Viennale 2015 – Day 15: Anomalisa

Posted on January 1, 2016 by cornholio1980

AnomalisaAnomalisa
USA 2015
Written by Charlie Kaufman
Directed by Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman
Watched on 05.11.2015

“Anomalisa” may not have changed my life – but it sure as hell is a fucking great movie. I’m a sucker for stop-motion-animation anyway, and “Anomalisa” definitely is one of the most beautiful said movies that I’ve ever seen. The characters, the backgrounds, the color palette… absolutely stunning. It’s not just the visuals, though, I also loved the story, and especially, how they used a certain stylistic device in order to get us into the mind of Michael Stone.

—————– VERY SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD —————–

Admittedly, the fact that everyone except Michael and Lisa speak with the same voice threw me off at first. I’m especially allergic to male (voice) actors speaking female roles (something that, as much as I liked the idea on paper, already ruined the “Watchmen” Motion Comic for me), which irritated me quite a bit at first. However, once the reason for that is revealed, I didn’t just understand what they were trying to do here, but retroactively absolutely loved that idea. It’s such a great way to illustrate Michael’s depression for us, and how he is stuck in this dull, monotonous everyday life and world. Absolute genius. It also put us, the viewer, right into Michael’s mind, and made his excitement and his pleasure of meeting Lisa, who stands out from the rest, palpable. Like him, we are also very pleased and happy to finally hear a different voice. It’s such a great way to convey his instant attraction to her, and to transfer it to the viewer. I also loved their scenes together, with Jennifer Jason Leigh’s rendition of “Girls just want to have fun”, the best (and actually highly erotic, as strange as that may sound) puppet-sex-scene ever (surpassing “Team America: World Police” by a mile) as well as the tragic moment during breakfast being particular highlights for me. The voice acting is absolutely great, too. David Thewlis fills Michael with an incredible sense of sadness, desperation and despair. Jennifer Jason Leigh is extremely charming as Lisa. And Tom Noonan does a great job with everyone else (even though I’ll never get used to hearing a disguised male voice speaking a female character). Pretty much my only two complaints are the nightmare-sequence (which I could have done without) and the scene with his speech (which felt a little too overly dramatic). Other than that, though, “Anomalisa” was absolutely incredible.
9/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 14: Valley of Love

Posted on January 1, 2016 by cornholio1980

Valley of LoveValley of Love
France 2015
Written by Guillaume Nicloux
Directed by Guillaume Nicloux
Watched on 04.11.2015

If you’d force me to sum up my reaction to the movie with just one sentence, it’d probably be: Je ne sais au juste. There are certain things about “Valley of Love” that I liked, and that I can admire on an artistic level – but overall, it didn’t really work for me.

—————— SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD ——————

In the interest of full disclosure, I’d like to point out that I missed most of the dialogue of the first couple of minutes due to a hiccup with the projector, which meant that you couldn’t see most of the subtitles. Which probably didn’t help me finding my way into the movie, since – assuming that they explained the setup during the first conversation between Isabelle and Gérard in the café – I kinda had to piece together what was going on after the subtitles finally worked. Then again, I actually liked the setup and the first third of the movie best anyway, so I don’t really think that it was that much of an issue. What admittedly took a little getting used to is the idea of Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu playing themselves, but in a fictitious story. Once I got accustomed to that, however, I started to enjoy myself. Both show some very strong performances, and I especially liked how great they are together onscreen. I also quite enjoyed the couple of lighter, funnier moments at the beginning (like Depardieu signing an autograph as De Niro), even though those didn’t quite jibe with the rather tragic, somber setup of the movie. And some of the shots of Death Valley were quite impressive. Unfortunately, the longer the movie went, the more it got rather metaphysical, if not downright supernatural – a development that I didn’t enjoy at all. I would have vastly prefered a story about how both of them deal with their grief, instead of all that spiritual mumbo jumbo. By far its biggest problem, however, is how they make such a big deal about their son making a brief return appearance on September 12, with Gérard being dead-set on leaving on the 11th, and then at the last minute deciding to stay after all – only to then end the movie on the eve of the 12th, thus we never actually get to see what’s happening then. After making such a big deal out of it (not that him staying after all would have been much of a surprise), that was just incredibly unsatisfactory – like 90 minutes of foreplay without ever getting down to business. In that regard, “Valley of Love” is all tease and no action, to such a frustrating extent that I actually felt cheated. However, if you can look past that, maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did.
4/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 14: Carmin Tropical

