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.

---

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 p 

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.

---

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

25 more horror films to watch for Halloween

Haunted House Hamburgers in Farmingdale New York

On Sunday I posted a piece from 2018 that listed 25 horror films you probably haven’t seen before, With Halloween two weeks away I’ve thrown together a quick list of 25 more recent horror films that I haven’t seen talked about much since the release and haven’t been on any list I’ve seen. (I was going to include The Coffee Table but that keeps popping into my time line

There is no order or preference for this list – just films worth your time

RED ROOMS recent film about a woman following a murder trial 

HOUSE OF SCREAMING GLASS throw back to a 1970’s drive in movie about a woman who inherits a school from her grandmother  

STING is about spiders from space in a brownstone in Brooklyn during a blizzard 

WHAT YOU WISH FOR a chef subs for a friend and well things go side ways 

IT LIVES INSIDE scary horror film about a demon that is released 

YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME on a dark and stormy night a woman knocks on a man’s door 

THE BLACKENING is the typical old friends get together for a reunion and one of them is a killer. Genre breaking horror comedy is a delight 

SILENT MADNESS 1984 3D film a bout a killer on the loose. One of the best films spawned by Halloween and Friday the 13th 

MINORE a giant monster in the sea off Greece  

GODLESS THE EASTFIELD EXORCISM what happens when a couple tries to deal with mental health issues and discovers it’s way more than that. On of the best exorcist films I’ve run across. It’s genuinely scary. 

CRAWLSPACE (2022) A workman is trapped under the floor of a deserted cabin when  some bad people show up to do some bad things. 

NIGHTSIREN one of the best films of 2022 is what happens when a woman returns home to her mother’s house in the woods. 

THE LAKE (2022) a giant monster lives in a lake. 

DEADLAND is the story of a sheriff who picks up a man on the side of the road… and sets in motion supernatural revenge  

THE BUNKER (2023)  during World War 1 some soldiers cross the battle field and find something in the trench across the way that should have remained locked up 

LEGIONS demons and exorcists and really scary shit 

LORE recent horror anthology that actually has all good stories. 

DARK INTRUDER Leslie Nielsen stars in a film that was almost a pilot for a TV show. Think of Kolchak set in turn of the 20th century San Francisco 

EXHUMA recent Korean horror film about a ghost that is dug up that will mess you up- and make you want a sequel  

ABIGAIL probably the biggest film here and is too much fun not to include- it’s the story of a group of people who are hired to kidnap a little girl but aren’t told she’s a vampire 

BLOOD VESSEL if you can go with the rhythms of the film, this tale of people fleeing on a ship to a better life only to find it a deadly place will keep you on the edge of your seat l

WHERE EVIL LURKS f-ed up take of two brothers who don’t fo the right thing when they find out a demon is a bout to be born and thus doom their community. Wrong on so many levels you won’t sleep afterward. 

EVERYONE WILL BURN a woman about to kill herself meets a young girl and the reality is things go  really bad from there 

WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS the Adams family nightmare about a group of performers who do disturbing things 

SHAKY SHIVERS horror comedy about two girls, one of which is werewolf 

As you can see there are dozens of great horror films to see beyond the typical Freddy, Jason, Michael and chainsaw one.

I will leave you to track them down.

I Will Never Leave You Alone (2024) opens Friday

I WILL NEVER LEAVE  YOU ALONE is one of the best films at Popcorn Frights and one of the great discoveries of 2024. A small scale, seemingly run of the mill horror film which ups the chills by degrees as it goes.

The plot has Richard getting out of prison. He is gets what he thinks is a cushy care taker job, but is something else entirely. His job is to stay in houses where people died and perform ceremonies that will cleanse the house of evil spirits. It doesn’t help that his boss is a bit crazy and that there is witch tree in the back with a witch supposedly buried under it…it all goes wrong as he is locked into the house.

It gets worse.

Watching the film I was just kind of going along thinking this was just going to be the run of the mill sort of thing, and then it started to go side ways and I started muttering to no one in particular. “That’s messed up” was definitely said a couple of times.

Brilliantly made the film turns things on their head by having a lot of the scary stuff in the day light. The monsters are not in the dark hidden by shadows but right there in front of us. It makes the shadows even more scary. Frankly there are images in this film which will haunt my dreams (the ones that made me mutter “that’s messed up”

If you love horror films you have to see this. Even if you don’t love it like I do I think you will enjoy that joyous fact it isn’t a retread of every other horror film out there.

Highly recommended.

Oppurtunity (2024)

Rusty Rehl's OPPORTUNITY is a blast. A comedic caper it's a great mix of comedy and humor and something that needs to be tracked down.

The plot of the film has Pat living in his van. He's given up his life of crime, but things are not going his way. When a friend tells him he has a deal that can get him the money for a house, he begins to waiver. As he gets sucked in things begin to go sideways things he realizes he's in over his head and the crazy people he's dealing with, including a bunch or Mormon mobsters may end up killing him.

This film is a great deal of fun. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this little gem. Funny, suspenseful and extremely entertaining, OPPORTUNITY is just a delight. Honestly it's one of the great discoveries of the year.

