On the Edge of Identity and Hollywood

With the ever changing face of immigration and the increasing trend of Westernization, cultural identity is anything but clear for most people these days. In 2005, my favorite film of the year was Faith Akin's Head On, an in your face love story that takes place in between Germany and Turkey and just as the main characters have trouble sorting out their emotions, they also are caught in between two countries and two identities.

Akin, Turkish born and German raised, has a new movie coming out, The Edge of Heaven (Cannes winner for best screenplay), it opens in New York on May 21 at Film Forum.

“The Edge of Heaven” has its similarities in theme and some settings to “Head-On,” but it also reflects a more mature approach. The focus on parents and children may stem from Mr. Akin’s experience of becoming a father in 2005, when he and his wife had a son.

Still, “The Edge of Heaven” takes up the subject of cultural conflict for Turkish migrants that played to such powerful effect in “Head-On.” Those conflicts are universal, Mr. Akin insisted, rather than specific to the two countries. Mr. Akin, whose wife is of Mexican heritage, said that he feels great kinship with the Mexican filmmakers Guillermo Arriaga and Alfonso Cuarón.

“What I’m always trying to say is, this Turkish-German gap, you know, or this connecting element of the two nations, or systems, or worlds — you can change that and put other things instead,” Mr. Akin said. “Mexico and the U.S., same thing.” [The New York Times]

Next Akin is headed to New York to make a short film and while he is headed to the US, he isn't going to plop himself into the Hollywood machine. Beyond his honest portrayals of people trying to connect with each other and their heritage, Akin also stands out for his refusal to buy into the Hollywood system, ignoring offers to direct big budget films. European directors are often tempted by big paychecks to abandon their more personal stories only to make films like The Invasion and Flightplan.

For more on Akin, read the complete article in the New York Times and watch the videos below (one is a trailer for Head On - with French subtitles, and one is a scene from The Edge of Heaven)

Processing Our Past on the Screen

On Monday I went to MOMA to finally see some of the Spain UnCensored series before it ended. Lucky for me, Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive was screening one more time. I've seen the film before (and I own it) but never on the big screen and being that it is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen on the small screen I knew I was in for a treat!

Of course, I was right, the film looked amazing, but what struck me more than the aesthetics this time were the political undertones, which I knew were there but had never left such an impression on me. It got me to thinking about how politics work in the framework of American cinema today. Current politics of course are present in our theaters - ranging from In the Valley of Elah to Lions for Lambs, but these films highlight their politics in plot, often wearing their opinions on their sleeves. I'm hard pressed to think of a current release that is a subtle as The Spirit of the Beehive, let alone as creative and heartbreaking.

Ana Torrent's eyes speak volumes about the state of Spain during Franco's regime - comparisons between the community of the bee and human communities, ideas of drones and dictators and visuals of Frankenstein and a soldier on the lam all come together to paint a portrait of childhood fantasy as well as a chilling comment on fascism. Perhaps it's just me, but I find films that don't hit you over the head with their message much more effective in relaying a feeling or having an audience understand an idea about a political point. You may not directly understand it, or be able to put your thoughts directly into words, but in the end a more intuitive comprehension is likely more swaying than an intellectual one (we are great rationalizers.. I mean who doesn't think Starbuck's coffee tastes great?.)

Of course, what really bugs me more than the content we are creating, is the content many Americans, especially young progressive folks, are watching. While in years past, young people flocked to films with subtitles, today they are less inclined to do so. The attendance rate of people under 30 at this year's NYFF would seem ample proof of that. I find it interesting that young people who work so hard to try and get Americans to stop selfish capitalistic ways and embrace the rest of the world, don't watch many foreign films. Iran, a country we have a very tricky relationship with, is responsible for some of the best cinema in recent years, but of my friends who spend their time trying to change the world, very few know who Kirostami is. It isn't just a matter of entertainment, it's about supporting an industry and content that only furthers American domination ("cinema" is without a doubt one of our biggest exports and more than that places a cultural stronghold on the rest of the world).

The stories we choose to tell and share, express who we are and how we are processing what happens to us as a society and while films like the current releases I mentioned above, as well as the current surge in documentaries, are important as more direct dialogues on our situation, I can't help but long for an American Cria Cuervos (Carlos Saura) Father (Istvan Szavbo), The Marriage of Maria Braun ( R.W. Fassbinder ) or The Spirit of the Beehive. I guess I want stories that teach us something about humanity as well as recount political presents and pasts, I want movies that entertain as well as evaluate without having to tell me they are doing so, I want to feel it. Is that asking for too much...?

Rosenbaum and "Reservation Road"

I should start this by saying something I have probably said more than a few times on this blog - I'm a big fan of Jonathan Rosenbaum (head film critic at the Chicago Reader). So when he made Terry George's Reservation Road (a film I wanted to see when I first heard about it) his critic's choice of the week, despite the fact that the film had pretty much been universally panned, my interest was peaked.

Before the almost unanimous bad reviews, it seemed like Reservation Road was a film made for me. It starred two of my favorite american actors, Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix, and was billed as a melodrama, my favorite film genre (although the definition of melodrama as it relates to a concise genre is somewhat complicated). Not only that, it was a melodrama where the protagonists were men, not something we see much of - although Susanne Bier did a great job with After the Wedding.

But with Jonathan's conditional recommendation i was excited to give it a shot. The opening sequence was great, it is rare that I almost cry at the beginning of a film, especially when you know ahead of time what the tear-inducing event is and that it comes at the beginning. but in the opening moments of Reservation Road I caught myself tearing up, and with this, Iwas ready to delve further into the story of two families and the differing effects that a tragic hit and run have on them. However, as the film went on I found myself further and further outside of any real connection with the story and the characters. Dramatic character changes started happening off screen and I was left to rely on dialogue to understand that Phoenix's character had started to abandon his family and that in turn Ruffalo's character had started to embrace his.

Not that dialogue is bad, but when it comes to people and changes in relationship, it is almost always better to show than to tell. That being said, I still found myself somewhat emotionally tied to the actions of the characters, but seemingly in a cheap way - in a way that wasn't earned through storytelling but was gained through manipulation (which when done well, like lars von trier for example, can be an accomplishment in and of itself - that was not the case here).

Overall, I can understand where Rosenbaum is coming from and his assessment isn't off by any means - what actually becomes apparent is that in his recommendation he takes the brave stance to claim his enjoyment was conditional to his view of the characters. I don't think I fully realized this until after I had seen Reservation Road, and with it I just respect Rosenbaum even more.

Today too many reviews claim, without any room for personal taste, to be absolutely correct - and in many ways, all films are dependent on when we see them, who we see them with and how we are feeling on that day in question. However, I have always championed that when it comes to film, it is possible to look beyond any personal fog and critique a work and hopefully in the case of most critics, this is what happens.

I have to say though, it's just a nice change of pace for someone to admit that their opinion of a film didn't necessarily have to do with a given rubric and that experience is predicated on experience - I think if we all thought about that a bit more, people would make smarter choices when going to the cinema. and maybe we would have better standard fare at the multiplex.

pfs opinion
morning sickness without pregnancy

if there is anyone out there that reads this blog regularly and also pays attention to the poster, you know of my disgust, hell lets call it hatred for harvey weinstein. throughout his time with miramax, weinstein managed to destroy any real chance for independent cinema to actually be independent, instead making it just another way for those in the movie industry to make money and with the thanks of the media, hypocritically feel like they were actually making “good” films.

so when i woke up this morning and took a look at the movie section of the nytimes and saw an article about the man himself and his great plan for releasing todd haynes latest film i’m not there (if you do read this blog, you probably know i love haynes) i was curious and hoping not to lose my breakfast.

weinstein’s plan is to open the film in november at nyc’s art house fav film forum, and while i love film forum, it is undoubtedly one of new york’s smallest theaters. this strikes me as strange, as not only does haynes have a cult following, he is also an academy award nominated filmmaker. more than that, the film stars christian bale, heath ledger, richard gere, julianne moore and cate blanchett - all actors that can carry their own film. so why such a small release?

according to weinstein : “With a movie like this you have to build it. I don’t think you can go out on 500 screens. The reason for Film Forum is you go where the best word of mouth is on the movie. I like the movie; I think it’s adventurous. The audience is going to have to work — work in a good way.” the times also went on to cite that: “Mr. Weinstein said the decision to pick up “I’m Not There” was not purely about making money but about an obligation to have important movies distributed.”

this from the man that made sure jim jarmusch’s masterpiece dead man failed in every way possible when it came to distribution. jarmusch refused to cut the film (and rightly so), and weinstein refused to actually try to get people into the theaters. it didn’t matter that dead man was an amazing film by one of the most important directors of the time - what mattered was that he didn’t think it would get any money.

to be fair i should add that it turns out the film will also open at lincoln plaza, another nyc art house theater… and although this makes me feel better, i am worried about where the film will go from there. it is also curious to me that todd haynes had no comment for the article - he was “unavailable”. call me crazy, but this doesn’t make me feel good about this supposedly harmonious relationship.

there is some potentially good news though, harvey did go on to mention that in regards to cate blanchett getting an oscar nomination that ““ if Cate Blanchett doesn’t get nominated, I’ll shoot myself.” - here’s hoping.

check out the entire article here

origins : music, memory and responsibility

one thing i am always struggling with is how to control my anger when new movies come out that have taken key material/ideas from movies that i love and that may not be as well known.