Posted on December 31, 2015 by cornholio1980

Carmin TropicalCarmin Tropical
MEX 2014
Written by Rigoberto Pérezcano
Directed by Rigoberto Pérezcano
Watched on 04.11.2015

“Carmin Tropical” wasn’t quite the movie that I expected it to be. The short description in the festival guide had me believe that Mabel left her hometown still as a common man, and thus now – when she comes back in order to investigate her friend’s death – she has to deal with their reactions to her transformation, adding another layer to the underlying murder mystery. Which is not what this is. She already left a “muxe”, and at least within her friends and family, her change doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal.

Now, the fact that I didn’t quite get what I expected in itself isn’t that much of a problem. I always do my best to leave my expectations out of the movie theatre. Unfortunately, though, the movie that I ultimately got ended up far less interesting than the one that I had in my mind going in. There just isn’t that much interesting stuff going on here, and I was especially disappointed to see that Mabel’s life as a “muxe” in Mexico hardly gets addressed at all. Ultimately, “Carmin tropical” isn’t dramatic enough for a drama, not thrilling enough for a thriller, and not mysterious enough for a (murder) mystery. Especially the latter hurt the movie considerably, since its revelation was far too obvious far too soon for me. When the identity of the killer finally is revealed, it’s done so in a flashback that seems to go on forever, overexplaining something that has already been crystal clear to me anyway. The constant short flashes of her walking through the corridor (setting up the very last scene of the movie) also got on my nerves quickly. Ultimately, though, what broke “Carmin Tropical”‘s neck was the extremely unsatisfying, open ending. It’s only just saved by the nice idea behind it, which I really appreciated, the unconventional choice of lead protagonist, a nice performance by José Pecina, and mostly the fact that with a running time of 80 minutes, it’s short enough to never get boring. Nevertheless, I feel that this could have been so much more than what we ultimately got.
3/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 13: The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Posted on December 31, 2015 by cornholio1980

The Diary of a Teenage GirlThe Diary of a Teenage Girl
USA 2015
Written by Marielle Heller, based on the novel by Phoebe Gloeckner
Directed by Marielle Heller
Watched on 03.11.2015

“The Diary of a Teenage Girl” tells a morally quite complicated and tough story. While everything that happens here is consensual, it’s still illegal, and one could very well argue that even though Minnie initiates everything that’s happening here, Monroe, as responsible adult, would have been morally obliged to hit the brakes and stop her. Then again, apart from the fact that he’s her mother’s boyfriend, one could also ask if/why his age is that much of a deal (morally; leaving legal issues aside for now); I mean, if he would have been seventeen, and the exact same things would have taken place, we wouldn’t even have this discussion. Thus, I felt that “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” raised some interesting questions – without providing easy answers.

I guess some will be put off by its moral ambiguity, but I for one loved it exactly for that. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” is just so much more honest and uninhibited compared to the majority of coming-of-age dramas that come out of Hollywood. Fact of the matter is: At that age we’re all hit by raging hormones, and while not all of us might (re)act to that in the same way, sex nevertheless is a huge part of teenage life. “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” deals with exactly that – Minnie’s sexual awakening, curiousness, and yearning – and it does so with refreshing bluntness. It’s further enhanced by Bel Powley’s incredibly raw, unvarnished and impressive performance as Minnie. Kirsten Wiig and Alexander Skarsgard are great, too, but she easily outshines both of them. I also quite liked the (crude) animated bits, as well as the (often naughty and/or dark) humor that permeates the movie. And I really really loved Minnie’s realization at the end. The only thing that I’d criticize is that as soon as Minnie starts recording her (sexual) adventures, you know what’s ultimately going to happen with these tapes. And as much as I understand that it was needed as a plot device (and can understand her desire to document her experiences), it seems slightly careless of her, especially considering that what Monroe has been doing with her – any moral questions aside – is illegal. However, I had far too good a time with this movie to be deterred by that.
9/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 12: 99 Homes

Posted on December 30, 2015 by cornholio1980

99 Homes99 Homes
USA 2015
Written by Ramin Bahrani, Amir Naderi & Bahareh Azimi
Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Watched on 02.11.2015

“99 Homes” takes a devastating look at the recent economic crisis in the U.S., and puts flesh on the countless number of people who lost their homes due to rising (flexible) interest rates, unemployment, et cetera. Simultaneously, it names and shames those that actually exploit this crisis for their benefit, and also shows the power of money, and how easy it is to get seduced by it.

