jazzest Reviews

I, You, He, She (1974)

Painfully Naked Honesty in Examination of Identity and Sexuality

[7/10 · 22 May 2005]

Some use film-making as a tool to reflect themselves and search their identities. With her first important feature, Je, tu, il, elle, Chantal Akerman relays this tradition, which has been established and inherited mostly by generations of female filmmakers, from Maya Deren to Rose Troche and Jennie Livingston. Like Deren, Akerman combines a traditional narrative and surrealistic ingredients, but Akerman's surrealism is more true-to-life than Deren's, as seen in a sugar-only diet of "Je" or a wrestling-like foreplay between "Je" and "Elle." Painfully naked honesty in these scenes shows how seriously Akerman is in need of examining her identity and sexuality.

(The surface of the film extremely resembles Stranger Than Paradise by Jim Jarmusch, completed in 1983; the two films share the three-episode plot and the B/W medium shots by the fixed camera without panning/tilting/dollying. But this may be irrelevant for viewing this Akerman film.)

Lost and Delirious (2001)

Neither Too Emotional nor Too Objective Story about Romance and Mutiny at All-Girl Boarding School

[7/10 · 22 May 2005]

A romance and a breakup between two girls develop into a mutiny at an all-girl boarding school--this sounds extremely familiar, but the outcome of Lost and Delirious is not, thanks to the fact that the film is neither the filmmaker Lea Pool's semi-autobiography nor one of her earlier works. As a veteran filmmaker, Pool puts a distance between the characters and herself; it produces a tone that is neither too emotional nor too objective. The contemporary touch is made subtly but noticeably, as the story takes place at a school where the girls play soccer and the teachers accept students' openly discussing love and sex in a classroom. The incredible acting of two leads, Piper Perabo and Jessica Paré, makes the girls believable. They look similar with each other; the combined castings may be called a mistake as it could confuse the viewers at least in the beginning.

Color Blossoms (2004)

For Ones who Love Both Asian Underground S&M and French New Wave

[2/10 · 22 May 2005]

If you are both a fan of the Asian underground S&M and a film nerd who loves the French New Wave, Color Blossoms is a film for you; otherwise, just not. Without questioning if it is suitable for the subject or not, the over stylization, directly borrowed from Last Year at Marienbad (Four mirrors reflect Madam Umeki simultaneously in the story that mixes the past and the present) and Godard (jump-cut, lettering, and a cameo appearance of a film snob), leads to a stretched S&M scene at the climax.

Some unnecessary settings seem to be added just to be exotic or eccentric. Madam Umeki (Keiko Matsuzaka and Harisu when young) has to be neither Japanese nor M-to-F transgender. Besides, her being a transgender is not believable with the appearances of Matsuzaka and Harisu. The lesbian intimacy between Madam Umeki and Mei Li (Teresa Cheung) is halfway; it must have been either intense or nothing.

Producing Adults (2004)

People Make an Effort to Do the Right Thing under Difficult Situations

[9/10 · 22 May 2005]

Nykvist-reminiscent photograph, slightly over-exposed with cold lights, warmly frames many happenings interwoven within one compelling story--a husband secretly has a vasectomy to avoid having a baby; knowing that, his wife attempts to get pregnant with a donated sperm at the clinic where she works; her boss, an old man, finds it and tries to force her to have sex with him; the wife escapes and then makes out with her bisexual female coworker; the husband catches them and the marriage is jeopardized; and the coworker gets married to her brother's roommate. Particularly touching among these incidents is the believable process that the wife, straight female Venla (Minna Haapkylä), comes to want an intimacy with another woman.

The viewers may feel that the story is a little dragging at first, but will be satisfied by the end, having seen everyone make an effort to do the right thing under difficult situations. Some creativity or originality in film-making might have helped the film to be a perfect masterpiece.

Ethan Mao (2004)

Gay Chinese-American Boy's Struggle in Hollywood-ish Crime Thriller

[7/10 · 9 May 2005]

If being multi-layered and multi-directional is a recent trend of the gay and lesbian cinema, Ehan Mao represents it very well; such a mainstream Hollywood format as a crime thriller frames such a specific argument as a struggle of gay Chinese-American boy Ethan Mao (Jun Hee Lee) against his family members. The excellence on the former must help the film to gain larger audience. The excellence on the latter is enhanced by the dynamics of his family members: successful and confident father, controlling step-mother who is a former actress, "good-boy" older step-brother, and gay-ish younger brother. Along with Ethan's lover Remigio (Jerry Hernandez), all characters are portrayed more or less positively--"feeling-better" may not be needed for this film's viewers; it may even reduce the film's intensity and may make the argument unclear.

One flashback sequence is inserted at a very precise moment, seemingly to confuse the audience--when Ethan and Remigio fall asleep while overseeing Ethan's family at night in the real world, a flashback of their waking up in their apartment appears. This makes the spectators wonder, at least for a moment, if what has been going on is Ethan's dream; if intentional, it is too gimmicky and unnecessary.

Nine Lives (2004)

Contemporary U.S. Gay Version of La Ronde; Uninteresting and Poorly Done

[1/10 · 9 May 2005]

In this contemporary U.S. gay version of La Ronde, nine persons relay portrayals of their lives in a day from one to another; simply, each character and his/her life described are not interesting enough. Towards the end, casting a married heterosexual African-American couple, whose wife says a clichéd statement of a well-educated, successful black female, ruins the otherwise consistent tone of the film, as all other characters are gay white males (except her husband). Explicit gay sex scenes seem to have little or no relation to the argument and make the film look like a pornography. Poor cinematography and sound also hurt.

My Summer of Love (2004)

Intense Emotion That Only Lesbian Romance May Attain

[7/10 · 9 May 2005]

There is a type of intense emotion that only a lesbian romance may attain, and you will experience it through the character development in and at the end of My Summer of Love, a straightforward and a little old-fashioned lesbian film. As suffocated from her religious brother and tired with her married male lover, Mona (Nathalie Press) falls for a little older, sophisticated, and intelligent Tamsin (Emily Blunt). Their mutual feeling is slowly grown and then is crystallized into a touching scene: their silhouettes' confessing love for each other before a fire. At the end, after Mona learns that Tamsin is different from what she has presented and just wanted to have a summer fling with Mona, Mona's feeling explodes and she attempts drowning Tasmin, before the very last picture of Mona walking alone, which is reminiscent of the last scene of The 400 Blows.

You I Love (2004)

Still Refreshingly Young Post-Perestroika Russian Film with Gay Romance

[6/10 · 8 May 2005]

Innocently playing with modern Moscow's racial diversity (e.g., an African-American executive in an advertisement agency), capitalism (e.g., an overly clichéd CM: "What is Love?" "Love is Cola!"), and, of course, gay romance, You, I Love proves that the Post-Perestroika Russian cinema still remains refreshingly young. MTV-influenced editing and post-pro techniques boast their variety: the fast-paced-slideshow on the first date of Vera (Lyubov Tolkalina) and Tim (Evgeny Koryakovsky), the mixing-reality-and-dream montage on Vera's reflection during her bathing, and the flashback sequence with fast-paced editing and over-exposure on Vera's hallucination during her physical therapy. The appearance of Uloomji (Damir Badmaev) is annoyingly unsophisticated; this casting choice may be due to producing a sense of reality considering his character, but, hey, this is a slick flick whose other two leads are good-looking as if they were movie stars.

Eros thérapie (2004)

Two Hetero Males Triumph over Two Lesbians in Emotionally Manipulated Relationship Game

[4/10 · 8 May 2005]

In this lightly stylish prototypical contemporary Euro flick with an overly twisted plot, inherited-off the Fassbinder-Almodóvar tradition, two heterosexual males, a middle-aged attorney and his young buddy, play an emotionally manipulated relationship game against a lesbian couple, the attorney's wife and a young film critic. The French Jazzy Pop sound track, featuring pseudo-Milt-Jackson-like vibraphone, adds a fashionable tone to the film. The conclusion, the hetero men's triumph over the lesbians, could be an antithesis to the mainstream lesbian cinema whose majority is morally oriented, could be just a sell-out to the hetero male audience, or even could be the filmmaker Danièle Dubroux's thoughtless usage of lesbianism as a storytelling gadget; in any case, it is not appealing.

Desperate Living (1977)

Metaphysical Format Reduces Power of Waters's Attack on American Value

[5/10 · 8 May 2005]

After rich housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) accidentally murders her husband and runs away with her overweight black maid Grizelda Brown (Jean Hill) to Mortville, a community of outcasts and criminals ruled by Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey), Desperate Living starts losing the power of John Waters's greatest merit--attack on the norm of the American value. For a Waters film, the more fictitious and metaphysical its format is, the less effective the outcome of his attack is; that's why realistic (for Waters) Female Trouble is intense but fairytale-ish Desperate Living is not. Freaky actors screaming and doing nonsense are amusing to watch, but, needless to say, missing irreplaceable Divine is a significant disadvantage for early Waters.

Female Trouble (1974)

Brutally Exposing, With Amplification, Hideous Reality of U.S. Suburb

[6/10 · 8 May 2005]

The major reason why John Waters has emerged as one of the most distinctive American filmmakers with his early cheap and trashy flicks in the 70s and why people still watch them as cult classics is that they brutally expose, with amplification, the hideous reality of the U.S. suburb under its beautiful surface. One of his early masterpieces, Female Trouble, presents such suburbia stigmas as dysfunctional family, rape, teenage pregnancy, and domestic violence, in a straightforward and realistic (for Waters) story.

Waters photographs and edits by himself; his frequent technique (up to this work) of introducing a scene with a CU of an object then zooming out looks amateurish but works well in the context. The leading actor/actress, miraculous drag queen Divine's trampoline performance before the catastrophe is just unforgettable.

Contempt (1963)

Arguably Godard's Best Film, Undoubtedly One of the Best Works in Cinema

[10/10 · 31 January 2005]

Here are what Contempt, by French director Jean-Luc Godard, made in 1963, is about--an examination on a relationship in jeopardy, which has been one of the most universal themes in cinema, and which is probably inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni's trilogy; a struggle in film-making as a side-theme, which may be Godard's self-reflective expression; the international star cast including Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, and Jack Palance, along with the cameo appearance of legendary German filmmaker Fritz Lang; well-choreographed long takes, which are sometimes several minutes in length, and which could be also influenced by Antonioni; inclusion of three montage sequences that comprise sliced flashback and flashforward clips, which create a remarkable contrast to the long takes; beautifully photographed sceneries, especially of the sea; and the memorable orchestral score with sentimental arpeggio by Georges Delerue.

Being both unique and universal, and being perfectly executed, Contempt is arguably Godard's best film, and undoubtedly one of the best works in cinema.

Alien (1979)

Simplicity in Storytelling and Art Direction Makes the Film Timeless

[6/10 · 31 January 2005]

The very reason of the huge and continuing success of this 25-year-old sci-fi classic may be the simplicity in its storytelling and its art direction, which has seemingly made the film timeless and universal.

A simple And-Then-There-Were-None type of story has no era-related influence from the late 70s, while many sci-fi films tend to mirror the world at the time they are made. Staged mostly in a closed environment inside a spaceship and briefly on an unknown planet far from Earth, the film practically has no connection to any particular culture.

The designs of aliens' colony on the planet and of the alien by H. R. Giger must have been remarkably cutting-edge back in the time; for contemporary eyes, they look rather simply beautiful. The title design at the opening is also appropriately simple: Green LED-like lights turn on one by one to form the letters of "ALIEN."

The film doesn't look old at all after 25 years and probably will never do. This is one of great examples that simplicity attains eternity.

Spaceballs (1987)

Great Attempt to Make Ultimate Sci-Fi Encyclopedic Spoof; Only Wish Acting was Better

[3/10 · 31 January 2005]

Many film fans would appreciate the director Mel Brooks's attempt to make an ultimate sci-fi encyclopedic spoof; they may only wish the acting was better. Spoof films may have tolerance for deficiencies on some technical aspects--for example, cinematography may not have to be fabulous; but acting can never be poor. Spaceballs may prove that bad acting makes any type of films unbearable.

Aside from the acting, sci-fi fans would enjoy parodies of numerous sci-fi classic films, including Star Wars, Alien, and Planet of the Apes. Also, the film has probably the best meta-film moment ever made in film history: the scene that the Spaceball crew watches the videotape of Spaceballs, which shows the precisely synchronized scene that the Spaceball crew watches the videotape of Spaceballs.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

After the 2004 Election, Now the Film Serves as a Satirical Documentary that Chronicles These Four Years

[6/10 · 27 January 2005]

Since the director Michael Moore made Fahrenheit 9/11 as a political propaganda to have George W. Bush lose in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, regardless of its result, the main role of the film is over once the election was done. Though Bush won and the film's objective was unfulfilled, it had certainly produced notable effects during the election campaign; many on both sides must have learned about Bush's history from the film. Hats off to Moore, for that matter.

Now after the election, what values does the film have? , Moore's almost primitive techniques of manipulation, mostly on editing, which might be installed to make the best impact on the U.S. entire population, could be an obstacle for the film to be an objectively documented masterpiece. In the future, the film may be likely viewed as a satirical or even cartoonish documentary that chronicles these bizarre four years under the Bush administration, from Bush's tricky victory in the 2000 election to 9/11 to the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.

