Category: News/Opinion

LFM Reviews Select 2014 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts

By Joe Bendel. The subjects of this year’s two best Oscar nominated documentary shorts have some pretty unique talents, but Alice Herz-Sommer is in a class by herself. Still playing with verve at the spry age of 109, Herz-Sommer performed over one hundred piano recitals in the Theresienstadt (or Terezin) concentration camp. Taking strength from her music, she lived to tell and continued to find the beauty in life. Her story unfolds in Malcolm Clarke’s The Lady in Number 6, part of the annual two part showcase of Academy Award nominated short docs, which opens today at the IFC Center.

As a young girl, Herz-Sommer’s sophisticated Prague family often socialized with the likes of Gustav Mahler and Franz Kafka. Something of a prodigy, she was widely recognized as one of the world’s top concert pianists by the time she was in her early thirties. Then the Germans invaded.

Obviously Herz-Sommer survived, but she would be no stranger to tragedy. Yet her indomitable spirit is genuinely inspiring—not in a Hallmark card sort of way, but reflecting hard won wisdom and a tenacious love of music. Still razor sharp at 109, she is a forceful screen presence, who never resorts to canned clichés.

No stranger to the subject of Theresienstadt, Malcolm Clarke was previously Oscar nominated for the documentary feature, Prisoner of Paradise, chronicling the life of Herz-Sommer’s fellow prisoner, Kurt Gerron. He includes enough historical context for those unfamiliar with the realities of the Potemkin concentration camp, but keeps the focus squarely on Herz-Sommer. He also has a great voice for narration and incorporates some distinctive original music, performed by Julie Theriault. Altogether, it is a sensitive and classy package, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

While his life circumstances are radically different, Ra Paulette, the subject of Jeffrey Karoff’s Cavedigger is another fascinating artist. Like the title implies, Paulette digs caves. He is sort of a subterranean landscape artist, whose work incorporates elements of architecture and sculpture. Frankly, Paulette comes across as a bit of a flake, but his dedication is impressive and his caves are truly a sight to behold. Some of his work is reminiscent of Granada cave homes, but on a much grander scale. It is real feat of filmmaking, spanning years and transporting viewers to the remote corners of northern New Mexico.

Ordinarily, Yemen would also be considered quite the exotic locale, but over the last two years footage of the Arab Spring uprisings have become almost ubiquitous. Sara Ishaq’s Karama has no Walls adds some particularly graphic images to the public discourse. Drawing on video shot by two remarkably young cameramen, Walls is surprisingly effective breaking down step-by-step how the Change Square massacre escalated. Yet, despite the anguished testimony of two grieving fathers (say, why don’t we see the mothers on camera, as well?), the film has the look and trajectory of an extended BBC report. In contrast, Matthew VanDyke’s Not Anymore feels more cinematic, yet also more immediate.

Granted, Herz-Sommer’s story has been documented in Caroline Stoessinger’s widely translated A Century of Wisdom, but thank heavens Clarke got her oral history on film. Frankly, Paulette is not getting any younger either, but he seems to keep chugging along, just like Herz-Sommer. The best of the five, The Lady in Number 6 screens as part of the annual nominated short documentary showcase’s program A, along with the well intentioned Karama has no Walls. The intriguing outdoorsman outsider art documentary Cavedigger screens as part of program B, both of which open today (1/31) in New York at the IFC Center.

Posted on January 31st, 2014 at 2:01pm.

LFM Reviews 2014 Oscar Nominated Animation Shorts

From "Possessions."

By Joe Bendel. Was man free in his original state of nature? Are we enslaved by our stuff? Several of this year’s Oscar nominated animation shorts lend themselves to such Rousseauean questions. There is also a Disney Film (not included in the media screenings) to contend with. Regardless, all five nominees and a few additional short films of note will screen as part of the annual showcase of Academy Award nominated shorts, which opens today at the IFC Center in New York.

