chimera_s Reviews

Bez tytulu (1981)

genius

[8/10 · 21 January 2007]

This 4 minute short animation of Andrzej Baranski depicts powerfully what art or the artist itself is able to do with the world around him.

Could be a 10/10 with better music.

It also evokes thoughts about current media world: it is now too easy, if you have the mass tools under your control, to perform an execution without a trial.

It looks like a good intro for media-press courses at universities.

You should watch this gem.

verba volent scripta manent

Spoken words blow with the wind - but what is written will remain.

Pie in the Sky (1935)

jobless, homeless and still faithful ?

[9/10 · 5 January 2007]

It would be quite better to criticize this short production in the context of the great depression, that had wide consequences in the thirties. Otherwise, it's really too easy to put some tags like 'ordinary' or 'mean'.

The thirties in the States was lived rather polarized in the sense of social classes and this situation surely created its mirror images in the senses of various kind of artistic representations. Steiner, whom the frames of photography became not enough fruitful during that extraordinary period when masses marched, moved to make the movies of these masses. With the start of the 2nd WW and when the war economy absorbed many jobless masses in arms production in the States, the marching masses were no more there. And, we do not know any film of Steiner made after that era. Extraordinary periods leave extraordinary performances, thoughts and works in parallel; this movie is more understood when considered around this point.

Also an important point which comes up with Pie in the Sky is that, that Steiner refused practically just to document what was going on, he looked more the artistic way, like with his photography, and tried to tell the well known social stories his, the more indirect way. From this point of view, Pie in the Sky is a great success.

Religion and the relation of hungry, jobless masses with state-driven-religion is the main theme of this movie. The success in directing is located here: Steiner masterfully managed to make a satire out of this subject that smells much like 'our rulers, the priest, those having those cars, those in wealth have their pie ready when they wake up'. But yours is taken away just when you awaken. "The Lord had given, the Lord has taken away". You will have it though, when you die. Jobless, homeless and still faithful. Yes, it's possible. It's the way people are ruled still today, either in western or eastern, northern or southern countries. Just the texture changes: it is either Islam or Christianity.

Innocence (1997)

anti-heroic people who have nothing else to give except love

[10/10 · 8 December 2006]

An f word: Demirkubuz is maybe the only director in nowadays Turkey, who bothers himself with the everyday life, or life in general, of the so-called damned. This is one of the most obvious features of his filmography. Lives that are hidden behind the curtains, which go on when 'we', the 'ordinary' people sleep or work, or lives which we read about in the newspapers and blame (much more the case) or appreciate them. Lives that are not familiar with some words like big money, stocks, career, future plans, fame or how it is called in Turkey: pacayi siyirmak (similar to get off the hook). Those characters do not have or make plans for the next few months: they try to live the next day through, and as in Masumiyet, some decide to not to. There are always spontaneously opening doors in life, and it depends on you as the observer, or the reader-watcher of those "far away lives" to try to understand or to tell between seeing and looking. Masumiyet is a lecture for this, too.

The acting: Haluk Bilginer, one of the most famous and also well playing actors of Turkey really had better performances. Derya Alabora, quite well acting and let me no words to say. And, Guven Kirac. You can observe how a talented actor can act. He is that successful in acting in this movie that his playing builds up a big shadow over the whole scene going on through this film. He and the others mentioned are quite fine and professionally acting, which gives this film a taste of artificiality; something you might understand when you watch Kader (2006). The Story: both at the same time: minimalist and extraordinary. An important critic of TV in our everyday life is mixed in this descriptive narration. The directing: superb. Demirkubuz, might be regarded as a bridge between Dogma "philosophy" and Italian neo-realism. But certain scenes exist which interrupt the fluency of the film. When Yusuf (Guven Kirac) and the little girl (also referenced unnecessarily to Chaplin's The Kid in the film) arrive in Ankara and go to the place called KralDisco, there is a song in the background of the kurdish music group "Koma Amed". One can think that this music comes from inside of that place, but a sort of music which is totally unrelated to such places. This scene turns a trivia to a goof.