The L Word (I) (2004–2009)

Well-Done TV Series about Lesbians with Universal Themes that Appeal to All Audience

[27 January 2005]

This artistically well-done Showtime-made TV series primarily focuses on portrayal of lesbians in their 20s to 40s as urban professionals and deals with their everyday issues; at the same time, thematic materials such as working on relationships or struggling against temptations have universal qualities so that any open-minded persons, regardless of gender and sexual orientation, can associate with the happenings in the show. Also, dramas without males' chauvinistic nature create a uniquely comfortable mood, which even the straight audience may feel refreshing. Gaining a wide range of supporters and fans beyond the lesbian community must be a big factor of the show's success, which made it possible for the series to continue to Season Two.

Speaking of the show's success, one cannot overlook its artistic merits, which are extraordinary as a TV show's. Many incidents are interwoven into one compelling story; a lovable ensemble cast that consists of a variety of personas engages in acting; and the director of photography Robert Aschmann takes full advantage of his skills and creativity in amazing long takes, aggressive crane shots, and illuminative lightings. There is inconsistency among episodes on writing, directing, and editing due to the fact that several different artists have worked on each episode; this drawback may be inevitable for a TV series. Among writers and directors, Rose Troche, the legendary director of Go Fish, writes believable dialogues and directs intimate scenes with crafts, while Lenka Svab stands out among editors, dazzling and mesmerizing the viewers with a deliberate disorientation. Some writers make homage to historic filmmakers such as Godard, Cassavetes, and Soderbergh by having the characters refer to them; this is a tiny detail but certainly amuses film fans.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

Surprisingly Plain Comedy as Leiner's, Only Significance is to Cast Minority Leads

[6/10 · 15 September 2004]

Danny Leiner's following up to his well-calculated camp movie, Dude, Where's My Car?, is a surprisingly plain comedy, whose only significance is to cast Asian-American and Indian-American male leads as vehicles of a social commentary. The casting certainly evokes several controversies--for example, while most Americans know very well that there are many Gen-X or Gen-Y types among Asian-Americans and Indian-Americans, why does Hollywood rarely portray them in this film's manner? Leiner and company may bring up these issues to make changes, and maybe to find some commercial niche. The next should be Dude, Where's My Car? with ethnic minority leads; we gotta smash the current Hollywood casting standard that only whites can play loser roles. (grin)

The Ring (2002)

Hollywood Polishes Japanese Inexpensive Original

[6/10 · 15 September 2004]

This American remake of a Japanese inexpensive but ambitious horror, Ringu, shows what Hollywood can do in order to give a film production a better surface. The U.S. version, The Ring, arguably has a better content of the cursed videotape, with an apparent influence from the surrealism. The viewers may be more easily identified with The Ring's Noah (Martin Henderson), who is skeptical about supernatural phenomena, than with Ringu's Ryoji (Hiroyuki Sanada), who possesses an ESP. In The Ring, the protagonist's son Aidan (David Dorfman) has more significant role, in both storytelling and creating the atmosphere (wearing the archetypical Hollywood's horror-flick makeup), than the Japanese counterpart does. Several details added in the American version (e.g., a horse jumping into the sea from a ferry) deepen the backdrop, while the post-production that manipulates the pictures into a blue tone generates a chilly mood. Overall, in this case, what Hollywood offers works, resulting in making a more polished entertainment.

Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)

Well-Stylized Cheap, Cheesy, Campy Cinema

[6/10 · 15 September 2004]

This Danny Leiner's first smash hit may make the viewers stand in awe of the tradition of cheap, cheesy, and campy cinema in the U.S. independent scene, while proving that the genre has entered a new era--it has been established with formula and now you need craftsmanship to make a good one. Dude, Where's My Car? is well stylized with coherent usages of low techniques: an arbitrary story, amateurish acting, free camera movements like a home video piece (and this is in fact well done), an art direction with emphasis on tackiness, titles that appear to be made by an Adobe AfterEffects newbie, and so on. Oh, you can't forget showing your love for the B-grade cinema, as Leiner makes homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman in the film's climax.

Ringu (1998)

New Horror with Technology-Inclined Plot Becomes Instant Classic

[5/10 · 15 September 2004]

Generally, now is a hard time for the genre of horror movie, as advanced technology fills in our daily lives and excludes supernatural phenomena. Under that circumstance, Ringu is an audacious attempt to take technology into a horror flick, using videotape as a storytelling tool, and probably thanks to that, it has become an instant classic. (Though, those who are familiar with the videotaping technology may want a more logical explanation on how the supernatural power contrived in the film works to make a video recording.)

The production is small but overall decently done, while several flaws are out there. Ryuji (Hiroyuki Sanada) shouldn't have an ESP; the plot would be more thrilling and the audience might be more identified with him, if an ordinary person got involved and struggled. Towards the end, the scene of draining water from the well is dull without building a right tension as a climax.