the two most recent examples of this are zach braff's proposed remake of susanne bier's experiment with dogme, open hearts and sadly (i just realized this one today) wes anderson's trailer (and i am assuming the film) for the darjeeling limited uses the kink's this time tomorrow, a song that defined phillipe garrel's regular lovers (and was also used in the trailer).

with braff, i think my increasing anger is probably somewhat justified. open hearts was created as a dogme film and the dogme movement was born out a desire to create films that were as anti-hollywood as any film could be and it seems to me that zach braff represents hollywood in a pretty real way.

with anderson however, i am not sure how appropriate my anger actually is. i sat down at my desk this morning and saw that the trailer was out for the darjeeling limited, which excited me, as the film is opening the new york film festival this year. but when the kink’s song started about halfway through the trailer i was immediately enraged. the song to me was regular lovers, it defined the film (and the generation that the film portrayed) in a way, that to me, makes it placement in anderson’s film unacceptable.

as someone who wants to make films though, i know it’s hard to resist the urge to give a shout out to things that have inspired you or moved you in cinema. and perhaps open hearts really moved zach braff and he wants to use his influence to move more people, and likewise perhaps this time tomorrow really is the perfect song for the darjeeling limited….

i have to say though, that i’m doubtful.

music is used so carefully in anderson’s films and is in many ways its own character - so for the key song in the darjeeling limited to be one that was already used in a film and used in such a defining way seems sloppy and irresponsible - especially since regular lovers was released stateside so recently. i feel like anderson should know better, he watches films and i think ignorance was probably not the case here.

although i am sure there are tons of examples of times i have approved of music being recycled and many times i have been unaware of stolen moments in films i love.

what to do then….i don’t know?

i do know that i am much less excited about seeing the darjeeling limited - which is unfortunate, as anderson is a one of the better filmmakers working today.

but you should judge for yourself:

the trailer for the darjeeling limited

f is for fall - f is for film

so i have been busy finishing up the yet to titled meerkatmedia documentary about a group of people, young and old creating theater together and learning the importance of storytelling - which means i haven't really been watching any films (although i did get disc 1 of season 3 of deadwood in the mail and started it last night)

luckily, i have to spend 7 hours at the computer everyday at my day job, and this is the time of the year when trailers for all of the exciting fall/early winter releases start to pop up.

in terms of personal anticipation - i am most looking forward to a few films:

1) there will be blood (dir. paul thomas anderson)
a story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century texas prospector (daniel day-lewis) in the early days of the business.

the combination of PTA with DDL is what initially made me excited about this film, seeing their work is an all too rare occurrence these days. the trailer and plot however, cemented this as the film i will take a sick day to go see. i am thinking that it will be a robert altman/terrence malickesque written on the wind with an amazing performance from day-leiws. will that combination work? i hope so.

2) i'm not there (dir. todd haynes)
ruminations on the life of bob dylan, where seven characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work

todd haynes is probably my favorite working director today. he is the sirk and fassbinder of my movie-going generartion and thus far has done no wrong. the cast is outstanding to boot. i'll be there.

3) the edge of heaven/auf der anderen seite (dir. fatih akin)
a turkish man travels to istanbul to find the daughter of his father's former girlfriend.

keeping with my love of fassbinder, fatih akin's latest features a performance from hannah schygulla - which given my love of maria braun, is enough to get me to the theater. what makes this film a must see for me, is akin himself. his last film, head on, was the best film of 2005 in my opinion and quickly became one of my all time favorites. hot off a successful trip to cannes, this film promises to be good.

4) things we lost in the fire (dir. susanne bier)
a recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children

i have been slightly obsessed with danish cinema of late and bier is without a doubt one of the reasons why. from her edgy dogme film open hearts (which zach braff is remaking to my disgust) to her oscar nominated after the wedding, bier creates solid dramas that weave the gritty reality of the dogme movement and the mise-en-scene of more stylized melodramas. this is her first go at an american picture, so we shall see i suppose. although the film does feature the recently absent benicio del toro - automatic bonus points!

also excited about

5) no country for old men (joel and ethan coen) - after not being able to force myself to watch the ladykillers i welcome a movie that feels like the coen's of my past

6) the flight of the red balloon (dir. hou hsiao hsien) - great director...one of those guys where you just go and see the movie - no matter what.

7) the golden age (dir. shekar kapur) - a great cast, including cate blanchett, clive owen, geoffrey rush and especially samantha morton sell me on this period piece sequel.

8) reservation road (dir. terry george) - the cast sells me again - joaquin phoenix and mark ruffalo mainly...

9) sweeney todd (dir. tim burton) - i've always has a soft spot for burton and it's about time we saw him do something darker.

10) 3:10 to yuma (dir. james mangold) - i've been into westerns lately. this one may be a remake, but i inherently trust christian bale. and am excited by the prospect of a resurgence of the genre (re: how amazing the proposition was).

check out some trailers and clips: