Category: 2010

The Silence (2010, Baran bo Odar)

There’s always something to be said for a new approach to a standard genre. The Silence is a murder mystery, kind of a cold case one, kind of not, kind of serial killer, kind of not. Director bo Odar tries really hard in the end to give the film a singular ending and he fails. Once the third act is underway, it all of a sudden becomes entirely predictable.

All of these predictable events are entirely realistic and digestible… they just aren’t necessarily for the film to succeed. The film is almost entirely amazing for the first ninety minutes, stumbles a bit–but on to steady ground–then bo Odar just keeps going and going until he’s exhausted it. The weary cast members all get a montage at the end. It makes sense, but doesn’t work.

The film doesn’t have a central protagonist. Sebastian Blomberg plays a crack detective who is a recent widower and no one thinks he’s up to the task of solving a resurfaced serial killer. Except his now retired boss (Burghart Klaußner) and erstwhile partner (Jule Böwe). Poor Böwe gets bo Odar’s greatest disservice in some odd misogyny–the only female cop, it turns out she’s only good for supportive hugs.

Good performances from Wotan Wilke Möhring and Claudia Michelsen too. Everyone’s good, it’s just bo Odar shows his hand too much to make The Silence seem different. Then it’s not.

Wonderful photography from Nikolaus Summerer.

bo Odar’s an excellent director. He just tries too hard.

1.5/4★½

CREDITS

Directed by Baran bo Odar; screenplay by bo Odar, based on the novel by Jan Costin Wagner; director of photography, Nikolaus Summerer; edited by Robert Rzesacz; music by Michael Kamm and Kris Steininger; production designers, Christian M. Goldbeck and Yesim Zolan; produced by Frank Evers, Jantje Friese, Maren Lüthje, Florian Schneider and Jörg Schulze; released by NFP Marketing & Distribution.

Starring Sebastian Blomberg (David Jahn), Burghart Klaußner (Krischan Mittich), Jule Böwe (Jana Gläser), Oliver Stokowski (Matthias Grimmer), Wotan Wilke Möhring (Timo Friedrich), Claudia Michelsen (Julia Friedrich), Karoline Eichhorn (Ruth Weghamm), Roeland Wiesnekker (Karl Weghamm), Katrin Saß (Elena Lange) and Ulrich Thomsen (Peer Sommer).

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F–K (2010, R.E. Rodgers)

So F–K is a promotional short for the Labyrinth Theater Company in New York. Can you appreciate and enjoy the short without knowing anything about the company?

Maybe.

Yeah, of course you can. Sam Rockwell doing a riff on Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man is going to be funny no matter what and he works well with Leslie Bibb.

The short is split into five different sections, each with the principal trying to figure out where the theater is located. Maybe. Doesn’t really matter, not when you’ve got Christopher Meloni (and Mariska Hargitay) aping for the camera. Hargitay’s just there for the “Law & Order” joke, but Meloni goes all out in comedic wildness.

Nice little stuff from Jesse L. Martin and especially Bob Balaban, who finds himself trying to bargain with a little kid.

F–K’s strange and director Rodgers’s hostile, but it’s one of the better commercials ever.

2/3Recommended

CREDITS

Edited and directed by R.E. Rodgers; produced and written by Ed Vassallo; director of photography, Rodgers.

Starring Bobby Cannavale (Bobby), Eric Bogosian (Eric), Christopher Meloni (Chris), Mariska Hargitay (Mariska), Sam Rockwell (Sam), Yul Vazquez (Yul), Leslie Bibb (Leslie), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Daphne), Bob Balaban (Bob), Luca Ariel Constanzo (Luca), Jesse L. Martin (Jesse) and Tomoko Miyagi (Tomoko).

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The Gift (2010, Carl Rinsch)

The Gift is yet another “short film as demo reel”… only all it does is show director Rinsch’s inability to construct an acceptable four minute short.

The first problem–not the biggest, just the first–is the bad composites. The CG is decent (rather good lighting on it, even), but the compositor doesn’t match it to the film stock. Sorry, DV stock. Roman Vasyanov’s photography is occasionally good and the CG mismatch hurts it. I qualify with occasionally because Vasyanov shoots well outside and mediocrely inside.

The second problem, probably the biggest, is Rinsch’s direction itself. His composition is geared towards selling the special effects, not telling a story or laying out a set piece. There’s a big chase at the end and Rinsch distinguishes himself as a terrible chase director. It’s a terrible sequence, primarily because Rinsch seems disinterested. So why include it?

The Gift gives nothing, just wastes.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Written and directed by Carl Rinsch; director of photography, Roman Vasyanov; edited by Dan Swietlik and Dayn Williams; music by Amon Tobin; produced by Margo Maas Geesteranus; released by Phillips.

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Batman: The Widening Gyre (2009) #6

Batman The Widening Gyre 6

Maybe DC did the whole “New 52” thing so they’d never have to address the terrible developments in Widening Gyre.

I’d respect them for that motive.

It’s just not a bad finish, with Smith killing off a familiar DC character, but a bad issue overall. Batman breaks into the Fortress of Solitude for a date with Silver. He’s got on his goofy white snow Bat-suit. Smith writes him actual banter with the goat head guy.

Then there’s the callouts to Frank Miller–Smith reveals Batman wet himself in Year One and the idiot shrink from Dark Knight shows up. It’s almost like Smith set out to write a comic to show how not to write Batman.

Oh, I forgot. There’s even banter with Deadshot. Batman ties him up for making a joke, not for committing a crime. It’s hideous.

Smith excessively congratulates himself for his singularly atrocious Batman characterization.

Motherland (2010, Hannes Appell)

Motherland wasn’t made with a reference copy of Film Symbolism for Dummies handy. Director Appell apparently had a copy of Film Symbolism for Complete Freaking Morons on hand instead. It’s painful to watch, especially towards the end. Appell actually gets worse after aping the little girl in red from Schindler’s List. I didn’t know you could get cheaper with sentimentality than ripping off Schindler’s List, but Appell manages.

The short is a mix of CG and live action. The design–combining Soviet architecture and Nazi Germany visual staples–isn’t bad. The CG isn’t particularly good though. Stevo Arendt’s photography is awful. It doesn’t match the CG lighting and Appell’s ambitions for Motherland flop due to its technical incompetencies.

As for the acting… none of the actors speak, which is probably a good thing. They’re terrible without dialogue; they’d probably be worse with it.

It’s a risible attempt at “deep” filmmaking.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Written and directed by Hannes Appell; co-directed by Krystof Zlatnik; director of photography, Stevo Arendt; music by David Christiansen; produced by Libor Tesacek and Felix Vollmar.

Starring Simona Sbaffi (Mother), Christina Uhland (Daughter), Moritz Gaa (Worker), Ulrich K. Günther (Capitalist) and Bernhard Linke (Soldier).

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Golf in the Kingdom (2010, Susan Streitfeld)

Given director Streitfeld’s poor choice of a fractured narrative, it’s hard to say what would make this adaptation of Golf in the Kingdom better. Someone other than Mason Gamble in the lead, however, would probably make it a little more tolerable.

While her dialogue is severely overdone (except for the women, who get away with long-winded exposition while even the best male actors eventually fail), Streitfeld puts Gamble with some fine character performances. Not to mention David O’Hara’s dynamic performance as a mystical golf pro who challenges Gamble’s world view all through talk of golf.

Golf might play slightly better if one loves golf, but even someone disinterested in that subject can appreciate some of the script’s finer observations (presumably from the source novel). O’Hara always manages to spit out these observations with enthusiasm, but it just gets to be too much. Streitfeld’s dialogue isn’t strong enough clear the muddled exposition hurdle, which she seems to realize at other times and use a dinner party device to get it out.

The film looks beautiful–Streitfeld can compose the shots, she just can’t piece them together into something meaningful (or direct her lead actor). Arturo Smith’s photography is outstanding during the day scenes. At night, however, Smith and Streitfeld rely on something slick and CG-looking. It kills the pastoral feel.

The only thing to recommend Golf is Joanne Whalley’s abilities as a monologist. Not even O’Hara, who’s quite good, makes it worth seeing.

Insert bad golf score pun here.

0/4ⓏⒺⓇⓄ

CREDITS

Directed by Susan Streitfeld; screenplay by Streitfeld, based on the novel by Michael Murphy; director of photography, Arturo Smith; edited by Kathryn Himoff; music by Ian Dean and Evelyn Glennie; produced by Mindy Affrime; released by Golf in the Kingdom.

Starring Mason Gamble (Michael Murphy), David O’Hara (Shivas Irons), Tony Curran (Adam Green), Frances Fisher (Eve Greene), Catherine Kellner (Martha McKee), Julian Sands (Peter McNaughton), Jim Turner (Balie Maclver), Joanne Whalley (Agatha McNaughton), Rik Young (Evan Tyree) and Malcolm McDowell (Julian Lange).

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The Samurai of Ayothaya (2010, Nopporn Watin)

If you happened across The Samurai of Ayothaya and missed the terrible opening expository narration, you might think you found an awesome martial arts movie about a bunch of Thai Freddie Mercury impersonators in a Battle Royale situation.

Sadly, you did not. You instead found a terrible mix of a military thriller and a martial arts historical drama.

There’s nothing to recommend Ayothaya, except possibly its under two hour runtime, but the script’s the worst part of it. Every moment, every line, is either foreshadowed or just generally predictable. Director Watin really likes to speed up and slow down the film for emphasis, just in case you miss the utterly obvious events transpiring onscreen. If there were anything good about Ayothaya, Watin’s approach might suggest disgust for the viewer. But no… his filmmaking appears to be entirely earnest in its awfulness.

Lead Seigi Ozeki apparently got the job based on his bangs–he lets them do most of his acting. They don’t do a good job.