Wild at Heart (1990)

Over-The-Top Love Story by Lynch's Excellent Directing

[7/10 · 15 September 2004]

With a simple road movie format rather than a complicated plot that he normally writes, David Lynch makes this over-the-top love story, almost exclusively relying on his excellent directing. Laura Dern, a second-timer for Lynch's films, is genuinely fitted into Lula, an impulsive and traumatized young woman, while Nicolas Cage convincingly performs Sailor, a young working-class man trapped in a twisted destiny. The two leads are undoubtedly the key factors for the film's achievement, but Lynch must be the one who elicits their superb performances. Side-characters, who commit perversive murders and sexual activities, are filled with Lynch's signature bizarreness in both appearances and personalities. Various kinds of music, from classical to Presley to heavy metal, collectively produce a timeless sense, another trademark of the director. A sort of happy ending is little compelling; this is one of the film's very few drawbacks but a big one, leaving the audience with a weakened final impression.

Nicotina (2003)

Diluted Pulp Fiction from Producer of Amores Perros

[4/10 · 8 September 2004]

As the director Hugo Rodriguez referred the film by Quentin Tarantino at the preview screening at Landmark Sunshine Cinema in New York City (August 18, 2004), this new Mexican film is highly influenced by Pulp Fiction, similar to the producer Martha Sosa Elizondo's previous film Amores Perros. Most Pulp-Fiction-like ingredients--interlocked stories about four groups of people (not nonlinear, though), two gangsters' insignificant conversation on smoking and coincidence, extreme close-ups of objects--are so light that the audience may feel even irritated. Drawing the viewers' attention to a specific happening on a part of the screen with a rectangle is cheesy and redundant; even without it the viewers would look at what the filmmakers want them to watch. The title may be inappropriate as cigarette doesn't have a significant meaning in the plot.

Blue Velvet (1986)

Lynch's First Apex in Film-making Sets Course for His Later Success to Come

[9/10 · 8 September 2004]

The Blue Velvet marks David Lynch's first apex in his film-making career and sets the right course for his later success to come. For the first time, Lynch creates a world with a dual structure, a peaceful surface of an American small town and an underground crime scene behind it, which would become the director's trademark in his more recent masterpieces such as Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. In addition, hairstyles, clothes, and daily commodities like phones and cars, are a mish-mash of various eras from the 50s to the 80s, producing senses of timeless and confusion; this would also become Lynch's distinctive signature in the future. Casting is great--relatively unknown Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, and Kyle MacLachlan from Lynch's previous film Dune are perfect for their roles, while veteran Dennis Hopper offers one of his best performances as a violent drag addict.

Femme Fatale (2002)

De Palma's Style Exploration Almost Successful Until Ending

[7/10 · 27 August 2004]

(Spoilers Included)

In this updated-to-the-21st-century noir piece, Brian De Palma's exploration on style is almost successful until the ending, which concludes that most part of the story has taken place in a dream of protagonist Laure (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). The film should have finished with an intense destiny of Laure and Nicolas (Antonio Banderas); the turning-out-to-be-a-dream ending may indicate that the film's main argument is to present that cheap trick, or that De Palma might have not been able to find a better solution.

The film's most outstanding merit may be incredible cinematography with extreme angles, long takes, and effective usages of reflection, including the one on TV screen showing Double Indemnity at the film's beginning. A twisted plot, complicated characters, and some erotic spices contribute to enhancement of the style altogether. Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto adds a classy mood, scoring with strong influences from the Impressionism and the Expressionism--the opening tune Bolerish might have been written to substitute Ravel's Bolero, which may be still copyrighted.

Spirited Away (2001)

More Sophisticated And Less Spirited Than Early Miyazaki

[5/10 · 27 August 2004]

(A Little Spoilers Included)

As Hayao Miyazaki's fame grows internationally, his Japanimation productions become more sophisticated, more aware of the Western audience (In Spirited Away, the viewers can see the Western influence on some characters' facial features, most namely, Yubaba's), and, at the same time, less spirited than his earlier works. While Spirited Away may be one of the most well-designed productions of his, the story is relatively simple and focuses on a single argument, greed, which occasionally gets too ugly. Some settings are weak or absurd without reasonable explanations (e.g., why does Yubaba have to offer a job to anyone who's willing to work? What's the point that Haku, the lover of Sen/Chihiro, used to be a river in "our" world?). Composer Jo Hisaishi appropriately enhances the neutral nature of the film with a John-Adams-ish indistinguishable post-minimalism score.