Finally: Demirkubuz managed to open an anti-heroic era in Turkish cinema, after the long lag of Yilmaz Guney (ceased in 1984). Lives of the outsiders defined without abstractions is one of his main routes. And, god thanks, he is doing this. This is a movie about people who have nothing else to offer except love and solidarity in the very bottom. About people living in a society where there is a sharp line between interests such as daily stocks figures or supply of daily bread.

Funny Games (1997)

White, is no more innocent !

[1 December 2006]

Well, read many of the comments on these pages, and think there is really little to add. But, I found Haneke's choice of colours remarkable. Those having the power -read it as violence, or vice versa- present themselves usually in whites: That is, even the seemingly innocent egg in its white shell presented or asked for with hands in white gloves is no more innocent under circumstances that make up our society. We love things presented to us in lyrical or innocent forms, and rulings first rule is: to exploit this. After acceptance of the ruling, it is too late to protest against. We still love white, but do not look what there is behind that colour. That is why we still vote. That is why we still high-rate all possible stupid TV shows, all that garbage giving examples of violence against humans, animals, the whole environment. Haneke really is one the most powerful metaphorists. Great movie.

Isle of Flowers (1989)

Das Kapital - de te fabula narratur

[10/10 · 1 December 2006]

If there is one out there who already read the "Das Kapital" of Marx, this film might look like well mastered image of that great book. Apart from this, you can feel the genius in this film's montage. A real gem for short film category. Anything, you just touch, buy, eat, drink or listen to is in fact not just itself. In this case, Jorge Furtado tells us what a single tomato hides in itself. Maybe one point lacking, that would have fulfilled the whole story: it would be a fulfilled circle, in regard to story telling (if ever in this case) if the wages of workers of that Japanese tomato plant owner were incorporated. Ie, how much mister suzuki gains, and how much from this is given as salary, and so the bare profit for mister suzuki. It is forcing you to watch over and over again, and to think, what really makes a human being coming after a pig in this world, for the 'chance' of getting some decayed food. Sure, it is a Brazilian movie, but: One thinks about Venezuelaen people that favor Chavez. I guess, those you see on the last screens, do vote for him and will, until they have more rights than those PiGS. And for last: this film told me the best Freedom definition i ever heard.

Destiny (2006)

pure life without dip

[10/10 · 1 December 2006]

Imagine a film, that makes you feel the hardness of the pavement you hit your head onto, once again. Imagine a film, the only thing you can do after leaving the cinema is shutting up your mouth. Imagine a film, that tells you the inside world of the taxi driver who is driving you home or to work.

This is thematic continuation of Masumiyet, but more in the flashback mode and hits much powerful than Masumiyet, although with a less experienced cast. The story tells us how the love of Bekir and Ugur (continued characters in Masumiyet) began, and the surroundings of them in their youth. But ! this is the apparent, the easily visible part of that film! The more important thematic gem, is the surroundings of these two characters, which appropriately fits the living-cultural-social conditions of the big populated suburbs of big cities of Turkey. This is not a documentary and not a love story with its simplest meaning and it is not realism; it is the reality itself. It's bone hard, that pulls you into the living of the 'damned', as termed by the bourgeois or religious jargon. The acting is, though Vildan Atasever got so much negative critics (my opinion, she is the leading cast, a very talented artist) superb. Keep also in mind that certain camera angels in very small locations are used masterfully. The story: do not look to the apparent love story going on ! Try to understand those circumstances and those people. People live the lives of conditions they are born into. It is a everyday news here in Turkey, that some people kill some other for not any reason that could be put into the borders of "western rationality". The best explaining word for this movie is a German word: Knallhart ! (not implying the film knallhart-2006 in any way) translated as tough enough, but which explains a more dramatic condition. That film is a real Knallhart of the last few years not only in the name of Turkish movie making. You can observe these lives in Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, and maybe all Latin America. For those watching this film with translation, either dubbed or subbed, many of the dialogs, i guess, will be more softly pronounced. Linguistic is the heart of a culture. And, Demirkubuz made his masterpiece by pulling out the heart of the streets of its shell and bringing it to the world of cinema. There is a world going on with very simple rules, when you are asleep.

and finally some trivial: Demirkubuz's 2001 movie Yazgi means also destiny or fate.