Watin’s not just bad at directing actors or its martial arts fight scenes (which are awful too), he’s generally incompetent at composition too. Chuchart Nantitanyathada’s weak photography doesn’t help either. All of Ayothaya is glossy, with hard bright lights. The film’s ostensibly going for realism; not as far as the lighting apparently. Watin’s trying to make it all look so cool and it’s impossible when the actors can’t even react naturally.

Ayothaya isn’t quite Ed Wood… but only because of CG and a budget.

0/4ⓏⒺⓇⓄ

CREDITS

Directed by Nopporn Watin; written by Watin, Thanatat Kongthong, Thanawat Thirayaowapapong and Viroj Sukchu; director of photography, Chuchart Nantitanyathada; edited by Sunshine Manooratana; music by Paphatsin Ketawongwat and Padej Boonlon; production designer, Anan Wantippa; produced by Salinee Phakdeephol; released by Mahagaap.

Starring Seigi Ozeki (Yamada Nagamasa), Kanokkorn Jaicheun (Jumpaa), Sorapong Chatree (Phra Khruu), Winai Kraibutr (King Naresuan), Thanawut Ketsaro (Khaam) and Buakhao Paw Pramuk (Ai-Seua).

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Get Lamp (2010, Jason Scott Sadofsky)

Get Lamp is part history documentary, part modern examination, part something else. It changes throughout, which is only natural… director Sadofsky gives the viewer control of the documentary’s structure (but also offers a cruise controlled version).

Lamp is an affectionate look at early computer games, specifically the text-based ones–so Zork, not King’s Quest. There’s a brief portion talking about the history, then Sadofsky examines different aspects of the games. Then he covers the modern era–at least the way I watched it. Like I said above, it can vary.

This structure seems the most natural; as Lamp reaches its conclusion, one realizes how this particular entertainment medium differs from almost any other.

Fans of the medium didn’t let it die. In terms of film history, it would be like silent film fans trying to keep the medium alive. It’s not a precise analogy–the Lamp game makers Sadofsky interviews have easily accessible distribution. There wasn’t YouTube in the fifties for silent film afficandos to utilize.

As an interviewer, Sadofsky has almost no presence. His questions are rarely audible. When he does include them, the questions themselves offer insight, even before the responses.

The lack of personality–except an omnipresent gold lamp–is why I hesitate to call Lamp a loving look at the medium. I assume Sadofsky does love it, but his film is professional, not personal.

He captures a relatively forgotten piece of pop culture history and makes it exciting and expansive.

Get Lamp is a win.

3/4★★★

CREDITS

Written, directed, produced and edited by Jason Scott Sadofsky; music by Zoë Blade, Tony Longworth and Nicholas Markos; released by Bovine Ignition Systems.

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Refuge (2010, David Schmudde)

Refuge isn’t so much pretentious as it is dumb. Writer-director Schmudde figures out a fairly nice narrative to turn in on itself as protagonist Barret Walz keeps travels to Iowa but gets nowhere. It’s Groundhog Day as shoe gaze, white guy angst. Wait, I think that phrase is an oxymoron.

Walz is quite good in the lead, even though he has almost nothing to do. Maybe he just seems good because his most frequent screen partner, Tim Gamble, is awful. Schmudde has talent for composition and especially for tying sequences together–even the flashy, CG ones are impressive–but he has none for directing actors. Walz can cope without guidance, Gamble can’t.

Great photography from Kevin Moss helps gloss over Schmudde and Nick Martin’s graceless editing.

The first forty-five seconds are truly wondrous; by the last fourth the narrative tripe is obvious and debilitating. Refuge–unfortunately–fails.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Written and directed by David Schmudde; director of photography, Kevin Moss; edited by Nick Martin and Schmudde; produced by Kathryn Henderson.

Starring Barret Walz (Grant), Tim Gamble (Farmer), Ann Sonneville (Eachelle) and Jacquelyn Zook (Anne).

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Jackpot! (2010, Tony Ducret)

Jackpot! is a fairy tale for violent misogynists; writer-director Ducret probably sells it mail order to convicts. Here’s the premise–New York City is infested with fetching young black women who trap successful black men by manipulating themselves into pregnancy. Luckily, these successful black men are able to call a lothario (an awful Anthony Laurent) who drugs the women and aborts the pregnancies.

During the short, I was a little curious why Ducret made the protagonist–poorly played by Kimberly Holloway–so unlikable. The successful man she dupes–an NBA player (Damiyr Shuford in Jackpot‘s only good performance)–is practically likable just because she’s so hideous. Now I get it. He’s the guy and this evil harpy is trying to steal his riches.

Ducret’s direction isn’t bad and some of his dialogue is decent. His editing, however, is hilariously inept.

Jackpot! is disturbing for all the wrong reasons.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Written, directed and edited by Tony Ducret; director of photography, Salvador Bolivar; music by J.A. Rah; production designer, Navlah Abdul-Aleem; produced by Ducret and Todd Tucker.

Starring Kimberly Holloway (Shontae), Anthony Laurent (Grant) and Damiyr Shuford (Deandre).

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