company. Because there was “ no evidence” (the man was connected to the Prime Minister), the Japanese police wouldn’t pursue charges. Ito decides to go public and it opens up all sorts of doors, including a discussion to the antiquated notions of rape and male female relationships (the age of consent is 13 and until recently kiddie porn was legal). The film also shows the course of her case and the cost to her (she had to move out of her apartment to be safe)

This is a tough film. A slowly building tale, BLACK BOX DIARIES quietly lays out its tale and then punches you in the face with some of the turns. It’s a film that sneaks up on you and makes you gasp. I thought I was prepared for this tale, and apparently I was not so even I found the opening suggestion of how to handle the story helpful.

This film is amazing. It’s a gut punch of a film that lays bare sexual violence not only in Japan but elsewhere – many men have a shitty attitude toward women.

This is one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in 2024 and one of the best on sexual violence I've ever seen.

Highly recommended, just be aware that this is tough film

Liz Whittemore on A New Kind of Wilderness (2024)

The one and only Liz Whittemore of Reel News Daily checks in with look at the Sundance film A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS.

A life chronicled most intimately and authentically, the Payne family experiences physical and emotional upheaval after a family tragedy. Choosing to raise their family on a secluded farm in the woods of Norway, Maria and Nik wanted nothing more than to instill a love of nature into their children. Potentially forced to sell the beloved farm that holds all their memories, Nik, Freja, Falk, Ulv, and eldest daughter Ronja navigate unfathomable loss and fight to remain connected.

Through Maria’s striking photography, home videos, and extraordinary voiceover narration, throughout six years, filmmaker Silje Evensmo Jacobsen evokes visceral hope and sadness in A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS. Exploring one family’s respect for the land, unique homeschooling, and off-grid lifestyle, Nik battles societal norms that Maria vowed to circumnavigate and financial limitations. The children are undeniably self-aware. Their openness with their emotions is breathtaking. When school thrusts technology upon them for the first time, they take to it like fish to water, much to the chagrin of Nik, but their wild essence never wanes as they long to hold onto their way of life. The film speaks to the resiliency of youth.

Witnessing the pure innocence and wonder of the Payne children hits you in the heart. It is easy to dismiss the genuine curiosity of your kids with the swirl of everyday chaos. Sundance 2024 audiences have the honor of joining together on an elegant meditation of grief and loneliness. A NEW KIND OF WILDERNESS reminds us to cherish each moment, the Earth, and one another.

For more goodies from Liz check out her regular home Reel News Daily

Conclave (2024)

Ralph Fiennes plays a cardinal who has to run the conclave to elect a new pope. However things don’t run smooth as there are implications of impropriety from some of the candidates, terrorists outside and cardinal that no one ever heard of before.

Gorgeous looking thriller about a bunch of guys locked up together the film is almost certain to get lots of Oscar nominations in various categories. While I am uncertain about a Best Picture nomination I can see noms in every other category. It really is that good with only two minor flaws.

I just loved this film pretty much from start to finish. It’s so nice to see an adult film that doesn’t try to pander for awards, and which uses everything at it’s disposal to tell a really good tale. Watching the film I was struck by how this film should have been in 70mm because the widescreen images it presents are just so spectacular. (Yes this is a knock at The Brualist)

What surprised me is was how devout the film is. The talk of belief and what is right, of doubt , of mistakes and all of that absolutely blew me away. To be certain they are small moments of pure spiritual wonder but the message is clear and fleshed out enough that we believe that god has a hand in it.

As good as the film is there are two minor burps in the telling. The first is that some of the actors don’t quite disappear into their roles. John Lithgow is good but there isn’t enough there for there to be shading and Stanley Tucci’s character can be a tad one note. He recovers toward the end but I wish he had a bit more to do.. The other minor flaw is that at a certain point you know how this is going to go. It’s not fatal, but its makes the oh wow moment a bit too early.

I loved this film a great deal and I can’t wait to go again.

Recommended.

Sacrifice (1986) 10/25 at the Film Forum Friday

In what is possibly Andre Tarkovsky’s most accessible film the filmmaker asks us what we would give to save what we love. It’s a simple question that Tarkovsky spins off in several interesting ways.

I’m a big fan of Tarkovsky’s. I love several of his films (Andre Rubelev, Solaris, this film) , I like some (Stalker) and others I’m not too sure about. Even in the case of the films I’m not sure about I find that I return to them because they trigger thoughts feelings and god knows what else with each viewing. Tarkovsky’s films make me a participant in a dialog with the filmmaker. It may not always lead to anything but it always engages me.

