Samaria

Kim Ki-Duk's Samaria (Samaritan Girl) is both visually and narratively stunning. Making his characters observe each other, like one of his latest efforts Bin-Jip, Samaria is a film of beautiful silence, with not much dialogue, but at the same time saying so much through other means. Combining silence with violence and showing two young girls sharing a deep friendship in which they would do anything for each other, Samaria is heartbreaking. It's a film every film buff will appreciate. Ki-Duk once again puts his characters central, observing the ways they deal with secrets and trying to make peace with the way faith seems to have come into their lives and the lives of loved once, not always having the outcome our destiny they hoped for. Ki-Duk's characters really evolve, showing how events come to effect them and how they end up dealing with these events and eventually what is left of them after trying to cope. Both girls are potrayed very well, with Ji-Min kwak having the biggest role of the two. It's beautiful to watch her in the scenes together with her on screen father in which she manages to keep this innocence and yet showing also the burden of not able to tell what's on her mind. Together with the great photography and staging, which comes to be illustrated in a scene where the two girls come to sit next to a row of blue statues, a great picture, totally fitting for the whole atmosphere the film tries to project, Samaria again makes for a great Kim Ki-Duk film and can not be missed in your Ki-Duk collection.

What Is It about?

Two young girls, best friends, are saving money to one day leave the country and start life somewhere else. It's a big dream for these girls in their teens who share a bond that seems to go even further than just friendship. Providing for money for their future trip is Jae-yeoung. Only trying to earn enough for the trip and promising to quit once she has earned enough, she sleeps with men. Instead of not talking to them and just share the bed, she puts too much interest in them, at least for her best friend's taste, Yeo-jin. Warning her she should no longer speak to these men, it seems she might be a bit jealous. Jae-yeoung however doesn't listen and considering Yeo-jin is the one who arranges Jae-yeoung's meeting with men, standing on the lookout to keep check no police officers come to know of their actions, her jealousy seems a bit odd. When one day their future plans are ruined after police officers get notice of the still underage Jae-yeoung sleeping with a guy in a hotel room, Yeo-jin comes to stand alone.

Final Verdict: *****

Samaria is beautiful from beginning to end. It's a sad story of friendship, a father and daughter's relationship, and having to deal with a side of a person you love which you much rather had never found out. Ki-Duk perfectly shows how certan actions can effect people, making them do things they would normally never do, but out of dispair they happen to lose their minds for just a brief moment, acting foolishly, trying to cope with a secret. Ki-Duk perfectly combines different themes into one story, presenting both love, friendship, violence, death, jealousy, sex and many more. Making perfect use of the scenery, Samaria is drenched into this cold, blue atmosphere, completing the tension felt between father and daughter who no longer seem able to communicate, but keep silent, living in their secret. Ki-Duk knows brilliantly what to do with silence and speaking through showing. Characters wandering around, observing, staring blankly in front of them. Samaria is a film that should be seen by a large audience and not only those loving Ki-Duk. It deserves to be seen and experienced by many. A beauty of a film like Samaria should go by unnoticed.

The King

What struck me the most about The King is the way director James Marsh manages to perfectly create this chilly atmosphere, which has you at the edge of your seat, even though the story itself happens to be pretty mediocre and not that special. By keeping a lot of information hidden from his audience, as a viewer you're constantly looking at the film with questions in your head. From the beginning when main character Elvis meets pastor David Sandow and his family, you assume to know what's going on and what this secret is they both share. A little scene that follows and in which David's wife seems to have come to learn about the secret, enhances the feeling of you knowing what's going on. But because it's not until somewhere near the end that the secret really is revealed, you keep questioning your own assumptions. Elvis never lets anything shine through and you're not sure what his actions really mean and what it is he's after. After seeing the film you're not quite sure what you should think of everything that happened and wonder what Elvis has achieved by doing everything he ended up doing and why. Gael Garcia Bernal who plays Elvis, portrays Elvis wonderfully. He's calm and never comes off as a violent or angry person, but is quite the opposite. Still you feel this sort of fear everytime he's present on screen, because you constantly have the feeling he's after something. But because you don't know what his intentions really are, he's this person you're not able to read and who can act in very unexpected ways. Bernal captures this part of his character brilliantly and gives a very solid performance. William Hurt who surprised in A History Of Violence, in which he was very strong, again shows he's a very gifted actor. He really knows how to set up a character and like Elvis as a viewer you come to fear him. His presence is very dominant and looking at his face you can see his determination and know that if you would ever want to change his beliefs you couldn't. The power of his faith shines through in his eyes, which is quite scary. Besides these great performances and the way the film creates suspense, the story is quite simple. It's really the way it is brought that makes it different from other similar stories. This is all too bad, because it makes the film less satisfying then it could have been. Because of the story you don't know whether you should really be cheering for the film, which is a very good one, or not. The story could have been made more interesting, perhaps, which would have taken away your doubts of whether or not see The King as a great film or just a nice effort, with nice ideas and twists, but which never really succeeds and leaves you feeling it could have been much better.

What Is It About?

A young guy, Elvis Valderez, who has just left the Navy comes to visit the town of pastor David Sandow. Not sure whether he is aware of this or not, he comes to meet David's young daughter whom he speaks to briefly asking for her name and who he later meets again when walking up to David and his family who are sitting in their family car. Not sure why Elvis has the urge to meet this man, it soon becomes clear there's a secret which involves Elvis mother. Not sure what this secret is and what Elvis intentions turn out to be once he and David's daughter, Malerie, come to meet more frequently and eventually fall in love, things go seriously out of hand when Malerie's brother finds out about the two secretly meeting. Their father warned them not to speak to Elvis, but Malerie has definitely crossed the lines. Never quite sure whether the outcomes of the actions which follow happened to be the way Elvis intentionally wanted them to happen, Elvis comes to destroy David's family, which turns out to have never been the perfect family their fellow citizens thought it was.

Final Verdict: ***1/2

It's pretty difficult rating The King as it leaves you with this feeling of not quite knowing whether you liked what you saw or not and if it could be said to be really good or bad. The King is a film that provides you with this great suspenseful feeling from beginning to end, but the ending itself is one that kind of ticks you off, confusing you in a way which makes you question whether you like it or not. The ending is abrupt, being more open than really closed, even though all the events that had to happen to lead the film towards its ending did happen. It's not that you are really left with answers concerning the plot. The film makes you question Elvis intentions and what it is he achieved by doing all that he ends up doing, but as far as the events are concerned there is indeed closure. The King definitely sets itself apart from other films with a smiliar story by the way it sets its story up and carries it out. By the time some of the events happen which have drastic results for David and his family, as a viewer you're already are left with this feeling of disbelief, not quite sure whether the events really happened or not. Director James Marsh really manages to create this feeling effectively, causing the film to have this somewhat eerie feeling, making it to be somekind of psychological thriller. Some might therefore really like the film and applaud its choices, but some, like me, who also liked it, still also happen to have this feeling of not knowing what to think of it. The film in that way becomes quite difficult. However, it might also be said that The King is very succesful in its intentions as it obviously wants to have its audience question Elvis' intentions and wants to leave the audience with this awkward feeling. This feeling itself comes to set up questions and ends up making you think about the film long after the end credits. This thus is why The King feels like a tough one. I still liked it and feel it's already great the way it is, but it also leaves me with this feeling things could have been made a little more clear, which would have made the film to feel to be more structured and be perhaps a bit better than it now feels to be.

The Best 3 Of November

With me leaving to another country I happen to spend much more hours at the cinema than I usually had the chance to. So as a result, in November I have been able to watch a lot of new films, many of which has been really good like 3:10 To Yuma and Venus. It's therefore hard to pick which ones could be seen as being the best out of the bunch, but I will try. Hopefully I will be able to keep updating this blog and keep it running in 2008 like I managed to do this year.

1. Control

Anton Corbijn's film about Ian Curtis is a very honest depiction and great tribute to the singer's life. More than just the story of Curtis, Corbijn manages to make Curtis' story representative of many young men, telling a story that could have been of any young man struggling with growing up and becoming an independent adult. Choosing to tell the story in black and white make for beautiful and very energetic images which suit the tunes of Joy Division perfectly.

2. Die Fälscher

A very suspenseful film that really touches you deeply because of the period of the story, a time that is part of our real history. Stefan Ruzowitzky has made a film about the Second World War, but besides all of the stories already told this one still really hits you hard. It's a beautiful film, but also one that is very hard to watch, because of it realistic look. It's a very strong film and one that will haunt you long time after seeing it.

3. Death Proof

Death Proof is great entertainment and real fun, all in Quentin Tarantino's famous style. Dirty talk, feet, and loud colours, it's a piece of cinema that feels fresh and cool like a piece of bubblegum. The characters make this film great and altogether Death Proof provides for a great ride with a really cool ending, paying tribute to all those of the genre that came before it.

My Blueberry Nights

My Blueberry Nights is Wong Kar-Wai's first American film and even though not his best, still is a great effort. Choosing for great long takes and filming from interesting angles, My Blueberry Nights, like his other films, is drenched in the already famous Kar-Wai coating. Like many of his films, My Blueberry Nights includes trains and some fight scenes in bars and diners. Also there's the fast forwarding, providing for the energetic atmosphere. Already from the opening credits it's visually stunning, choosing to presents his viewers with a great close-up of something that looks like dripping ice cream or cake. It's a beautiful image and gives you a feeling of joy, realizing you're watching a real filmmaker. With songstress Norah Jones in the lead, his first American film is immediately rather daring. Never acted in a film before, it's a big task to all of a sudden be at the center of one, having to lead the audience through its depicted story. Surprisingly, Jones is a great find. With a great face, the camera already loves her, but her acting skills, are as good as her skills as a musician, or at least come close to it. She manages to make you forget she is Norah Jones, the mutiple Grammy award winning singer, and convinces you that for these couple of minutes she is Elizabeth, a struggling waitress who has some boyfriend trouble. Eating blueberry pie at her local diner is her only relief and the great company of Jeremy, played by Jude Law, puts a smile back on her face. Jones acts very natural and stands her own among the great cast, which beside Law also feature Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman and David Strathairn who are all superb. Portman is great as Leslie, gambling her money away and not wanting to admit she loves her father, but it are both Weisz and Strathairn who decide to give a masterclass in acting. Weisz is amazing and deserving of any award for acting out there. During a long take she shows she is one of the best and capable of playing a character which doesn't seem to bare any resemblance with how she is in real life at all. Strathairn is just as great, drinking his life away, not something you would expect from a cop. Both actors are what makes My Blueberry Nights worth while, apart from the visual beauty of the film that is. Overall the story is nice, but simple and sometimes a bit too easy. It's story doesn't feel that fresh and the characters aren't some we haven't already seen before. But for the most of it, it really works and people who love Wong Kar-Wai's earlier work will probably like this one as well. It's great eye candy and if you loved Norah Jones already you will come to love her even more. My Blueberry Nights is a nice roadmovie kind of film, with a young woman searching for answers at the center of it. It's not one of his best, but it's still good.

What Is It About?

A young woman, Elizabeth, pours her heart out while eating blueberry pie with the diner's owner, Jeremy. The two start to meet up regularly, chatting the nights away before she ends up leaving to go on a soul searching journey. Working in bars and diners to earn money to be able to one day buy a car she comes to meet some interesting people along the way from which she learns and who will add to the person she will end up becoming. Shaped by these characters, she tells about her travels through letters which she sends to Jeremy, who, in the meantime tries to get in contact with her. As the days pass by his urge to one day meet this woman again becomes stronger. It's up to Elizabeth, however, how long it will take before the two wil finally meet again.

Final Verdict: ****

My Blueberry Nights is a solid film, which I more than enjoyed. At the ending it does become a bit dull, but once Elizabeth and Jeremy reunite it provides for the same atmosphere the film starts off with. Jones and Law have convincing chemistry and it's nice to see Jones try her hand at acting, which she really succeeds in very well. There's a shot at the end that includes a kiss that is filmed from the top looking down at the two characters which will make the romantics swoon in their seats. My Blueberry Nights beside the road movie aspect is a bit of a love story as well. The pace of the film is slow, but nice. It has some really cool dialogue and the characters are all played very well, making them richer than they probably looked on paper. Kar-Wai is a visual master and whereas My Blueberry Nights could have fallen prey to being nothing more than a good looking film, without a nice plot and characters, it does provide the audience with more than just visual beauty. Though, not that original, the plot is nice and satisfying enough. A little cameo from Chan Marshall a.k.a Cat Power, makes My Blueberry Nights even greater for the music fans, who probably already felt a rush going through their stomach on hearing the first notes of her song The Greatest. The title of the song doesn't apply for My Blueberry Nights, but for me it does kind of for Wong Kar-Wai, who is one of the most interesting directors working right now, bringing real cinema to the screens. It's what makes the real directors great.

American Gangster

American Gangster is wonderful entertainment and provides the fun you expect from a gangster film. With Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe in the two leads, American Gangster has it all, great powerful performances, suspenseful action scenes and chases, and a solid story which isn't all that original, but is told superbly. The build up is very strong, a slow start that emerges into an ending that throttles. Washington as Frank Lucas is like a whirlwind, he owns the screen. He is Lucas, big mouth, and a fearceful look in his eyes which almost seems to make his model wife burst into tears instantly. Crowe is good too trying to catch Lucas and meanwhile having some family problems, which provides for a nice extra story giving his character some background and backbone. Ruby Dee as Lucas's mother is amazing, but her role is very small. But still, in those few scenes she has she easily takes over. Endearing, a true momma, she makes for a nice female character, characters this film almost doesn't offer. It's very much a man's world and the film itself can be said to be a guy's kind of film with violence and a lot of gun shooting. Women, however, can enjoy it too, and probably will, because American Gangster just is a very solid film. Fans of films like Goodfellas, will eat Gangster like cake. Ridley Scott has done a great job directing. It's a big film, with a story that crosses boundaries, partly taking place outside of the US. The film overall looks great and is shot at great locations. It's not sure if American Gangster will ever reach the classic status of let's say a Godfather, but it has all the ingredients to at least make it one of the better gangster films and one people in a few years will still pick up and enjoy.

What Is It About?

Frank Lucas is a businessman, he knows how to run a business and runs it well. Having learned the essence as a driver for one of the big guys in town, he now starts his own after the man's death. While others keep everything inside the US, Lucas looks at the outside, searching for connections who can help him prosper. With the Vietnam war going on at full force, he finds a way to get drugs cheap and sell it in the US for less than the other businesses he has to compete with. Quickly selling and people becoming dependent on his 'Blue Magic', he earns loads of money buying a big mansion for his mother to live in, a mother who doesn't ask where the money comes from, even though she has her ideas. Meanwhile there's Richie Roberts, a father of a young boy of whom he is about to lose custody. Working undercover, after one of his partners falls prey to addiction himself, Roberts starts investigating this 'Blue Magic'. Getting a team together he starts trying to get to the core of the business and bring it down. However, it takes long for him to find out who's behind one of the biggest businesses in town, a business that is, as Roberts soon comes to find out, very difficult to take down as some of his own colleagues seem to be involved.

Final Verdict: *****

American Gangster is a great film, and one of the best of its genre. It's fun, energetic and includes great dialogue and scenes. Washington shows how to be a real gangster. His acting is great as usual and Gangster provides him with a role he can bite his teeth in. He's perfect for it and a true joy to watch. He knows how to do it and does it well. From beginning to end it's a real thrill ride. Already after a few minutes you start to lick your fingers, because of the fun of it. Gangster tells a great story and looks great as well. The scenes taking place at night look beautiful and brings the city to life. With the great soundtrack, you also find yourself bopping your head to the beats. Another really great thing is that in a film like this you don't end up choosing for the good guy. The bad guys are bad, real bad, but they're too cool to be not appealing. Like in Goodfellas, you are rooting for them and the more they get angry and kill off a few men, the better. Crowe's character however is very appealing as well, so you end up feeling engaged with both. American Gangster is one of this year's best and maybe the one that is most entertaining and will appeal to the largest audience. It just can not dissapoint.

Once

John Carney's Once has been on many people's lips for the past few months. Rave reviews from critics and winning over audiences across the world, make Once one of the most talked about and succesful films of the year. It makes you wonder what is it about this film that got people all hyped up. The key to its succes probably can be summed up in one word: simplicity. No big effects or action scenes, not even beautiful camerawork or lighting, just a story to tell. A story which is told through song and shows the lifes of a struggling singer and a young mother. Once has a lot of charm and will appeal to many people who enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine or Me And You And Everyone We Know. It's that type of film. A film which focuses on feelings and emotions. One that tries to get straight to the core of your heart and touch it all over. Even though Once is a beautiful little film, it ends up not being all that special and leaves you with the feeling there are films around which are better. It's not a bad film, and would not feel to be a bit of a dissapointment when reviews wouldn't have been so great. But it just doesn't completely gets to you the way other films of this kind tend to do. There's a lot of singing. Once could be seen as a modern musical, one with the singing, but without the dancing and hysteria these films sometimes bring across. Some of these songs are great, some of them aren't so much, giving you an awkward feeling, making you wonder what to really think about it. The singing aspect is a thing you have to feel comfortable with. Songs are sung in full and if you don't like the music, you probably will already not like the film, which is such a big part of the what the film is about. But if the music doesn't win you over, maybe the two characters do. The story is very simple, which isn't a bad thing at all. These two characters happen to show real progression and evolve. The girl, played by Markéta Irglová, truly wins you over as the film moves on. She seems so delicate looking up at Hansard with her big eyes. In the beginning there's not a real connection, but at the end you come to feel for her strongly and enjoy the character. Same happens for the guy played by Glen Hansard. He however, might get already get to your gut at the very beginning when the camera slowly moves closer to him while he performs a song on the street, singing his heart out. It's a moment filled with true emotion. Hansard has a beautiful voice that gets to you very easily. It's a true pleasure for both ears. This scene however can have the tendency to set the bar very high, with the film not reaching the same height until the end, where a beautiful shot makes you stop breathing for a few seconds.

What Is It About?

A guy trying to earn a little money by singing on the street one day meets a young woman who is charmed by his music. The two of them start chatting a bit and when finding out the guy's father owns a shop where they repair vacuum cleaners, the girl ends up bringing hers along into town to hand it over to him so his father can repair it. From this little encounter a strong bond comes to establish between the two characters. There love for music connects them. She becomes his muse. They're not really lovers, but there's something there. He has a woman waiting for him in London, she has a husband and a daughter. There friendship grows stronger when they decide to record some songs, which will hopefully bring them succes and provide for a record deal. They share their dreams and they sing their songs. When he, however, has to go to London, they start thinking what will happen next. Was the recording of the CD all there is or will there be more? Maybe their lives will cross paths again.

Final Verdict: ****

When you think about it, Once is actually a visual CD, a music album with images attached which tell the stories. Hansard and Irglová worked together before the making of the film. Both are musicians and recorded an album on which some songs used in the film can be heard. Therefore one might say this film is just a new kind of way to sell music. With a very low budget, Once is actually one big music video or commercial. Sceptics will maybe look at Once in this way, but people who love cinema, are likely to just enjoy the film which feels very fresh and not ask too much questions. Even though I adore the music, the characters and the story, it didn't truly win me over. I expected it to be amazing, partly caused by all the critics speaking so highly of it. Maybe I was not entirely in the mood, maybe I expected way too much. At a second view I might enjoy it more and see the real beauty and wonders of Once. Having seen it once I would still like to watch it again. There's a big chance I would come to really love it after watching it a second time. But for now I feel there are better films out there. Film which get to me way more than Once did. I liked it, but not loved it, not yet. Markéta Irglová however was a real delight and I was impressed by how her character developed and made me fully engaged at the end. It does not happen that much when a character wins you over like this, but she really managed to do it. At the beginning she really wasn't that special, but I came to love her. The way the film ends is perfect, with a great moving shot, which makes you forget about the poor quality of the film. A real positive aspect of the film is that Once will probably restore faith in young filmmakers who don't have the money to make a great looking film. With the frame completely out of balance at some points, it does come off as amateurish at times. But it works, it really does. Once believes in itself and it shows. It's tough rating a film of which you expected so much. And still, it's not that it isn't good, it's great, but not as great as I thought it would be or at least it does not provide for that feeling of wow, of being totally in awe. Once shows how opinions from others can really come to affect you and sometimes kind of destroy your pleasure and experience of a film. I guess it's better watching a film which is slammed down by the critics, because most of the time you end up really liking them. This time it's the other way around, even though I still like the film very much. But for now I prefer The Science Of Sleep or Before Sunrise. Those are films that really managed to cast it warm spell over me and kind of had me at hello. Hopefully Once will be a grower. For now I will just listen to the great soundtrack.

The Queen

Apart from Hellen Mirren´s performance Stephen Frears' The Queen has nothing exceptional to offer. It's a somewhat funny film, sometimes heading too much toward satire, and which starts to become rather boring after the first half of the film. It's decent film showing the life of Elizabeth and the days after the death of Diana and the choice of Blair as the country's new Prime Minister, but you have to really be interested in the queen to sit it through without getting bored in the middle. The film does engages you quite easily and from the beginning is rather nice, showing the awkward meeting between Blair, his wife and Elizabeth. The Queen gives you the feeling to get a glimpse of what's happening inside the life of queen Elizabeth and the othermembers of the royal family. Because of Hellen Mirren's splendid performance you forget you're watching an actress, isntead of the real queen, enhancing the feeling of getting a glimpse of Elizabeth's life even more. It's strange, because at the end of the day we end up knowing not that much, or at least we can't be completely sure this is how Elizabeth's life really is. It's just a depiction of how the makers of the film think her life is and how she coped with the death of princess Diana. But most of the film you forget about all of that and just go along with it, watching this group of characters who are part of our real life. Still the film never grabs you, which is partly because of Mirren's great performance. She's so convincing as Elizabeth, making you forget it's not really her, that you have to really care about the real Elizabeth to feel engaged. When you're not interested in Elizabeth as a person, you probably won't feel that much interest in Elizabeth the character either, meaning that when she cries you won't really care, you won't be really touched. The Queen is a good film, but not at all that great. There are films more interesting and far better and which provide for at least some kind of challenge or cinematic beauty, which The Queen does not offer.

What Is It About?

After princess Diana's tragic death and Tony Blair as Britain's new Prime Minister, queen Elizabeth struggles keeping matters private and doing what seems best to keep in touch with the British people. Shown doing her every day tasks, meeting Blair, but also going out for a walk with the dogs, Elizabeth tries to go on with her life not caring too much about Diana. Slowly she is forced to give into the people's demands and takes up Blair's advise to pay a visit to Buckingham palace which has become a scene for grief and people coming together. Filled with flowers, the flag is now raised and whether she wants it or not, she does win back the people's trust and love. However, if she will come to forgive Blair and admit he was right by providign a big ceremony for Diana, who is referred to as the people's princess, only time will tell.

Final Verdict: ***1/2

Even people not really interested in the queen, her life, Tony Blair, or the whole aftermath after princess Diana's death, will probably enjoy The Queen. But there's a great chance that for a lot of people, just like me, the film loses momentum and Hellen Mirren's superb performance is the only thing left that's really worth while to finish watching the film. It's not that it isn't good, it's just too soft at times, with not much happening. Maybe it's just not my kind of film. But as I mentioned before, it's more satire at times, trying to bring to life the lives of these royalty some people are really interested in. Not giving real food for thought or providing new opinions about the tragic death of Diana and what might have been the cause, The Queen doesn't really takes a stand and it doesn't give any real insight on what Frears' own thoughts about the whole situation might be. It can be said that The Queen is probably not the type of film to do this, it's not its goal. But it would have been nice to give it an extra political message, which would make you think more about the events shown, instead of just showing them, trying to bring to life Elizabeth and her family as realistically as possible and the events concerning them. From a film that was given so much praise after its release, I expected more. The Queen, even though also enjoyable for non-royalty lovers, still is a film that will likely appeal most to the people interested in the film's subjects. And being British or living in the UK yourself will probably spark this interest inside you even more as well. The Queen is not at all a bad film, but it's just not really all that special and for a lot of people might be a bit too soft and not that interesting.

A History Of Violence

When A History Of Violence starts the thing that immediately catches your eye is the lighting and the overall smoothness of the image. Expecting images that seem much more poetic, what A History Of Violence gives you are images you nowadays see in blockbusters. It was this that surprised knowing it's a film made by David Cronenberg whom you expect to make little films without the blockbuster look. How weird this choice at first may seem it does fit the film, which is based on a graphic novel and at the end feels to have some similarities with Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. So far having only seen ExistenZ, a great film which really challenges you and keeps putting you off track the moment you think you have it all figured out, A History Of Violence was to be expected to provide the same. Also knowing Cronenberg's interest in media and knowing a few things about his film Videodrome, A History Of Violence seems a departure from this all. Telling the story of Tom Stall who is mistaken for being someone else and who is played by actor Viggo Mortensen, who also stars in Cronenberg's latest, Eastern Promises, A History Of Violence brings you a film with lots of suspense and constantly plays with the viewer's expectations. There are some scenes, concerning Tom Stall's son that seems a bit too cheesy and a little bit like what you would see in a soap opera, including the bad acting. The rest of the film, however, is superb. Maria Bello who plays Tom's wife Edie, gives a great and solid performance, convincingly expressing Edie's difficulty with what to believe and being torn between what she wants to believe and what she eventually has to. Most of the film brings you a lot of surprises, which make for you being fully concentrated. Overall A History Of Violence is a much lighter film than you would think, but when looking for a deeper meaning it can become one which is actually afterall more complex. In the end there indeed happen to be some similarities to Cronenberg's former work and his interest in things like video games, whereas Mortensen's character seems to have some superhuman powers. Also the film brings up questions about how much of the things you experience in your life growing up will shape you into the person you become, including things like violence. The question of the media's influence can seem to shine through, making you think about how images of violence can become part of who you'll end up becoming and will not be able to escape. Mortensen's character can be seen to be the result of all these questions, making him believe he can escape something he can't. So looking closer at a History Of Violence it does present us with a lot of things to think about and challenges you to look further. It makes the film even more enjoyable and satisfying than it already is.

What is it about?

A father of two and the owner of a diner, Tom Stall seems to have a good stable life. A loving wife and a nice farm show the fruits of his success. However, when one night two strangers come to travel through the town Stall lives in, his life suddenly takes a big turn. Already as a viewer knowing these two men are real killers, the question is put in mind later on whether or not they came to pay visit to Tom's diner on purpose. Trying to take the customers hostage and pulling off what seems to be a robbery, Tom happens to handle the situation very well and during one night becomes the town's new local hero killing both men. Fascinated by the way he easily seemed to gain control over the life threatening situation, Tom's identity is put into question and even more so when one day this odd guy, who is the real tough guy you rather don't want to mess with, seems to mistaken Tom for a guy called Joey. Starting to spying on his family the man seems to not wanting to leave Tom alone before he admits he is who the man thinks he is.

Final Verdict: ****1/2

A History Of Violence seems rather short, but it's just the correct time. The last scene is very strong and makes for a perfect ending and shows Cronenberg's perfect directing. Beside Bello Mortenson gives a very strong performance as well. With a face that can be both handsome and scary he is totally convincing as the father who wants the best for his family, but who also deals with a past only he is able to deal with, but can't. Looking at his face he perfectly expresses the emotions and thoughts which run through his character's head. A History Of Violence ends up being a psycholgical thriller with some aspects reminiscent of an action film. It's this combination of elements which makes it tough to place in one category and shows its nature of holding different elements and being much more than just one simple thing. A History Of Violence thus has a lot to offer and really makes for an excellent film. It's entertaining, exciting, and provides for some real thought, making it a great film to get introduced to the work of Cronenberg.

Control

With Control, the debut feature film of photographer and artist Anton Corbijn, Corbijn has made a great film about Joy Divison's Ian Curtis. Making of Curtis more than just the famous frontman who died at young age, Curtis is presented as an ordinary twentysomething having to deal with marriage and fatherhood and a returning disorder which comes to haunt him his whole life. Played by Sam Riley, Ian Curtis is brough to life so vividly, making you as a viewer forget it's only a film you're watching and not the real band. Including some full performances of songs, which were performed by the actors themselves with Riley bearing a striking vocal resemblance to Curtis extraordinary voice. It's a breaktrough performance for the young actor who was once himself the frontman of his own band 10.000 Things. Entirely shot in black and white, because this is how Corbijn remembers the period when visualizing it in his mind, Control is one of the better biopics, showing the life of a young man, which was so short, but already so full of trouble. It's a life young adults will strongly relate to, which sets it apart from the person Ian Curtis. It could have been everybody's life, a life which seems so ordinary with Curtis showing no signs of arrogance or feeling of superiority. Like every young man he dealt with insecurities, being not at all like the tough frontman with this air of coolness he turned into once being on stage. Having this beautiful sad and somewhat melancholic atmosphere throughout the entire film, Control never becomes overly dramatic, but finds just the right tone and balance. It's a beautiful tragic story about a young guy trying to understand life. With Samantha Morton as Curtis wife, Control brings two great performances to the screen. Morton perfectly knows how to shape her character, going from young teenager to young adult trying to do things right like a good wife should. Control is heartbreaking at times, but also extremely funny, which has much to do with the band's manager, played by Toby Kebbell. The comedic parts never seem out of place or distracting as they are masterly interweaved with the more tragic scenes. It's what makes Control come to life so well. Corbijn has made a great film which can be seen as a great tribute to Joy Division and its frontman Ian Curtis. It has it all and manages to tell it very well. A wonderful film all round.

What is it about?

Ian Curtis, the singer of Joy Division who commited suicide at the young age of just 23, marries his teenage crush who soon ends up having his baby. In the meantime getting more and more succesful with his band Joy Division, Curtis starts to have trouble combining his life as a frontman with the role of father and husband. Also coping with epilepsy, Curtis has to deal with a lot of stressfull things for a man of his age. With much pain in his heart, he comes to fall for Annik Honoré, an admirer who after interviewing the band gets involved in a hectic relationship, knowing Curtis has a loving wife waiting for him at home. Deborah Curtis, Ian's wife who tries to hold things together ends up falling apart, wanting to leave Ian and losing trust in the man she so loved. Feeling honestly guilty and realizing his marriage was a mistake, Curtis starts to feel more and more insecure eventually falling out of love with life not longer able to deal with its pressure.

Final Verdict: *****

Control is a perfect film about the life of Curtis. It's very vivid and energetic, with never a dull moment. The band's great songs make you bop your head swiftly to the melodic tunes and the beautiful voice of Riley who sounds just like Curtis himself. Control is a beautiful film of how one can lose himself. Being someone with so much talent his future seemed so bright, but like every human being life didn't come easy. Providing some beautiful shots, especially of the concert performances and the working class landscape, Corbijn's depiction of Curtis gives him an even more legendary presence. The choice of having the actors perform the songs themselves is a very smart choice and works out more than fine, which has mostly to do with the great performance of Riley who really carries the film and shows a beautiful evolvement in character. Control is a great achievement which will not only appeal to fans of Joy Division but every person interested in great cinema. Control is more than a film about Ian Curtis, it's a film that could have been of any young man, which makes it all the more real.

The Best 3 Of October

Again running a bit late, I still have to pick the best 3 films for the month of October. Having been a month with lots of recent films, but also some older ones, it has brought in some really nice pieces of cinema, some of which can be seen as real classics or classics in the making. Here they are, the top 3.

1. Blue Velvet

David Lynch's masterpiece is a perfect blend of the surreal and voyeuristic. With the magical Isabella Rossellini, Blue Velvet is your usual mystery thriller, but Lynch style. Always trying to make his audience think and not being satisfied with providing just a simple story, Lynch's work always tend to have a dream like, hallucinating atmosphere. Blue Velvet more than some of his other films finds a perfect balance between the strange and the normal.

2. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

With Eternal Sunshine director Michel Gondry has brought to life a frantic and mindbobbling puzzle bringing up questions about the human mind and reminding his audience of the beauty which is memory. Perfectly directed and edited, it brings a love story of the different kind. Great cinematography and original fresh characters and twists make of Eternal Sunshine another great piece written by the brilliant Charlie Kaufman.

3. Quand J'étais Chanteur

Providing two beautiful characters, one of them a has been singer, Quand J'étais Chanteur presents a wonderful story about an unexpected love. Sometimes reminding us of Lost In Translation, Xavier Giannoli's film bares some resemblances but still finds its own voice. It's a very fresh and delightful film which makes you think about your own life and dreams.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Visually stunning, Elizabeth: The Golden Age definitely has succeeded in being a beautiful painting like film. Narratively, however, Elizabeth never seems to reach any real climax or tension. Directed by Shekhar Kapur, the director who also directed the first installment of which The Golden Age should be the second part of a trilogy about the life of Elizabeth I, the film never manages to rise above the level it sets up at the beginning. There are some moments which should deliver some real peaks, but never really do so. The ending of the film, which involves the big battle against the Spanish armada, is nothing more than a painting brought to life, with unfortunately not much exitement involved. The overall feeling you have watching Elizabeth is an empty one. You watch a stream of images go passed you, but never feel truly engaged with the characters and the events they go through. Still, though, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is quite an entertaining film. Like the first one it involves a lot of heavy talking, intrigue, and passionate affairs. The musical score is full of bombast which fits the triumphant atmosphere the film constantly seems to want to project. Cate Blanchett, who returns as Elizabeth I, gives a whirlwind of a performance. Every gesture every look of her eyes, she is Elizabeth. Even more than in the first Elizabeth she takes charge of the film, making her presence more than felt in every scene she's in. Abbie Cornish, who came to attention after starring in the little film Sommersault, gives a very nice performance as well and brings in a character distinct from Elizabeth, one that is still delicate and ready to come to full bloom. Where Elizabeth is all strength and fire, Cornish plays the sweet other Elizabeth, who comes to be called Bess, the queen's favourite. Both falling for the same man played by Clive Owen, Sir Walter Raleigh is one of the new male characters. Geoffrey Rush who also starred in the first Elizabeth just like Blanchett makes a return and does so wonderfully. Jordi Mollà who plays King Philip II and especially Samantha Morton, the second big name actress who in the trailer is mentioned as one if its big stars, both end up having very small roles with not much screen time. Morton looks great as Mary Stuart, already making a very lasting impression for the brief moments she is on screen. However, these moments are far too short and her performance could really have dazzled if being bigger. With the film only cutting back to her for less than a couple of minutes before going back to the world involving Elizabeth, her part is too small to really turn it into an award winning performance, which it no doubt would have turned out to be. Being one of the frontrunners to earn some Academy Awards nominations, after many critics attented the first couple of screenings, opinions quickly changed. Even though very beautiful and led by a very strong performance by one of the industry's best actresses of today, Elizabeth: The Golden Age has not much more to offer and seems just mediocre and nothing special. Compared to the first Elizabeth this second installment comes out inferior.

What is it about?

After proclaiming herself as the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I is back after she left us in Elizabeth. Good times have arrived and a peaceful period seems near. However, King Philip II of Spain has set his eyes on England and soon will start a war. Slowly losing control of her country and her people, Elizabeth has to decide whether or not to go to war and make some dreadful decisions along the way. Meanwhile exploring love with adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, of whom she seems very impressed, she starts to have dreams about maybe giving up live as a queen and travel the world. Also spending lots of time with the young Bess, her lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth starts to forget about what's really important, the future of her people. When betrayal starts to rise up eventually also invading Elizabeth's private property, things start to go awfully wrong and Elizabeth is thrown back in reality once again turning into the powerful and statuesque queen the people came to knew her for.

Final Verdict: ***1/2

Elizabeth: The Golden Age could have been much better if only it had been more human and less sensational, almost God like. Everything from the music to the costumes seems to want to wow us ending up at times being way too much and somewhat over the top. Beautiful white horses jumping off a burning ship and filmed from beneath the surface makes for beautiful images, but a bit too beautiful and painting like actually, making it seem rather fake. This is one of the main problems of Elizabeth, which seems somwhat plastic and too fabricated to be really sincere and convincing. Every scene seems to want to be end up in a trailer, showing off its power. Apart from all these crticisms, Elizabeth is still a good film. If you just sit back and relax, putting your mind at rest, you can take it all in having a pretty nice night at the movies. However if you're not interested in a film which seems to want to project Britains historic strength, making them seem superior to everything else and showing almost nothing of the enemy, which in this episode is Spain, it doesn't give a really fair look and is slightly one sided. The only thing which makes it worth seeing still are its powerful performances, especially by Blanchett and the fresh faced Cornish. If Shekhar Kapur and the crew decide to still make a third film about Elizabeth, hopefully it will present less overwhelming music and images and more heart and real characters.