Amid the international field, the clear standout is Shuhei Morita’s Possessions, a lush supernatural fable in the tradition of Kwaidan. It is a dark and stormy night in Eighteenth Century Japan. A weary traveler seeks shelter in a shrine, only to find himself in a supernatural repository for broken objects that hold a “grudge.” Fortunately, the man is both handy and spiritually sensitive.

Morita’s richly detailed animation is strikingly elegant, yet it has an appropriate macabre undertone. Possessions evokes scores of classic Japanese movies, but there is also something strangely moving about it. Completely satisfying, it deserves the little gold statuette, but other nominees might be more to the Academy’s tastes.

Clearly, the BBC produced adaptations of Julia Donaldson’s children’s books appeal to many Oscar voters’ sensibilities, since The Gruffalo was nominated in 2011. In the case of Max Lang & Jan Lachauer’s Room on the Broom, a witch’s broomstick and the freedom of movement it represents to a swelling menagerie of forest creatures is the object driving the action. Given its wholesome quality animation and brains-over-brawn themes, Broom is likely to be most parents’ favorite of the showcase. It also boasts the strongest celebrity interest, featuring the voice talent of Gillian Anderson, Rob Brydon, and best supporting actress nominee, Sally Hawkins.

Parenting is a more problematic proposition in Daniel Sousa’s Feral, a dark Kaspar Hauser fable about a boy reintroduced into human society after spending his formative years living with the wolves. Visually, Sousa’s black-and-white animation is starkly powerful, but its extreme stylization keeps viewers at arm’s length emotionally. Nevertheless, it is an accomplished work that should make an impression on animation connoisseurs.

The agoraphobic titular protagonist of Laurent Witz’s Mr. Hublot (co-directed by Alexandre Espigares) might also learn something about nurture. Inspired by Belgian sculptor Stephane Halleux’s figures, Hublot lives in a fantastical industrial world, where the living and the mechanical are partially integrated. One fateful day, he takes in an abandoned robotic puppy, but he never expects it to be such a handful. While Witz’s narrative is pretty straight forward and conventional, he (and Espigares) create a wonderfully distinctive environment, with a real lived-in feel.

Frankly, there are no clunkers among the media-friendly nominees. All four are well crafted films, but Room on the Broom is probably the sweetest and most family-appropriate, whereas Possessions is the most rewarding overall. Recommended for Oscar watchers and animation fans, the nominated short film showcase opens today (1/31) at the IFC Center.

Posted on January 31st, 2014 at 1:58pm.

A Curtain Call for the New York Art Quartet: LFM Reviews The Breath Courses Through Us

Trailer – The Breath Courses Through Us (2013) from Asymmetric Pictures –FILMS on Vimeo.

By Joe Bendel. They were arguably the original super group of free jazz. They formed in 1964 and disbanded in 1965, yet they still had turnover on the bass. Eventually, Reggie Workman settled into the role and would return for their special anniversary tour. Despite the brevity of their tenure together, the New York Art Quartet remains enormously influential. Alan Roth documents their history and triumphant reunion in The Breath Courses Through Us, which has its American premiere today at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

It all started when Congolese-Danish alto-saxophonist John Tchicai met trombonist Roswell Rudd. Both musicians were exploring the creatively disruptive innovations of Cecil Taylor, recognizing each other as kindred spirits. The next piece of the puzzle was Milford Graves, a former Latin percussion specialist, who had reoriented his perspective on the drums after hearing Elvin Jones. As the New York Art Quartet, they recorded their instantly recognizable eponymous ESP release with Bernie Worrell on bass, bringing Workman on board for Mohawk the following year.

As is usually the case in jazz, the Quartet was short lived, precisely because it was just five minutes ahead of its time. At the time, they were consciously challenging traditional notions of melody, harmony, and rhythm, yet to contemporary ears they do not sound nearly as radical as much of the subsequent free music they blazed a trail for.

Sparingly using WKCR’s Ben Young as the expert commentator, Roth lucidly establishes the Quartet’s musical significance, placing them in the context of their era. We hear from all four musicians at length, all of whom are earnest and reflective about the music they made. However, there is no question Graves is a uniquely spirited and charismatic interview subject. His reminiscences are the sort of gift documentarians only dream of.

Of course, there is also plenty of straight-up music. Indeed, Roth has a nice editorial ear, selecting performances that illustrate the Quartet’s considerable technique. Watching Breath should dispel any uncharitable notions that they embraced freer forms because they could not adequately swing. After all, Rudd started off playing Dixieland and Workman recorded with just about everybody, including Art Blakey, Grant Green, and John Coltrane. At one point, Tchicai even played with a band inspired by Miles Davis’ electric period. The late controversial poet Amiri Baraka also joins the Quartet for some spoken word contributions. Roth wisely opts for his more benign pronouncements, but his interludes are still the only part of their reunion concert that sound dated.

To borrow terminology from Downbeat magazine, it is always great musicians get their overdue ovation. Breath should lead to greater appreciation of the New York Art Quartet, even among viewers not deeply steeped in the free jazz aesthetic. Recommended for open ears, The Breath Courses Through Us screens today (1/31) at the Library of Congress, with a New York premiere in the works.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on January 31st, 2014 at 1:54pm.

The Psychic Said What? LFM Reviews The Wait

By Joe Bendel. At least the psychic never asks for money. Maybe that is why Emma believes her. It must be admitted her timing is also spot-on, given she calls, unsolicited, immediately after the death of Emma’s mother. Much to her sister’s frustration, Emma insists it will only be a matter of time before their mother returns to the land of the living, because a stranger told her so in M. Blash’s supernatural-ish drama The Wait, which opens today in New York.

Presumably, Angela is the more responsible sister since she does all the things you are supposed to do when a family member dies. Her older sister is clearly a flake, yet everyone seems to defer to her. Instead of grieving, the family just ambles about in a daze, with the air conditioning cranked up to arctic levels. Angela recognizes cracked behavior when she sees it, but her flirtation with a scruffy hipster neighbor distracts her from pushing the issue.

Blash plays up the verdant eeriness of the Pacific Northwest woods for all its worth, simulating the vibe of Twin Peaks, but lacking the distinctive characters and stuff happening with regularity. Kasper Tuxen’s lush cinematography evokes a sense something uncanny must be going on somewhere, but there are simply too many shots of characters staring off into the distance for Wait to sustain any appreciable momentum.

From "The Wait."

After Tuxen, Jena Malone is probably the film’s MVP. As Angela, she actually supplies a real performance, marked by vulnerability and sensuality. In contrast, Chloë Sevigny’s Emma largely fades into the background, which is surprising given the lively impression she made in Jonathan Caouette’s even more surreal short, All Flowers in Time.

With respects to the natural versus the supernatural question, Wait seems to want to have its cake and eat it, too. Blash offers up sequences to support either alternative down the stretch, but they are all so frustratingly underwhelming. There are interesting bits here and there, like the forest fire raging on the horizon, which everyone assiduously ignores, like revelers in Pompeii. Yes, it is a carefully crafted film, but there will be times viewers will want to hook it up to a car battery and give it a jump. For dedicated Malone fans only, The Wait opens today (1/31) in New York at the Cinema Village.

LFM GRADE: C-

Posted on January 31st, 2014 at 1:51pm.

LFM Reviews Cooties @ The 2014 Sundance Film Festival

By Joe Bendel. Those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach at public schools. So then, what are the chances of a misfit Ft. Chicken Elementary summer school faculty member surviving a juvenile mutant attack? Not great, but at least there will be plenty of gory humor in Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion’s Cooties, which screened at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

Failed novelist Clint Hadson has moved back to his mother’s house in Fort Chicken and accepted a position teaching English at his old elementary school. To make matters more depressing, his old high school crush and her jealous gym teacher boyfriend are also on the Ft. Chicken faculty. Hadson wants to be the cool teacher, who lets his students call him by his first name, but these kids are real hellions—and that is before contaminated chicken nuggets turn them into rampaging zombie death machines.

These little monsters like to bite and they are definitely contagious, but their viral brain rot only affects those who have not yet gone through puberty. In no time at all, the rabid kids have overrun the school. Hadson, his maladjusted colleagues, and a handful uninfected students hole-up, hoping help will come at 3:00, when parents start arriving to pick up their brood.

If you enjoy humor derived from splattered brains and guts then Cooties is in your power zone. Co-writers Ian Brennan and Leigh Whannel keep the shameless gags coming at a regular pace. However, the conspicuous narrative similarities between Cooties and Return to Nuke ‘Em High are distractingly awkward. Cribbing Troma—get your head around that one.

From "Cooties."

Elijah Wood’s nebbish everyman shtick works well enough for Hadson and he delivers some amusing lines here and there (partly redeeming his role in the dour travesty of Maniac). Whannel probably gets the biggest laughs as the socially inept sex ed. teacher, but nobody tries harder than Rainn Wilson, unleashing his inner Will Farrell as the past-his-prime P.E. teacher.

Horror movie fans will chuckle at Cooties, but there is nothing here they have not seen before, even if they have not yet revisited Nuke ‘Em High. For epic gross-out humor, it cannot compete with its fellow midnight selection, Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, but both were picked up for distribution, so they were both winners at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on January 31st, 2014 at 1:47pm.

LFM Reviews Life Itself @ The 2014 Sundance Film Festival

By Joe Bendel. In 1994, Siskel & Ebert helped launch Hoop Dreams towards its Sundance success with an unprecedented early review that aired during the first weekend of the festival. Twenty years later, Sundance regular Steve James returns again with a documentary tribute to his frequent champion, Roger Ebert. An affectionate profile produced with the cooperation of the Chicago Sun-Times critic during his final days, James’ Life Itself, which screens today as part of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

Taking its oddly uncinematic title from Ebert’s memoir, Life focuses on Ebert, but his longtime co-host Gene Siskel naturally figures significantly throughout the film. Frankly, many viewers may well feel like the two critics should have had equal billing, but perhaps Ebert finally got one over on Siskel in that respect.

As the editor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student newspaper, Ebert was not shy about expressing his left-of-center opinions. It would also help him fit in at the Sun-Times upon graduation. Like many entry level journalists, Ebert started out doing utility infield work at the paper, such as death notices and crime reports. When the movie critic resigned, he was assigned the beat rather off-handedly, because it was not considered a high profile gig. Pre-Kael newspaper film criticism often used generic bylines to accommodate multiple anonymous contributors. Of course, Ebert and his Pulitzer Prize for criticism would help change matters.

James devotes a fair amount of time to Ebert’s cub journalist years (which are reasonably interesting) and resolutely faces up to his naughty collaborations with sexploitation pioneer Russ Meyer (that are downright fascinating). He also intersperses the biographic business with footage of Ebert’s slow decline during the early months of 2013.

However, most viewers will be interested first and foremost in his years co-hosting movie review programs with Siskel. While James does not skimp on clips from the various incarnations of their show and prominently features the reminiscences of Siskel’s widow, their contentious partnership arguably could have been even higher in the mix. After all, it is through their television appearances that most viewers would have come to know Ebert.

From "Life Itself."

In fact, it is a wistfully nostalgic experience watching them argue and dispense thumbs. Life indeed reminds us what a comfortable presence S&E were on our idiot boxes. The influence they exercised over movie-going tastes and preferences will probably never be replicated.

Granted, James handles the scenes of the failing Ebert with tremendous sympathy, but they threaten to overwhelm the celebration of his life with uncomfortable hospital scenes. We come to understand why Ebert wanted to be so forthcoming about his health, but all the details do not have to be on-screen.

If you are wondering, Ebert’s in/famous North review did not make the cut. Maybe it will be on the DVD. Regardless, it is rather nice to see a movie that considers film criticism a worthy endeavor. Recommended for those who can never get enough movie nostalgia, Life Itself screened at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on January 27th, 2014 at 4:15pm.