With the Sacrifice we have a family away in the country. The world ends, or at least heads that way and our hero is forced to bargain with god in order to save everyone he loves. What makes the film interesting is that the main character isn’t particularly a believer or a non-believer, he is a man. His deal with god seems to cover from hopelessness and helplessness at saving his family.

As with most of Tarkovsky's films the story or the film itself is starting point for a discussion. I've screened The Sacrifice with several different friends and the discussions that the film starts- usually lasting for days afterward- go far and wide with the film frequently falling into the background.

I am haunted by the film, While it is not a film I carry with me completely (where I can conjure images and lines of dialog at the drop of a hat), The Sacrifice is always with me not so much as something I carry but as part of me and my psyche. I think I don't remember much of the film simply because it is something that that is me, much like say the back of my hand is.

Everyone should try this film at least once. You may not like it, it may not mean anything to you, but at the same time if it clicks with you it maybe come something truly special.

Nightcap 10/20/24 NYFF is done and showing signs of dying; your opinion is your own; New York Comic Con; Uncertainty with an upcoming fest

The New York Film Festival is done.

How was it?

The press screenings were fun, the public screenings were special. It was a good time.

On the other hand the selection of films was largely disappointing. I saw 36 films and I liked a quarter. The rest were head scratchers that either were dreadful or just didn't belong at the festival.

The problems with this years selections are amplification of problems the festival has been experiencing for the last few years. 

The first problem is the fact as the festival has become even more of a catch all festival staying more firmly focused on the winners from Cannes, Berlin and other big European festivals. Unless it's one of the programmer's favorites, say Hong Sang-soo, there are no surprises. By the time  films arrive they have been discussed and dissected.  Additionally because the festival just wants the big name films it isn't daring. The most daring film was EMILIA PEREZ which would not have ended up here had it not won because the festival is so painfully staid now. If you've been following the festival the last few years you'll have the films largely set by June. 

The other problem are the programmers. Dennis Lim saying openly last year that they will only run films that are winners or from name or known quantities explains why the festival has stagnated. There is no open mindedness as to what is really the state of film, there is simply the following of the group think that is being set a continent away. I could name two dozen films and filmmakers that are shaking the pillars of heaven and  who are truly charting the way for cinema, but they aren't in the big festivals across the pond. As a result the festival is doubling down and going deeper into the art house. The result is it feels like it's dying because it is cutting out all of the great up and coming filmmakers who are revitalizing cinema in new and unexpected ways.  

From my viewpoint there wasn't anything special this year.  Okay yes the Criterion Closet was a big deal but outside of that there wasn't anything that was unexpected. Even the multiple protests were dull, and rote.  

And while the festival has lots of potential Oscar contenders in the mix, the vast majority of the films screening this year are going to disappear within year or two, assuming they ever get any sort of run outside of the artier art houses. Sure the Netflix films and a couple of others will have legs, but this year, the majority of the films are not really going to get out that far of the gate before they vanish. This is the first year where where you know most films are going to die.

What a sad state of affairs.

Personally I think the programmers need to go. They need to go back to the way things were 10 or 12 years ago when you truly didn't know what was going to happen - even when you did.

Actually the most surprising thing of the whole festival was that at the screening I went to of THE BRUTALIST only 2 people applauded and everyone quietly filed out. People always go nuts for the films, whether they deserve it or not. One of the big films of the fest, the one everyone wanted to see was a film no one wanted to talk about at the end other than as a source of disappointment sums up my feeling for this year's festival.

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I really dislike THE BRUTALIST... and apparently people weren't thrilled with that.  After I tweeted that the I the second half was bad and that the film wasn't good several people told me I needed to see it again, or that I didn't understand or something. I was told that I had to read on the film...

...no, no I don't. Films have to stand on their own. Everything should be in the film. That isn't the case with THE BRUTALIST which is one of many reasons why it's a failure.

The reason I am mentioning this is that I had people tell me that the film was important because writers who shall remain nameless had said that the film was one of the best.  They went on to say that they aren't that sure of their own thoughts on the film, but that they are going back, at the insistence of the unnamed writers, to see where they got it wrong.

BULLSHIT.

If you didn't like the film you didn't like the film. Your opinion is just as valid as the people telling you to see it again. And honestly since I know the writers guiding them, I think they are better off not listening to the voices saying to waste another four hours.

Forgive me, but outside of facts, no one who writes on film know anything about what's good or bad for anyone else. All we can do is make suggestions.  The only reason you think we know anything is because we talk louder and nonstop. Because we drone on you think we know stuff we don't.

The truth is everyone's opinion is valid and everyone's is their own.  Just because someone is published doesn't mean they know good for bad. 

If you don't like something, or if you like something, that's your opinion and that is what makes it right on target. Its the right one for you- don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

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I went to New York Comic Con today.

Not sure I need to go again. 

The formerly low key Sunday was insane. It was so crowded we missed sections of the con. Got briefly into artists alley, which seemed  smaller than in past years. 

We went to the gaming area hoping to do some shopping for my niece, but everything for sale gaming wise was folded into the rest of the con. This was different than previous year where the game stuff was with the game tables.

The stuff for sale was largely all the same. Vendors had multiple locations across the sales floor. 

There was no real panels of interest. Additionally  there was a a sense that going to the panels wasn't necessary with so much coverage coming out via social media.

We left early and we went to a Pokemon pop-up location a couple of blocks away. It was for a new set of cards coming in November. The popup involved a mirror maze, giant cards for photo ops and a way to look at all the cards on a computer.  

What shocked us was that they were handing out goodie bags which we thought was going to be a pack of cards.-it wasn't it was two sets of cards and battle decks. My niece was shocked since they were giving away stuff that will sell for about 40 bucks retail-just for showing up.  My niece was thrilled because she now has three sets.

Honestly I'm not a fan but the half hour there was cool.

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Not sure how I’m handling DOC NYC this year. It appears access to the films is going to be limited (a hand full of tickets to screenings only) While I do attend the festival in person, I’m able to see more because I’ve had access to screeners, which may not happen this year.

I will have some coverage but I think it’s only going to be a tiny fraction of that.

I am investigating further.

Sultana's Dream (2023) Animation is Film

Isabel Herguera’s feature debut was inspired by the 1905 fable by Rokeya Hossain, which imagines the utopian country called Ladyland, where women hold sway and men stay at home. Here we follow a young woman as she deals with her place in the world, discovers the original book and goes on a quest to find a real world Ladyland.

This is a cinematic work of art of the highest order. The differing look of the film will remind you of the work of some the world's greatest artists as well as the work of animators such as Lotte Reininger, Cartoon Saloon, Marjane Satrapi, Richard Williams and others, while at the same time giving all the borrows it's own slant that makes it something truly unique. Frankly the images and the story telling here are so unique that the referencing of other artists is merely an attempt at trying to explain the visual wonders contained inside.

What this film does visually will make you sit wide eyed and slack jawed at the beauty of it all.

AT the same time this is a film that I never fully emotionally connected to. Very much a film with a great deal on its mind, it often puts it's ideas ahead of it's feelings. This is a film that wants to win us with ideas more than it does emotion. I can't blame director Herguera she has a lot she wants to say, rightly so, but at the same time some of the emotion is lost. It's not fatal, but so much here is so good I wanted to love it not just like it.

My reservation aside, this is still a film you will want to see, especially on a big screen. 

Recommended.

Ghost Cat Anzu (2024) Animation is Film 2024

Karin is dumped at the home of her grandfather, who is a monk at a Buddhist shrine, by her father who is being hunted by loan sharks who already broke his arm. She is intrigued by the Anzu, the giant talking cat. As she settle in to her new home he meets the boy in the neighborhood, some spirits and some other supernatural beings.

This is a film that could never be made in the US. Life isn't neat and perfect, bad things happen and things don't go as expected. The result of the messiness of life creeping in is a film that ends up delighting the audience.

While the film is going to seem gruff and perhaps a bit low brow early on, Anzu loves to fart, the film quickly makes up for it with a cast of characters and situations that worm their way into your heart. You like everyone on screen and they become friends quickly because for the most part no one in this film is like any other character in any animated film. I couldn't help but smile and lean in because these were not people I knew or second guess.

Wonderfully its own thing, sometimes to the detriment of the pacing, GHOST CAT ANZU is film that stands out and warms the heart with real people and real emotion. Yes, some of the character design may remind you of other films, but the truth is the story and the way it unfolds is not like anything else you've really seen in Japanese and especially American animation. The plotting is not really conventional inspite of it being weirdly perfect.

Truthfully this is a film I wish had a real shot at getting at least an Oscar nomination. While I would be hard pressed to call the film the best animated film of the year (the pacing is random and there are some odd tonal shifts), it is special enough and different enough that it should take one of the Oscar slots, especially since the rest of the slots are going to be filled with Hollywood retreads of piss poor cookie cutter formulas.

You need to see this film because it will open your eyes to what can be done with the animated medium.

Highly recommended.

Damsel (2024)

A young princess is sent off to marry a princess in a far off kingdom. However right after the wedding she finds herself dumped into a cave as a would be sacrifice to an angry dragon. 

Unexpectedly wonderful fantasy tale s also a female empowerment tale, as the princess refuses to die and takes steps  to not only survive but turn the tables on the prince and his family. Its a wicked story that may have a few bumps but is carried along by great character and a great looking dragon.

I didn't think I was going to like the film (I was told it was just okay by friends) however once it started my plans to use it as background noise went for naught as I was hooked and carried along to the end.

Highly recommended

Eternal Visionary (2024) Rome Film Festival 2024

 

Luigi Pirandello thinks back on his life as he takes a train ride to accept one last award.

One of a handful of recent films about the life of the great writer, this is one that has been hanging with me for the days since I saw it. Normally I watch a film and then a relatively short time  later I write it up, but with this I had a slot to watch it but not an immediate slot to slot to write so I sat on it. That was a good thing because this gem of a film has grown exponentially in my head and heart. This is one that you need to track down when it finaly gets out into the world.

What I love about the film is that it takes the well worn formula of a memory play about a life and just mixes it together in some great ways, His life blends with his work and dreams. The editing by Consuelo Catucci and director Michele Placido is honestly some of the best you will see, period. Life’s parts bleed into each other the way it’s in our heads.  This is true movie magic and Michele Placido with a couple of sequences just blew me away with their absolute perfection. You’ll know which when you see the dance.

I can’t wait for this to come to the US when I can see it in one of the great theaters with a big screen and big sound.

I know this isn’t a deep and meaningful review but this film hit me viscerally and I just want to grab each one of you and sit you down and make you watch it..

Recommended

The Colors Within (2024) Animation is Film 2024

Coming of age film about a young girl who can see the "colors" of people who is staying in a Catholic school. She hooks up with two other people and together they form a band.

This is a film that is going to surprise a great many people. Outside of the colors, this is not a mystical anime tale, nor is it a film with contrived narrative peaks and valleys. This is a film about growing up, trying to find friends and deciding what you want to do in life.  Things happen as they normally do. There is no grand tragedies afoot or aliens or bizarre turn. There is simply life.

In a weird way that's a novel concept....

...on the other hand it makes for a uniquely compelling movie. Yes the use of animation allows for the enhancement of mood and feeling, but the fact that we are just seeing life animated is something special. Naoko Yamada has fashioned a film that sneaks up and works you over because the medium of animation draws us in.  We go in expecting something special and we come out feeling that is exactly the case. We see life as lived, which is something we not only almost never see in animation, at least that which gets a wide release, but also it is not something we see in most live action films since most filmmakers feel the need to spruce things up with an unnatural turn.

Never mind the animation, which is wonderful, I love this film simply as a film. This film stand up well with many of the live action dramas I've seen this year.

This is absolute proof that animation is not a genre but a medium for telling a story.

Highly recommended

The Death of Stalin (2017)

I finally caught up with THE DEATH OF STALIN and I was very entertained.

This is a graphic novel based black comedy about what happened when Stalin unexpectedly died and the ruling party members scrambled in order to remain in power and remain alive.

As my friend Joe Bendel said this is the rare comedy that can make political terror and mass murder something to laugh about. Of course it isn't really funny, but seeing how the men who did terrible things try to use past misdeeds as leverage to remain alive is funny. People, especially those in power, are really monsters and in places like the former Soviet Union (and Russia today) that was the case ten fold.

I laughed from start to finish at the grand farce of it all. AT the same time I marveled at how straight things were historically. Yes, somethings were altered, but mostly this is a straight on telling just with a farcical tone.

The film is an off beat delight and recommended.

Dog War (2024) Chelsea Film Festival 2024

DOG WAR is the story of Jon Barocas who seeks to free the dogs being kept in illegal farms producing dog meat in South Korea.

This is a very good look at the dog meat industry in Korea and elsewhere is Asia. The film is set up so that it follows Barocas as he and his friends track down the people who are keeping dogs so that they can be used for meat. Unexpectedly the film is even handed. The film takes the time to  interview lawmakers,  people who enjoy dog meat., and other involved in the industry. The result is a film that gives us a great deal to think about.

I should state that I had the above two paragraphs sitting in my draft file for the better part of a week as I pondered what I wanted to say about the film.  Largely I have been pondering the various points and trying to filter the fact that the film is looking at how eating dogs is shocking because they are pets but that other animals which don't share our homes are viewed differently by most people. It's a point I haven't quite resolved.

My inability to really discuss some of the themes and ideas in the film, I need to say that this is a great documentary. Playing at times like a thriller, the film is going to grab you and give a great deal to think about.

Recommended.

A Good Day WIll Come (2024)

The true story of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari who was executed by the Iranian government.

Deeply moving tale of one man’s insistence that he must do the right thing even though it cost him greatly.

To be honest I’m kind of tired of anti Iranian films. It’s not that I’m against the message, its simply that too many of them follow the same path. Thankfully a GOOD DAY WILL COME doesn’t do that and the result is a film that kicks you in the chest and breaks your heart. It’s actually one of the best of the recent anti-Iranian films I’ve seen.

Highly recommended.

Maybe Elephants (2024) Newport Beach Film Festival, , Animation Is Film and AFI FEST

MAYBE ELEPHANT has animator Torill Kove continuing the story of her family. This time it’s the story of how her parents eventually essentially abandoning her and her sisters.

This is another winner from Kove. As always she uses animation not for cute and cuddly characters but because the medium allows her to do things that would never work in a live action film (one of the final images has Kove and her sister wandering across maps of their own making.) It’s a stunning film that doesn’t conform to the way we think life should go, but more toward the weird turns that life actually takes.

I really liked this film a great deal.

If you are on the West Coast of America you have three opportunities to see it at Newport Beach Film Festival, , Animation Is Film  and AFI FEST 

Three Shorts: THE CALF, AUGANIC and THE BOAT

THE CALF
Small scale Irish thriller about something that happens on an Irish farm.

I can’t really say what happens since the whole film hinges on your taking the ride and wondering what is going on. It’s a hell of a ride with an hell of a reveal.

Recommended

AUGANIC
A married couple has something happen when they have sex.

Okay drama didn’t float my boat. While the film is damn near perfect in front of and behind the camera. There wasn’t much to the story. Once we know what is going on it didn’t have any place to go but one or two places.

THE BOAT
The true story of a young girl who begins to show signs of leprosy and what her father does.

This is a good little film about  a father and a daughter and a terrible disease. While this is a very good film it suffers from being too short. There isn’t room really for the story to really get under our skin and break our hearts the way it should. It’s very good, but I would love to see a feature.

NCIS and NCIS ORIGINS first episodes of the 2024 season or it maybe time to put the franchise out to pasture

I think the NCIS franchise is dying.

I watched the first two episodes of the shows this week and I’m largely ready to bail.

The first episode of the flagship show was okay. It survived because of the characters. The splitting up of the team in different directions that lead back together has been done to death. There was no suspense. The worst part of the episode was the introduction of the new big bad, a deputy director for NCIS  revealed seconds after the team realizes that he was a bad guy in bed with the Mexican drug cartels. It’s lazy plotting with crappy writing. It essentially sets the tone for the season and it means that we know where and how this is going to go. My thought is why bother to watch?

NCIS ORIGINS is the weakest NCIS show ever. Who thought this was a good idea? I say this in light of my really not liking NCIS SYDNEY.

After one episode I find that I am essentially done with the series and it’s spin offs.Why? Because it comes off as REACHER lite. Austin Stowell as Gibbs is much bigger than Mark Harmon and his closed lip attitude is not like the young Gibbs we saw in the original series. Additionally he wanders through the show not like Gibbs but Jack Reacher.

Outside of Lala Dominguez and Mike Franks all the other characters are weakly written and non-entities. Everyone seems like they have nothing to work with and are flailing about in the dark. It doesn’t help that the episodes essentially dump all the characters on us in rapid succession, not so much introducing them to us in a way that makes them stick, but as a challenge for us to retain everyone’s name. I don’t know if I like anyone because I don’t know anyone.  In all the other spin offs I fell into the series unexpectedly because I warmed to the characters, that didn’t happen here.

A huge problem is that there is zero effort to build the Gibbs character. He is stoney and says little. Any clues about him come from references cribbed from the original series.

Most troubling for both series was my absolute lack of desire to continue. When NCIS HAWAII’s first episode ended and I was uncertain about the direction of the show I liked the characters enough to continue for a few more. After the shows that aired Monday I’m done.

I’m disappointed I want to give up on ALL of the series.

The original series looks to be on the skids crappy plotting for the season.

SYDNEY has some characters, but the anemic budget and filming style coupled with wildly uneven writing makes it something I’d only watch if nothing else is on.

As for ORIGINS I have zero desire to continue.

Perhaps it’s time to hang it up and end the franchise… or at least find better writers