Cineppets: "Nunsense"

LAPSUS
Juan Pablo Zaramella, dir; Argentina, 2007; 3:30 mins
RIIFF, August 5 - 10 2008

Once again, festival season is upon us - our office on the second floor of the Columbus Theater has been buzzing with activity as we crank into high gear for our upcoming film festival. I plan to do a series of blog posts on upcoming films at the fest which I've particularly enjoyed and think you should check out this August. LAPSUS is by the same director who created the clever animation VOYAGE TO MARS, which we had as an Opening Night film at RIIFF06. Unfortunately our former tech crew - who always seemed more interesting in sampling product from our liquor sponsors than paying attention to running the show - forgot to check and see that they had the subtitled version of the film. They didn't and we ended up having to screen VOYAGE in Spanish. Luckily, it was a film that needed few words to convey an endearing story of exploration and discovery. LAPSUS is a film with similar themes: a curious nun ventures from light to dark in a humorous series of disembodied skits. I showed it to our interns, who thought it was a little weird - I doubt any of them attended Catholic school.

Cineppets: Stocking Stuffer

TANGHI ARGENTINI
Guido Thys, dir; Belgium; 14 mins
Reviewed at the 2007 Rhode Island International Film Festival

This flick has been cutting a wide swath on the festival circuit, picking up awards and accolades- including Best Short at the 2007 RIIFF. It now looks poised to be a serious contender for an Oscar; our fingers are crossed! It deserves to win. André, a nebbish office worker with a budding internet romance, must quickly learn to dance. He convinces his staid co-worker, Lars, to tutor him in the sensual moves of Argentine tango. Humor ensues as the two workers practice their routine in the off-hours. The big day arrives and André meets his paramour for their first date. A spin around the dance floor ends in calamity and Lars must step in to salve the bruised ego of André’s ladylove. But was it really a misstep on the part of André? The plot twirls gracefully- it’s easy to get swept up in its charms. This is a great holiday film to get you in the spirit of Christmas angels and anonymous gifts of kindness.

A whole lot of shakin' going on

AMERICAN GANGSTER
Ridley Scott, dir; USA; 157 mins

I'm sure as we head into the thick of Oscar season, they'll be plenty of buzz about the "heavyweight" performances of Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington in AMERICAN GANGSTER. Both are great actors and I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable film. But I'll need to emphasize "heavyweight" again. Not in reference to thespian talents, but to girth. Denzel must be at a comfortable stage in his career, judging by the muffin top that he displays throughout the film. In one memorable scene, we get to see gravity in full effect as he sits stoically in a tank top while his man-boobs spill down towards his navel. Russell fares somewhat better in the Jenny Craig department as he lumbers along after the baddies. It is such a stylishly conceived film, I was surprised that director Ridley Scott let his two main actors get away with looking so frumpy at times. Overall, the film moves at a lean pace, is briskly edited, and well-directed. It's certainly worth the price of admission and makes for an exciting three hour experience.

Cineppets: Would you like fries with that?

DIE FLUGBEGLEITERIN (THE STEWARDESS)
Marcin Glowacki, dir; Germany; 15"
Reviewed at the 2007 Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival

I can't think of a better tribute to the shock value of this film then the sound of a harden horror fan groaning the word "disgusting" during a recent screening. This flick is part SUPERSIZE ME, part FAST FOOD NATION, with a great gross out ending. When a plumper of a stewardess is canned, she enrolls in a drastic weight reduction plan in order to achieve an ideal body shape. That doesn't sound so bad- I'm sure we've all fretted over our body at one point or another. The director Marcin turns our anxiety into pointed satire, and what becomes of the stewardess' gooey lard is the film's dirty little joke. You are, after all, what you eat.

Cineppets: Dan the Man

DAN IN REAL LIFE
Peter Hedges, dir; USA; 98"
Reviewed 10/23/07

Lately, little Rhody has been awash in film productions from UNDERDOG, to HARD LUCK, to 27 DRESSES. Each time a new film is trumpeted as being made in RI, anticipation soars that it will be the one that will put our petite state on the filmmaking map. So far, the cinematic scorecard hasn't been nearly so exciting as the recent Red Sox World Series run. I was looking forward to seeing DAN IN REAL LIFE. I like Steve Carell and the film sounded interesting- a widower falls in love with his brother's new girlfriend. Maybe this could be our big film breakthrough? I don’t think so; the reviews have been mixed. Add a dab of Carell's hang-dog expression, a dash of adorable children, a heaping of college-circuit star Dane Cook, top it all off with a generous dollop of Juliette Binoche, and you've got the ingredients for a cutesy-sweet comedy treat. But I think someone must have replaced the real sugar with Splenda, because by the end of watching the flick I had a bit of a headache. It was, at times, a little too indulgent. With DAN we see the limits of Steve's comedy. He stays close to his Charlie Brown shtick. The story calls for plenty of zany situations, as Steve spends a long weekend with his parents, siblings, daughters, nieces, nephews, and love interest in a cramped beachside cottage. I would have thought more booze would be needed, but apparently non-stop crossword tournaments and talent shows are the glue that keeps this family together. It's a good film for a bus ride, but prepare to leave feeling over-satiated: like drinking an Awful-Awful with your chocolate sundae.

Cineppets- and I'm sticking to it!

THE DARKNESS OF TRUTH
Kristian A Söderström, dir; Sweden; 60"
Reviewed at RIIFF 2007 (winner International Discovery Award)

When I saw this film at RIIFF, I happened to walk in at the last ten minutes. It was the middle of the day and I had a few moments to spare. Now, in the midst of the festival, when the staff is ramped up and expecting the next fire to stamp out, having a half-hour with nothing to do can be a scary thing. It's like being in the eye of a storm. You know there's more of the tempest left to come. So, instead of worrying about what's next, I figured I would try and relax and catch part of a flick. Which all leads me back to DARKNESS. It's not really a movie to kick back and let your thoughts unwind to: Sandra, a young female student, rents a room from Anna-Lisa – a middle-aged actress and former ballet dancer in Berlin. Sandra discovers Anna's diary and the nasty, bitchy entries that she has been posting about the young lodger. Tensions mount- Anna turns out to be a beautiful mess- and the movie climaxes with a shocking revelation. Since I saw the revelation first, what point is there in watching the rest of the film? Well, I did happen to meet the director Kristian and the leading actress Maria Fahl Vikander, who plays Anna. They were staying in Providence for the festival week and I really enjoyed chatting with them. After the festival, I thought I'd ought to see the rest of the film. I wasn't disappointed and, in fact, the ending had a punch that I hadn't experienced the first time I saw it. The loose, handheld cinematography lends itself well to building the story and made me feel like a silent spectator in a private drama.

Cineppets: Does this sound too cutesy?

I've just coined this word- it's a cross between Cine and Snippets. I don't know if I like it or not, but I thought I would put it up on the blog and see how it looked. Let me know what you think. Either this is the coolest thing since JLo or it belongs in the dumpster with Bennifer. Thanks.

Onto another Cine Snippet (or Cineppet):


"Family Reunion"
Godir Gestir, dir; ICELAND; 20 mins
Reviewed at RIIFF 2007

What at first appears to be a predictable story ends with a sweet twist. New York-based lesbian Katrin returns to her native Iceland for her grandfather's birthday carrying a secret that she doesn't know how to share. This is a tidy little film about love and acceptance.