After Dennis Nash, his son and his mother had to leave their decades-long family home, his only goal is to earn enough money to get it back – even if this means making a deal with the devil, i.e. working for the exact same man who evicted them. However, once he gets accustomed to a better life style, simply getting his old house back isn’t enough anymore. Why not use the money to buy a far better new home for his family? And as quickly as that, he becomes entrapped in the exact same system that fucked him over in the first place. In his quest for more and more money, he loses sight of his original goal, and – more importantly – the wants and wishes of his family. “99 Homes” does a great job in depicting the pitfalls of money and greed in general, and his fall in particular. I already liked the tragic beginning of the story, but said role reversal lead to an even stronger second act, which then culminated into the movies’ strongest scene: The devastating montage of evictions, which simultaneously takes a look at some of the (fictitious) individual victims of the crisis (with the old man an especially harrowing case) as well as the bigger picture (perfectly illustrated by the keys in the jar). It also illustrates how fucked up the whole system is. Unfortunately, the last act in my opinion fell a little bit short compared to the example set by the first two thirds of the movie. The eviction of the house as well as the reaction of this particular family (which is known to Dennis) felt a little overdramatized, and the fact that the forged document was necessary for precisely this family felt rather forced. The real turning point for me, however, already came before, with the man recognizing Dennis at the motel. After that, it started to go downhill a little bit. What was great throughout were the two central performances given by Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon, who shined up until the last frame. However, even they couldn’t completely compensate for the slightly weaker final act. Despite that, though, “99 Homes” is a great drama that would have deserved far more (audience) attention than it received.
8/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 12: Ji-geum-eun-mat-go-geu-ddae-neun-teul-li-da (Right Now, Wrong Then)

Posted on December 30, 2015 by cornholio1980

Right Now, Wrong ThenJi-geum-eun-mat-go-geu-ddae-neun-teul-li-da
South Korea 2015
Written by Sang-soo Hong
Directed by Sang-soo Hong
Watched on 02.11.2015

“Right Now, Wrong Then” almost feels like a “How to/How not to”-video-guide for dates. On the surface, it tells the same story twice, but nevertheless, in certain important regards both iterations are also quite different. The first half is very awkward, while the second half is far more pleasant. By using the same people in pretty much the same situation, “Right Now, Wrong Then” makes a point of how even slight changes can make a vast difference – and also that since none of us is the same each and every day, catching someone at the exact right time might be just as important as who the other person is in the first place.

In order to be able to end on a positive note, “Right Now, Wrong Then” starts with the version of their date that doesn’t go especially well. The main problem of that approach should be self-evident: It’s not that much fun watching those two people not having that much fun. The first half of the movie is like being stuck on a terrible date, but with both not having the guts to proclaim that it’s not working, and simply calling it a day. Thus, the viewers find themselves very much in the same spot as the characters. It’s awkward and annoying and strenuous – which, of course, is exactly the point, but that doesn’t make the first half any more entertaining. Plus, compared to the second half, which is far more pleasant in itself, it also has to do without the fascination of comparing both iterations, looking for the differences, and noting how even small changes can have a huge effect. Sang-soo Hong’s theatrical approach of using very long takes without any cuts also doesn’t help, insofar as in order to keep the flow of the movie/the scenes, he had no chance to cut anything, like certain lines, awkward pauses, longer stretches of silence etc. Which, again, makes it very realistic – after all, we also can’t fast-forward in real life – but again doesn’t necessarily help the first half when it comes to its entertainment value. The second one more than makes up for that, though. Suddenly, everything runs smoother, and because of that, the movie is much more charming and enjoyable. It’s obvious that in essence, they’re both still the same, but they seem to be in a much better mood, and they also act a lot less tense and awkward. Plus – as just mentioned – it was very interesting to observe the differences between both versions of the story. A strength that both iterations share are the actors, which seem even more impressive once you see the second half, and where you can make out many subtle differences. Also, there’s suddenly chemistry where there wasn’t any before. That alone is quite an impressive feat. Overall, “Right Now, Wrong Then” is an interesting study in romantic acquaintances, and while the first half may not be especially entertaining, the second half, as well as the interesting concept behind it, more than made up for that.
7/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 11: Nie yin niang (The Assassin)

Posted on December 29, 2015 by cornholio1980

The AssassinNie yin niang
China 2015
Written by Zhong Acheng, Hsiao-hsien Hou & Hai-Meng Hsieh
Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou
Watched on 01.11.2015

“The Assassin” was mostly well received by critics, and Hsiao-Hsien Hou won Best Director at this years Cannes Film Festival for it. I also loved the short description in the Viennale festival guide, and the Trailer also made it look quite cool. Unfortunately, the movie that I ultimately got was pretty to look at – but not much else.

One of the more baffling choices that Hsiao-Hsien Hou made when shooting this movie are the changing aspect ratios. 99% of it is in 4:3, but then there are two very short sequences that show a woman playing an instrument, that are presented in 16:9. Also, the first couple of minutes are in black and white, while the rest is in color (and no, it’s not a flashback). If there was a point to these aspect ratio/color-changes, the director failed to put them across, at least as far as I’m concerned. I was also very disappointed by the action in this movie. I love a good kung fu- and/or wuxia-flick, but here, they usually stare at each other for two minutes, then they fight for five seconds, and it’s like, during this very short fight they already gathered who’s stronger/better, so they stop, and the inferior fighter simply departs, in a “I bow to your superiority” kind of way. That was just… weird, and ultimately also quite unsatisfactory. Especially since the movie makes us wait for these short outbursts of action for sooooo long. It’s like 15 minutes of talking, staring, contemplating, then five seconds of action, then another long stretch of silence and boredom, then another five seconds of fighting, and so on. Which wouldn’t have bothered me even half as much if the story would have been more engaging and/or the characters more interesting. “The Assassin” also isn’t helped by the fact that for a very long time, it appears to be very down-to-earth, before suddenly introducing a “Lost”- or “Game of Thrones”-like smoke monster that literally and figuratively comes out of nowhere. The only thing that makes this movie remotely worthwhile are the visuals, which are occasionally stunning. There’s one shot in particular, taking place on a mountain, near a ravine, with a waft of mist coming in, that was breathtaking, and definitely was one of the most beautiful shots that I’ve seen all year. The lavish sets and costumes also were beautiful to look at. And even though I didn’t really feel some sort of connection to her character, Qi Shu played her very quiet Assassin quite well. Other than that, however, “The Assassin” mostly was a trial of patience, and once again proved to me that with movies, as with people, good looks alone aren’t enough.
4/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 11: Abluka (Frenzy)

Posted on December 29, 2015 by cornholio1980

AblukaAbluka
Turkey 2015
Written by Emin Alper
Directed by Emin Alper
Watched on 01.11.2015

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. After 22 movies at this years Viennale that I more or less enjoyed, “Abluka” was the first one that I didn’t really have much use for. In that way, it reminded me of the other turkish movie that I’ve seen in 2015, “Baskin”, which left me equally cold – but that one at least had a nice setup and was pretty to look at. A similarity that they shared, however, is that they both started quite promising and strong, but then derailed almost by the minute.

In the interest of full disclosure, however, I have to point out that one of the main reasons that I didn’t really like this movie is that I didn’t get it. Feel free to put the blame for this on me, but it doesn’t change the fact that I never really connected with it. “Abluka” already started in a way that made me unsure if I was supposed to take it literally, or if it was meant as some sort of abstract metaphor. For example, everything about the younger brother and his job of shooting stray dogs at the behest of the city. Is that something that is really going on, or was this meant to allude to the persecution of certain ethnic groups, like during the Holocaust? The movie isn’t helped by the constant jumps through time when we switch from one brother to the other, as well as the fact that both of them turn out to be unreliable “narrators”. Far too soon, I didn’t have any idea any more what was going on, what was real and what wasn’t, and while some may find that fascinating, I more often than not find it rather irritating and/or frustrating. Because if I have no idea what the fuck is going on, I also have no reason to care about any of it. I also found the movie to be far too long, which is especially damning since I ended up pretty bored very soon, and thus for most of its running time. At least it was well shot and had a nice, nightmarish atmosphere. But all that’s for nought if you, like me, don’t find a way into the movie.
3/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 11: Mistress America

Posted on December 28, 2015 by cornholio1980

Mistress AmericaMistress America
USA 2015
Written by Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Watched on 01.11.2015

“Mistress America” joins a couple of recent movies that dealt with the dark side of ambition, and mixes it with a nice portrait of a growing friendship between two women at different stages of their lifes who expect to become sisters soon, due to the upcoming wedding of their parents. Very well written, and with two great lead performances by Lola Kirke and Greta Gerwig, it’s another winner for Noah Baumbach.

Kirke and Gerwig don’t just play their individual characters incredibly well, they also have great onscreen-chemistry, and are very believable as soon-to-be-sisters. Kirke shines as ambitious writer who, as much as she likes Brooke, mostly uses her for her own means, eg. basing a character after her and writing a short story (which was really well written, by the way) in order to get into a prestigious fraternity. Plus, she also seems to use her to boost her own self-confidence, so while Brooke pretty much stays the same over the course of the movie, stuck in her dream world, Tracy goes through quite a change – and not necessarily for the better. I also loved how Kirke – and the movie – portray the exhilaration of being about to fall in love, and the devastation of finding out that your crush is already taken. Which, once she starts down her dark path, also leads us to a seduction scene where I honestly have to say that if I would have been in his shoes, I’m not entirely sure if I would have been able to stay strong and rebuff her. Holy smokes! This short moment was just one of many great scenes throughout, starting with Tracy’s and Brooke’s first night out (that captured perfectly the often weird, rumbling conversations when you’re drunk) up to their arrival at Brookes ex, where things get weirder and more absurd by the minute. The dialogue was great too and had a certain machine gun-like quality to it that some might feel to be rather contrived and unrealistic, but which I absolutely loved. If there’s one thing that I’m not sure of, it’s that during the course of the movie, Tracy learns an important life lesson, and while they at least spare us a “Full House”-like scene where they present us with the moral of this story, it’s still apparent as hell. Mind you, I’m not saying that it isn’t a lesson worth learning, but it’s hardly original, and for me, it was the least interesting part of the movie. However, when the rest is as strong as it was here, I can live with that.
8/10


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Viennale 2015 – Day 11: The End of the Tour

Posted on November 30, 2015 by cornholio1980

The End of the TourThe End of the Tour
USA 2015
Written by Donald Margulies, based on a book by David Lipsky
Directed by James Ponsoldt
Watched on 01.11.2015

I’m afraid it’s once again time to prove my cultural ignorance by admitting that before I heard about this movie, the name David Foster Wallace didn’t ring a bell. And I’m not saying that because it’s so much fun to show the world how illiterate I am, but rather to assure you that – like me – you don’t have to be familiar with him or his work in order to enjoy this movie.

“The End of the Tour” offers an interesting and fascinating view into the mind of David Foster Wallace, but also portrays the fast-growing friendship between him and Rolling Stones-reporter David Lipsky. Not being content with focussing just on DFW – who seems to have perfectly embodied the cliché of a troubled artists soul – it tackles a lot of different subjects, like Lipsky’s apparent enviousness of his success. Also, during their conversations, they talk about anything and everything, and through their thoughts on wildly different topics, we get to know them more and more with every passing minute. It’s also very well acted, especially when it comes to Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg, who have great chemistry together onscreen. There were a couple of very funny scenes which made the movie quite entertaining. I also enjoyed Lipsky’s growing struggle with the growing conflict of interest between his job as an interviewer and their developing friendship, like when his editor forces him to ask David about the rumors concerning his drug addiction. And I really liked the framing device, which also led to a rather emotional ending.

“The End of the Tour” managed to pique my interest concerning David Foster Wallace’s work (especially his magnum opus “Infinite Jest”) as well as David Lipsky’s book on which this movie is based on. And at least in my book, it was worth it just for that, and for bringing the life and work of this exceptional artist to my attention.
7/10


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