| September Foreign DVD Roundup |
|
|
|
In this global cinematic marketplace, labeling something a “foreign film” is no longer so cut-and-dry. Among this month’s releases are a film made in France by an American, two British films—including one with accents so thick subtitles might be welcome—and a movie about a would-be terrorist that “feels” foreign, even though it was shot in New York by a Brooklyn-based director. In other words, these roundups shouldn’t be looked at as anything more than grab bags. Autumn
Black Book
The Boss of It All Genius/IFCdirected by Lars von Trier starring Jens Albinus & Fridrik Thor Fridriksson Lars von Trier has finally made a movie that could be called “relaxed”; even if it is not an unqualified success, this is a barbed and dry-humored look at a boss who doesn’t want to be the “bad guy” so he introduces his employees to an actor playing the “big boss.” Trier still plays annoying games with the moving camera and jump-cutting, but they seem less annoying than in previous movies, possibly because this movie is unpretentious and entertaining. Trier fans will undoubtedly call this “minor,” but I say, “More minor Trier, please!” Extras: three featurettes; two “mockumentaries.”
Day Night Day Night Genius/IFCdirected by Julia Loktev starring Luisa Williams & Josh Phillip Weinstein Writer/director Julia Loktev has made the ultimate litmus test in these post-9/11 days: do you want to watch a would-be suicide bomber go through her paces before she blows herself–and innocent victims–up? For 90 minutes, Loktev tries ratcheting up suspense by showing mundane scenes (brushing teeth, changing clothes, learning a new “identity”) obsessively; unlike “Paradise Now”–the excellent Palestinian film about a suicide bombing gone awry–“Day Night Day Night” feels like an extremely well-executed gimmick, with the added cache of taking place right in Times Square. Extras: director commentary.
European Short Films Cinema 16 This collection of 16 shorts by 16 European directors is unsurprisingly hit-or-miss: the hits include sterling efforts by Andrea Arnold, Lynne Ramsey, Jan Svankmajer and Nanni Moretti, whose “The Last Day of Close-Up” is a witty send-up of the movie industry mania for box-office grosses; among the misses is the first short by a then-unknown Ridley Scott: “Boy and Bicycle” was made in 1965, and at 27 minutes, it drags on as if its maker was unsure he’d ever get the chance to be behind a camera again. Extras: director commentaries.
The Lives of Others Sonydirected by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck starring Ulrich Mühe, Martina Gedeck & Sebastian Koch Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s first feature deservedly won this year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar, partly because Academy members saw it as a veiled allusion to our own wiretapping scandals. Be that as it may, “The Lives of Others” is a meticulous, insightful drama also functioning as a muted thriller akin to Coppola’s “The Conversation” in its recounting of an artist couple whose existence is destroyed by one man’s relentless eavesdropping on them. Donnersmarck not only gets the period details right–a not inconsiderable achievement–but also the very hearts, minds and souls of these conflicted and tortured people. And the acting is sublime: Martina Gedeck and Sebastian Koch play the couple splendidly, and Ulrich Mühe is altogether chilling as the spying Stasi officer. Extras: director commentary; deleted scenes with commentary; making-of featurette.
Offside
Private Property New Yorker directed by Joachim Lafosse starring Isabelle Huppert, Jérémie Renier & Yannick Renier Joachim Lafosse’s smartest directing move was to cast Isabelle Huppert as an emotionally shattered woman in this downbeat, unsentimental but ultimately unpersuasive drama that, even at 95 minutes, feels stretched out beyond its meager dramatic means. Huppert so magisterially mutes the emotions of a woman with an ex-husband, a new boyfriend and two loutish teenage sons (with homoerotic and incestuous overtones so unsubtly presented that even fans of “Knocked Up” could figure it out) that she commands our attention even as these characters go through their horribly hackneyed motions.
Red Road Tartandirected by Andrea Arnold starring Kate Dickie, Tony Curran, Martin Compston & Nathalie Press Andrea Arnold’s feature debut is similar to her Oscar-winning short film “Wasp” in its detailing of the minutiae of everyday lives. But unlike that bittersweet but effective slice-of-life, “Red Road” takes the form of a thriller; it’s so laidback and distant, however, that it effectively sucks the life right out of what should have been a compelling character study that leads to a stunning redemptive climax. Instead, Arnold settles for a well-acted, beautifully-shot portrait of a strangely uninvolving relationship, which includes a near-hardcore sex scene for those who are cataloguing such things. Extras: Arnold’s short, “Wasp.”
Triad Election Tartan directed by Johnnie To starring Louis Koo, Simon Yam & Nick Cheung Johnnie To’s follow-up to “Election” is his bid at equaling Coppola’s “Godfather” films. I’m in the minority of those not enamored with Coppola’s well-made but slick and overrated mobster trilogy; To follows the same blueprint: scenes of mob conflict and violence–including scenes of people beaten with obviously fake bats–are intercut with intimate glimpses of the men in their everyday lives, as if seeing them this way makes them less odious. As in “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos,” it’s moral relativism run rampant, and it’s left to several good actors and To’s technical facility to keep one watching. Extras: making-of featurette; actor interviews.
The Valet Sonydirected by Francis Veber starring Daniel Auteil, Kristen Scott-Thomas, Virginie Ledoyen & Gad Elmaleh Francis Veber has made one of the funniest recent farces, “The Dinner Game,” and if his latest comedy doesn’t live up to those lofty heights, it’s nonetheless amusingly loony in its own right. The set-up is routine–a cheating billionaire sets up his gorgeous mistress with a lowly valet to pretend he’s not fooling around with her in front of his prying wife–but the payoff is priceless, thanks to Veber’s timing and his expert cast: how’s Daniel Auteil, Kristen Scott-Thomas, Virginie Ledoyen and Gad Elmaleh, for starters? Extras: making-of featurette; director commentary.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley IFCdirected by Ken Loach starring Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney, Liam Cunningham & Orla Fitzgerald The remarkably consistent and fearless Ken Loach tackles another heavy-duty subject: the fighting between the British and the Irish in the 1920s. Paul Laverty’s succinct script follows two brothers on opposing sides of the conflict, and whatever’s most obvious in the dialogue and historical parallels (the parallel to the Iraq War is never far off), Loach keeps his camera and his concern on these people and this war, transforming what could have been a mere polemical melodrama into–by its end, in a poetic and devastating final shot–something akin to Shakespearean tragedy. Extras: 50-minute documentary about Loach’s career; audio commentary by Loach and historical advisor Donal O’Driscoll. |
Passion River 
Sony
Sony
