New releases that look interesting

A few films that I am adding to my "maybe" or "to-see" lists; from RogerEbert.com

Drama

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Ordinary Love
3.5 stars. "Ordinary Love" stars Liam Neeson and the exquisite Lesley Manville in the story of a couple who are navigating the world of serious illness, the euphemisms and delays, from initial tests that are "concerning" to the diagnosis: "the results weren't what we hoped."

Comedy

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Come As You Are
3 stars.  Seems like a new twist on an old tale, and sounds somewhat promising with co-stars like Gaborey Sidibe and Jeanne Garafalo - I can't imagine them being in an unredeeming lowbrow romp. "On paper, it might sound an awful lot like a raunchy, “American Pie”-meets-“Superbad” sex comedy we’ve seen a million times before. But you might be genuinely moved, and even in tears by the end of Richard Wong’s imperfect yet gradually disarming dramedy “Come As You Are,” which follows three men with disabilities as they take a road trip from Colorado to Montreal in order to lose their virginities at a brothel exclusively serving a special-needs clientele."

International

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I Was At Home But.... (Germany)
3 stars. "The title of Angela Schanelec's tenth feature calls to mind Yasujirō Ozu's 1932 film "I was Born But ..." (1932), but it's not just a tip of the hat to the Japanese master. The title, cutting off a sentence half-way through, speaks to how the film operates—the gaps in the narrative, gaps between scenes, timelines and characters, how moments trail off—as the ensuing silences reverberate somehow with what's not being said. Things don't fit together neatly (or at all). Even time is parsed out in strange ways: it's truncated or elongated or it stands still entirely. It's almost like the film itself blacks out periodically, and wakes up some time later, having no idea what happened in the intervening hours. "I Was at Home, But... " creates a space where questions are asked, but rarely answered, where things are suggested and never underlined, and every element—camera placement, music, blocking, sound design—is so deliberate that it pulls you into its vortex, and it makes you submit to its severe rhythms. "I Was at Home, But ..." is a very intriguing experience, one I am still thinking about."

Phantom Thread (2017) and Satan's Brew (1976)

Phantom Thread is a very beautifully made film with a wonderful music score and great performances. Daniel Day Lewis stars as a dress designer Reynolds Woodcock, and describes himself as a "confirmed bachelor". Leslie Manville (so good in Another Year) plays his sister and business partner. A relationship starts between Reynolds and a new young woman (Vicky Krieps), which stirs some jealously in the sister character. Strange occurrences develop throughout the film and there's some mystery as to what's happening and why. It's not an easy film to encapsulate, but the two main characters are very interesting; Reynolds is very obsessive, while the young woman wants to break him of his mold; in one scene she wants to go out dancing on New Year's Eve, but he wants to stay in and work. What would happen with the sister character kept me guessing as well. The relationship in the movie is an unusual one to say the least, and was sort of reminded of a film that I've blogged about numerous times in the past, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I also attended a local screening of a German-language film Satan's Brew (1976) directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a very dark and bizarre comedy-mystery, which reminded me somewhat of Phantom Thread. The main character in the picture (Kurt Raab, star of Why Does Herr H Run Amok) is also an obsessive artist - a writer - who channels the German poet Stefan George to great lengths, to the point of even dressing like him and acting like him. I saw similarities between him and PT's Reynolds Woodcock, both controlling men with an unusual marriage relationship. Like that film, this film is also a mystery, and the truth is hidden from the audience until the very end. It's also has some elements that may be considered offensive to some, as the main character is so despicable; he's a womanizing, scheming, manipulative, greedy, selfish, rude, lewd, tactless pig, so it's not a film for everyone.

Another review of the film Satan's Brew from the blog Surrender to the Void

Run Lola Run (1999)

Synopsis: A young woman with punkish red-dyed hair gets a call from her boyfriend in desperate need of money to pay someone off. It's not fully explained, but his life is threatened if he doesn't pay it back by a noon. High noon.

The young woman - whose father is a wealthy banker - frantically runs around the city trying to get the money before something happens to the BF. (She must really love him, though he seems like a loser to me). And yes, she tries to get it from dear old dad, who may or may not be having an affair.

Every time Lola gets to her destination, the film "resets" itself from the beginning in order to show the viewer a different outcome, which makes you think about which version is the "real" one and which version you like best. There's so much running in the film that it can make you exhausted.

An interesting experimental film intercut with some animated sequences. I saw this movie when it first came out in 1999, and enjoyed it, but since then I had forgotten what happened. It was fun to watch it again, but I couldn't help but wonder why Lola couldn't contact any one else to round up the money. Not as many friends as George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life - remember what happens in the end, the main character has all his friends provide money.  

Also interesting - these are days before cell phones, so there's no cell phone use. Could be a different movie if made today. Still excellent and suspenseful. 

Here is an interesting review from Deep Focus Lens on this film:

The Nasty Girl (1990)

Before the opening credits, the director (Michael Verhoeven) explains that the characters are fictional.

The story, however, is inspired by true events, as noted on Ted's blog Just a Cineast earlier this year.

The movie is narrated by the lead character, thirty-something Sonja (Lena Stolze), who speaks directly to the camera as though she's a reporter. Kind of similar to what Michael Caine's character does in Alfie.

The stories she tells are all flashbacks, which makes the film feel something like a docu-drama.

Sonja tells stories about her strict Catholic upbringing in Bavaria and about her mom and dad, both teachers. In one funny scene, Sonja (as narrator), is interrupted by a group of unruly teens and she quips how she was raised very differently. Then we see a scene of her as a young teenager, presumably  in the early 1970s. It's remarkable how she can convincingly play a young teen and an adult. The early flashback sequences are in black-and-white, and then switches to color when she comes of age.

Most of the film is a recollection of her high school years the history assignment that changed her life forever. Sort of like Nancy Drew, she goes on an investigation, interviewing numerous people about her town's Nazi past. In the process, she uncovers some old wounds that the townspeople would rather not deal with. In her determination to uncover the facts, she develops a reputation of being a "nasty" girl. Ultimately her school project turns into a lifelong passion.

Despite the serious subject matter, the film has a lighthearted tone, and lots of quirky comedic elements that some critics - including Roger Ebert -  found confusing. But the style was OK with me. The pacing, the direction, and the editing of this film are done well.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)

"The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (1926) It is known as the first full-length animated feature. The film is playing at a revival house near where I live (w/ restored 35 MM print), and I was thinking about checking it out.

Pandora's Box (1928)

"Those who have seen her can never forget her. She is the modern actress par excellence....As soon as she takes the screen, fiction disappears along with art, and one has the impression of being present at a documentary. The camera seems to have caught her by surprise, without her knowledge." -- Henri Langlois, (French pioneer of the film archive movement)

A few days ago the Louise Brooks Society's blog posted an article on the actress by Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune, who wrote: "She compares to no one, really. She is her own island of allure". The article was an anticipation of a local screening of "Pandora's Box" featuring live organ accompaniment, which I went to check out the other day.

It's a classic film of the German Expressionist era, filled with symbolism and unforgettable images. It really impressed me. American actress Louise Brooks stars as Lulu, a young dancer and showgirl in Berlin who - as we learn - has had many lovers but eventually settles down in marriage with a millionaire newspaperman. Other characters include the newspaperman's son, as well as Jack the Ripper, who makes an appearance. A murder trial causes Lulu and her friends to flee the country, which leads to a thrilling conclusion in London around Christmastime. The supporting characters are worthy of each of their own posts and discussions.

Behind the Scenes: The temperamental actress made several films (many of them now lost) in the US before fleeing to Europe after a studio dispute. German director G. W. Pabst, who liked Brooks in Howard Hawks' A Girl in Every Port, wanted her to play the lead in "Pandora's Box", also known as simply "Lulu".

Upon release in Europe, the film was not a big hit, perhaps due to some controversy in Pabst's decision to cast American Louise Brooks as the character of "Lulu", which was well known in Europe from earlier stage and film productions. According to Brooks herself (in the 1984 documentary "Lulu in Berlin" where she sits down to speak with interviewer Richard Leacock) Marlene Dietrich, who played the role of Lulu on the stage, was among the German actresses rumored to play lead in the film. This may have upset some die-hards.

According to some reports, Hitler was not a fan of this film. Could the casting of Brooks or the menorah in Lulu's apartment have something to do with it, perhaps? And I could be wrong, but I don't think the film even showed in the United States until the 1950s, when it experienced a resurgence of popularity.

For a longer review of this film, I recommend The Mythical Monkey's review on his blog.

Read a review from Moon in the Gutter.