This is Rehl's first feature, and it doesn't feel like it. Often when people jump from shorts to features they don't handle the longer form well, but Rehl hits it out of the park. 

It helps that that the cast is  right there with him. They deserve kudos for walking the fine line between comedy and suspense.

What a joy.

This is a film you need to track down not just because its a great deal of fun, but it's calling card of Rusty Rehl who is going to do great things.

Burmese Harp (1956) opens at Film Forum October 18

With THE BURMESE HARP opening in a restore version at the Film Forum here is a piece I posted about ten years ago.

One of the first films I wanted to right up for Unseen was Kon Ichikawa‘s Harp of Burma or The Burmese Harp. Despite numerous efforts to do so I never have. The problem for me is that the film is so powerful and so moving to me that I can’t find the words. To me the humanity in the film is so powerful that it obliterates any of the flaws of the film (it’s a tad too mannered at times).

The film is set at the close of the Second World War in the Pacific. As the Japanese rally and try to make sense of what is going on one of their number will keep their spirits up by playing the harp. When the hostilities finally end, the men are placed into a camp by the Allies. However word of the end of the war hasn’t reached all the Japanese positions so they ask the prisoners if one would go into one of the strongholds and try to talk the men into surrendering. A man named Mizushima goes.The meeting doesn’t go well, he isn’t believed and the men think he is a traitor and they elect to fight to the last man. The end comes sooner then they think when the shelling resumes everyone is is killed. Everyone that is except Mizushima, who staggers out into the jungle. Not sure of what to do or where to go he wanders the countryside horrified that the bodies of his fellow comrades have been left to rot and decay where they were killed. Deciding he cannot allow this to be he decides to bury all of the dead where ever he finds them.

Almost five years on at Unseen I still don’t have the words. This film floors me each and every time I see it. And every time I see it I try to explain why it moves me so but I can’t find the words. What I always stumble on is how the film is a near perfect antiwar film, and how it is a touching memorial for those who died. It’s not just Japanese who died but anyone who died. We will remember. We will return you to a place of dignity despite the indignities of war and of your death. This is the return of humanity after the inhumanity of war.

I am beyond words. This film places me to somewhere that is all emotion and nothing else.

I don’t know what to say beyond just see it other than to say this is on my list of the greatest films ever made.

Animation is Film Festival starts this week

I wish ANIMATION IS FILM was in New York because I could get to go. One of the best programmed animation festivals it has bumped uncomfortably against both the New York Film Festival and Doc NYC so I can't make time to fly out.

I have been covering the festival in one form or another since it starts and I've had a blast. The festival is a great look at the films that are going to be big in the final months of the year. This year the fest is running FLOW, MEMOIRS OF A SNAIL, INSIDE OUT 2, COLORS WITHIN and THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP A LOONEY TUNES movie all of which are potentially in the running for an Oscar.  It's a one stop shop for Oscar an animation junkies.

As this posts I'm trying to get access to those and other films. I'm trying to work out what I can get to here in NYC (I have press screening invites) and what I can wrangle other ways. I hope to have more coverage coming.

For now I've seen two of the films screening:

I saw REDLINE in 2012 and it blew me away. My brief reference at Unseen back then was as follows: "the Madhouse produced anime Redline. Its a wild and weird science fiction race film,that is just so wonderfully over the top I can't recommend it enough." It's a great deal of fun- and even more so on a big screen.

BOYS GO TO JUPITER was a film I saw at Tribeca earlier this year. It's a low fi animated film with its own bent view of the world (it feels like something from a couple decades back). I had a number of discussions at Tribeca about the film. It split audiences, some people loved it, some people were less enthused. I had a long discussion with an animator who saw the film multiple times at that festival and he said that the director is well aware it's not for everyone, but he is okay with it because it's the film he wanted to make.

For now if you are in Los Angeles or can get there go buy some tickets and go. The website is here.

KENSUKE'S KINGDOM opens October 18

Young Michael and his dog end up falling overboard during a storm while they were sailing around the world.  He washes up on a lost island. He is taken in by the reclusive Kensuke who has been there for years living with and taking care of the animals on the island.

I was not a fan of the early part of this film which was the set up. We’d been there before and Michael was in sufferable. I wanted to drown the kid. However once Michael is stranded the film begins to pick up and by the time the orangutans show  up I was fully invested. Then by the time end came I was an emotional mess.

I absolutely loved this film a great deal. The emotional arc was masterful and the fact the film doesn’t shy away from sadness (the ending is heart breaking) or disturbing (you though the death of Bambi’s mother was bad, you ain’t seen nothing) gives the film an emotional weight that is rare in any film, never mind animated. I think Joe Bendel was correct in comparing the film to the film THE RED TURTLE from a few years back since it was the last time I remember an animated film had this much weight.

Part of the reason the film works is the animation and the vocal performances. Rarely has character animation been this good in any films. The characters seem alive, both human and animal with each one given small nuances that make them more life like then even your typical Studio Ghibli release. Add to it a vocal performance as good as the one Ken Wantanabe gives and you instantly have something that should be in the running for a Best Actor Oscar. I’m serious about that.

This is something you need to see, and bring tissues because you will get misty.