Calgary International Film Festival: Comedy Shorts (2012)

I scored some tickets last minute for the 2012 Calgary Film Festival and saw a collection comedy shorts: 

•  BEAR (dir. