Filmphobia

This is a very strange movie. It does not do a very good job at the start of explaining itself but reveals itself through the process of the movie. Basically it shows examples of where people came to face their phobia. There are some fairly horrific scenes and some just straight out weird ones. However at the end there is a summary of what you have seen and I found myself thinking there was a strange beauty to it. The director wants a reaction and to film that...he is disappointed when there is none. The film was not finished and it was thought this film would never been shown. It is not explained but seems the director ended up loosing his mind and there is a unexplained shot that has you squirm. In a perverse way I enjoyed this film although feel slightly embarrassed to say so. Not for the feint hearted.

Milk of Sorrow

This Peruvian movie is a film about ignorance. The girl believes that after her mother had been raped during the years of terrorism her milk infected her. There is a struggle to take her mother to be buried after she dies and she can't afford a proper burial. She works for a wealthy woman and they have a very strange relationship where she is kept in her place but a murky respect. There is a lot of the cultural aspects of this movie I feel that I didn't understand. The sad part that this scenario reminds me of the South Africans who belief that raping virgins is a cure for AIDS. Pure ignorance and a lack of education means millions of people are kept in servitude. Came away sad. It did make me think that it is no wonder religion survives.

Pardon my French

This movie follows the well worn path of many french movies. Over intellectualizing. The premise is not really believable. A young girl befriends a woman who has had a breakdown. She reads her mail and pays her bills. Rather than screaming to the police for help they end up becoming friends. She attends events as proxy and organises her life for her even attending her surprise birthday party for her. You don't really get much explained to you but there is certainly a lot of talk about very little. The thing about this style of movie I have never really fathomed is...do the French see it as a comedy or just the way life is.

Humpday

This was my dude of the festival. Basically two old friends catch up with one another after many years. They have gone down separate paths. One married, job and planning kids. The other your Kerauoc type character travelling the world, doing what he likes. At a drunken party they decide to do an "art" film allowing mr boring to prove that he is not so boring. The art film just happens to be two "straight" guys have sex for a porn film festival. After a bit of unfurtive fumbling the movie finishes. Ends up there. Lesson learnt...zip nadda nothing. It just didn't do the hard yards and explore the subject well enough.

Outrage

This movie has an agenda. It makes revelations on, mainly, Republicans who have voted against gay issues but are gay themselves. It takes you on the journey of how they found out and how the system perpetuates keeping this people in the closet. It shows DC for what it is...a ruthless town. I suppose the interesting aspect to this film is what difference it will make.

Guest of Cindy Sherman

I loved this movie. Very film festival type one. It is the story of Cindy Sherman's boyfriend - Paul HO. He was a public tv producer of a show called Art Beat. It was an unprofessional and fairly irreverent look at the arts scene in NY. They just turned up and took footage and passed comments. He eventually interviewed Cindy and the spark was there. It includes some wonderful footage. He eventually moves in with Cindy Sherman and becomes part of the juggernaut of her success. She actually came across as a very grounded person and showcased some of her amazing works. Her ability to transform herself is stunning. Anyway he really didn't like being second fiddle and hence the title when invited to a function his name card says Guest of Cindy Sherman. He interviews some other second fiddles such as Molly Ringwald's partner and Elton John's husband to get other peoples experience. It is a very raw film. Nothing glossy but just fun to watch. He is one of those people that is always "gunna" do this or "gunna" do that. There is an absolute litany of names names names in it.

Citizen Havel

This movies assumes you know his background of him being the dissident and playwright and misses many key moments in the Presidency of Havel. It does however give you insight into the daily workings of the machinations of the Czech Republic. It takes up from when the split from Slovania happened. There were some editing issues. The wife died and the only lead up to it was seeing her coffin followed incredibly closely by his new wife. You get to hear the stage managing of comments and his minions running around. I found it a great springboard to read his Wikipedia entry and filled in the missing gaps for me. It has that "Eastern European" cloddishness to it however I did enjoy this movie (...but then again after standing in Wenchelas Square during the velvet revolution in '89...I have a special spot for Prague).

Valentino

This is the story of Valentino and his constant companion of 40 plus years Giancarlo Giammetti. It goes through his heady life. The chateau outside Paris, the villa in Italy and the luxury cruise ship. His pampered dogs get their fare share of the limelight. Pampered pugs. It was a veritable who's who of clients. Lots of air kisses. Little glimses of the real person were included. His temperamental self. His perfection. His minions jumping to his every command. All the while intense pressure is mounting on when he would retire. The company had gone public and there were shareholders to be accountable to. The crescendo comes in the form of his 45 anniversary celebrations held in various locations in Rome including a fireworks outside the colliseum and a retrospective in a gallery. A wild romp into a rarefied world.

An Englishman in NY

This is the story of Quentin Crisp from when he moved to NY portrayed by John Hurt. It goes through how he became the darling of the media for his pithy remarks until he overstepped the mark with a flippant comment about how AIDS was just something fashionable. He was villified for it. It goes through some of his comments such as the dust doesn't get any worse after 4 years and showing him in his cold water flat in the lower East Side. He had money it was just that he found you could live on peanuts and champagne at the various events he attended. He was ressurected by Penny Arcade and they worked together. He eventually got more gigs touring around the country with his "an evening with Quentin Crisp" tour. He didn't believe in love. He had such a contrary view to most that it was inevitable he would come to some impasse. The film made some lame attempt to show he did care with his friend finding out he was donating money to AIDS research. I had to laugh as they had him ensconsed in some classic style diner. In actual fact the place he used to hang out was a dive in the East Village with pink neon lights. He used to set himself up in the front window to allow people to come along and pay to speak with him. He lived on his wit and racconteur. A truly unique individual.

Tea with Madame Clos

This is an incredibly gentle movie. It follows the life of Madame Clos, a 97 year old lady living in the south of France. It shows the simplicity of Madame Clos's life - her walking to the lower village, her making soup, her housekeeper who she has had for 40 years and her at the kitchen window which looked out over a square handing out Vichy mints to the children. There is a point early on where she says she has had a good life and you expect some revelation. There is none. Hate to spoil that much for you. We do get to hear some anecdotes and see some family photos but there is no probing or delving. There is an honesty about it but at the same time a voyeuristic quality about it which I found a bit disturbing. The filmmaker Jane Oehr spoke after the movie. She has a villa in the region which she spends three months of the year. She worked in the BBC documentary section years ago. She could have extracted more but, I supppose, should she? What she did capture was the rustic unostentatious life of this woman. On a personal level I enjoyed the glimpse into this womans life but still not sure whether I completely agree with it. For a movie about not much it did leave me asking questions so credit where credit is due. Strangely alluring.

With Gilbert and George

Art for all. That is their motto – albeit even if they are sure that they get their slice. I was enthralled by this movie. To actually see how they live. To hear them talk and finish each others sentences. To seem them sing “underneath the arches” as an installation piece. To see their work evolve. To see them compliment one another. To see the house in which they live. All this kept me entertained.

When they first bought the house in east London they didn’t furnish it and people said it was wonderful. They then proceeded to go out and fill it full of treasures to the point where it is bulging at the seams. This is their contradiction. If people say to do something they are more than likely to do the opposite.

They have managed to keep their finger on the pulse. The concepts for their exhibitions have kept abreast. You wonder how long they can keep being avante guarde but good luck to them. Long may it last. True eccentrics.

Larry Flynt; The Right to be left alone

This movie is impressive. Love or loath him you can’t help but admire his commitment to freedom of speech.. This allows him to put his point of view. Of course he has made a lot of money out of his pornography and the backdrop is pretty squalid. But he has also put himself on the line too to fight in what he believes. It was sad to see his wife wither away with her drug habit but I really enjoyed this movie

Empties

This Czech movie is a light hearted movie. A bit of a surprise as many of the old eastern block countries do “woe is me” so it was refreshing to see this new genre emerging. After a man looses his job he goes off and is happy to do anything. He finds a niche for himself and enjoys it.

Lots of twists and turns but overall a straight to telly type movie J

Derek

This documentary on the life and times of Derek Jarman is narrated by Tilda Swinton who gives this film substance. Her voice over and acute observations give this film another depth. You get a sense of her admiration and her missing him. As she says time means that you will be forgotten but some quicker than others.

There was some great footage from a variety of periods in Derek’s life. From the swinging art scene, to stage design, film producer and video clip director…he was part of the “in” crowd – even if that generally means you are anti most things.

It explained his contribution to activism. It inspires you to go and have another look at Sebastian and Carravaggio even if they really are hedonistic romps. The artists were pretty much allowed to do whatever they liked. It had an aspect of Andy Warhol’s factory.

After reading several of Jarman’s books this film was a wonderful way to see him in his element. For all his flippant ways he did have a pedagogy behind him. He had such a serious element to himself. He was a thinker.

Caramel

This Lebanese movie is a fairly light hearted account of the trials and tribulations of a hair dressing salon. It gives you some insight into the life of someone in Lebanon. The police, the religion, the personalities. But somehow it misses the mark. No belly laughing but amusing nonetheless.

It attempts to contemplate some of the big questions but really doesn’t come down on any side.

Brando

This movie had elements of so many actors in a love feast. They adored him. They felt he was the introduction of a new approach. What I found amusing is that he really didn’t have the heart for it. It was more just a means to an end for him. It implied that he became such a good actor in an attempt to impress his alcoholic mother. He would perform for her and became an excellent mimic.

I actually find he overacts and so I could say he wasn’t one of my favorite actors. He was an incredibly handsome youth but old age was not kind to him. By the time they rolled him out for Acpolspe Now he was beyond sad and his life was a mess.

It was interesting to see how many people were keen to speak up about their time with him – Martin Scorcese, Robert Dival, Jane Fonda, Al Pacino, James Caan, Angie Dickinson all tell you how brilliant he was.

A must even if just for a potted version of his life.

Bastardy

This confronting movie is a bit of an epic. Filmed over many years it follows the life of Jack Charles. He was involved in founding an indigenous theatre company but becomes involved in the drug scene. He lives rough and there are lots of shots from around the traps in Melbourne. It shows him living in a laundry of an apartment block.

The few scenes where it actually shows him shooting up shock. But in context I think it is important. This is a no holds back approach. I wonder whether the producer/director became too involved but it would not have allowed you to become involved as well if they didn’t.

The one relationship he did have was with a man. It was handled quickly and not fully explained. However he just said they clicked and then it seemed unclicked just as quick and has never had any more to do with him even though he said he loved him dearly.

The scenes of him standing outside houses he has “burged” seem amusing but also represent the depths of depravity this man had fallen. His attitude was all very cavalier. When he robbed a friend of a family heirloom with special significance he really was not remorseful but rather more concerned about the consequences of the cops. When the producer tells him the police will be turning up the next day to get him…he just says oh well I wont be here then.

Having him at the movie gave it even more reasonance. Now 60+ you hope for a better life for him but he has travelled a rough path. His ability to face it has to be admired but you have to wonder 1. whether he has learnt anything or 2 what he makes of it. He took the approach that he just wanted people to know that everyone has a story and that is true.

(nb I was shocked to learn that his brother is one of the characters you occasionally see on Brunswick St. He is almost illiterate and very hard to understand. He reeks and invades your personal space. But hearing his story is gutwrenching. He was put in Ararat psyche unit and abused. It gives you some understanding as to why he is.)

Be Like Others

This strange documentary looks at the life of transsexuals in Iran. I knew of the arrangements where people could “marry” for an hour but to see it in practice in this way still appalls. This movie presented what you needed to know but somehow was not quite tight enough. The editing failed it.

It showed the contrast between one male who did really want to become a woman. There was another who decided it was not for him. I suppose you come away thinking that it is best to leave people to decide their own sexuality for themselves. There was an element of this that showed that the operation was an easy option for those in this situation. They all were quite religious and the operation was condoned by the church.

There was a lesbian woman right at the start of the film who you would be interested to know what happened but she seemed to disappear. Even though it is not a slick movie it is definitely worth watching just to understand the issue just through someone else’s eyes.