Gateway Cinephiles

Film Diary: The Wind That Shakes the Barley

2006
Director: Ken Loach
Viewed: June 29, 2008
Format: DVD - IFC (2007)

3-Minute Intro: [•Rec]

June 25, 2008 Andrew 3-Minute Intros, Foreign, Horror No Comments

Screened: June 24, 2008
Format: DVD - Filmax (Spanish Import)
Selected By: Chris

Since 1999, when The Blair Witch Project shattered expectations to become both a cultural sensation and the most profitable film of all time, “point-of-view” filmmaking has repeatedly reared its head in horror cinema. Granted, the conceit of placing a camera directly into the story itself owes a debt to decades-old documentary cinéma-vérité traditions, as well as to the Danish Dogme95 film movement. And its appearance in the horror genre dates at least to the 1980 Italian cult classic Cannibal Apocalypse. Yet it was Blair Witch that truly spawned a crop of divergent horror POV progeny, among them this year’s Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead. While sheer audience familiarity ensures that no subsequent POV horror fiction will likely acquire the urban legend qualities of Blair Witch, the subgenre does have its terrifying little gems, such as 2007’s Spanish hit, [•REC].

Directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza are rising stars in the burgeoning world of Spain’s horror cinema. Natives of Catalonia and València respectively, Balagueró and Plaza transitioned from festival-favorite short films to feature productions as their profiles grew, and both contributed to the film revival of Narciso Ibañez Serrador’s horror television series, Tales to Keep You Awake. Balagueró garnered some degree of cult fame from features such as The Nameless, Darkness, and Fragile. However, [•REC] is the first high-profile international success for either director, helped along by positive word-of-mouth in the alt-horror fan community in Spain, Britain, and beyond.

Balagueró and Plaza eschew Blair Witch’s less-is-more methods in favor of mainstream scares and gores, but [•REC] achieves an uncommon realism and simplicity in its presentation. Shot entirely on location, the film tells the story of a shoestring Barcelona television news crew comprising one reporter and one cameraman. In the course of taping a humdrum human interest feature, the pair find themselves trapped in an unthinkably nightmarish situation. In keeping with journalistic standards and the rules of the subgenre, naturally they keep right on filming. Consistent with the best traditions of horror, the film deftly delves into modern fears about paranoia, community, isolation, and biological terror. Running a lean 75 minutes, [•REC] shuns indulgent digressions in favor of the classic pairing of slowly mounting tension and gruesome shocks.

Film Diary: An Unreasonable Man

June 23, 2008 admin Film Diaries - Andrew No Comments

2006
Directors: Henriette Mantel and Steve Skrovan
Viewed: June 23, 2008
Format: DVD - IFC (2007)

Viagra discussion
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Film Diary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

June 23, 2008 Teresa Film Diaries - Teresa No Comments

2007
Director: David Yates
Viewed: June 22, 2008
Format: Television - HBO

Film Diary: The Other Boelyn Girl

June 23, 2008 Teresa Film Diaries - Teresa No Comments

2008
Director: Justin Chadwick
Viewed: June 21, 2008
Format: DVD - Sony (2008)

3-Minute Intro: Hustle & Flow

June 15, 2008 Andrew 3-Minute Intros, Dramas, Musicals 2 Comments

Screened: June 14, 2008
Format: DVD - Paramount (2006)
Selected By: Teresa

The verdict may still be out as to whether American writer-director Craig Brewer is a crass peddler of stereotypes or a fearless filmmaker who delves deep into crannies of the American soul that have too often been neglected and caricatured. Brewer was blessed with a middle class youth characterized by generous artistic encouragement from his parents. Initially, his interests lay in the theater, but after moving to Memphis in 1994, he began penning screenplays. His father’s sudden death left him with a small inheritance which he spent on his first feature film, The Poor and The Hungry, shot on digital video. The film was never distributed, but it proved to be a foot in the door for Brewer. Boyz n the Hood producer Stephanie Allain and director John Singleton became champions of Brewer’s next project, a hip-hop rags-to-not-quite-riches tale. Singleton’s enthusiasm was such that he actually mortgaged his house to help bring Hustle & Flow to the screen.

The film became a smash at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where Brewer won the Audience Award for Drama. Significant buzz swirled around the lead performance by Terrence Howard, fresh from a breakout role in the ensemble drama Crash. Howard and the film’s signature song, Three 6 Mafia’s “It’s Hard Out There for a Pimp” were both nominated for Academy Awards, with Three 6 claiming a coup as the first hip hop artists to perform at the Oscars.

Hustle & Flow reflects Brewer’s enduring interest in capturing textured, affecting portraits of people in the meanest corners of society. His backdrop is often the dusty, sticky Tennessee that he grew to love in the 1990s. Yet Brewer has faced criticism for his lack of Southern credibility, and Hustle & Flow in particular engendered controversy with its arguable misogyny and glorification of the criminal life. Nonetheless, Brewer and his slate of remarkable performers discover a striking vision of human striving, ugly survival, and artistic ecstasy from a deceptively simple premise. Howard in particular offers a potent, nuanced portrayal. He convinces us that a lowlife pimp and drug dealer could posses dreams and talents that can make him into perhaps not a good man, but a better man.

Film Diary: Out of the Blue

June 14, 2008 Andrew Film Diaries - Andrew No Comments

2006
Director: Robert Sarkies
Viewed: June 14, 2008
Format: DVD - IFC (2008)

Review: Kung Fu Panda

June 14, 2008 Andrew Film Diaries - Andrew, Reviews, Film Diaries - Libby, Kid Stuff, Animation No Comments

2008
Directors: Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
Viewed: June 12, 2008
Format: IMAX Theatrical Print

It’s tempting to damn Kung Fu Panda with faint praise. In some respects, it’s a fairly middling film in the pantheon of animated children’s fare. However, Panda is blissfully uncorrupted by the pervasive sins of recent kiddie cinema. It’s a completely linear and uncluttered approach to the genre that even adults—parents and non-parents alike—will likely appreciate. In place of pandering, pop culture references, and potty humor, Panda focuses its energy on sparkling visual design, engaging characters, and, since this is twenty-first century computer animation, eye popping action set pieces. I can forgive its creaky, shallow message, and even its shrink-wrapped Daoist-Buddhist pearls of wisdom, for one simple, delightful reason: It’s an utterly pleasurable bit of digital escapism, executed with martial arts precision. Oh, and it’s about a panda who knows kung fu. And he wears little shorts. If I have to explain why this is appealing, there’s no hope for you.

Read the rest…

Film Diary: Fido

June 13, 2008 Chris Film Diaries - Chris No Comments

2006 (Canada)
Director: Andrew Currie
Viewed: June 13, 2008
Format: DVD - Lionsgate (2007)

Film Diary: [•Rec]

June 12, 2008 Chris Film Diaries - Chris No Comments

2007 (Spain)
Directors: Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza
Viewed: June 12, 2008
Format: DivX with Amateur Subtitles, Converted to DVD

Film Diary: The Wind That Shakes the Barley

3-Minute Intro: [•Rec]

Film Diary: An Unreasonable Man

Film Diary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Film Diary: The Other Boelyn Girl

3-Minute Intro: Hustle & Flow

Film Diary: Out of the Blue

Review: Kung Fu Panda

Film Diary: Fido

Film Diary: [•Rec]

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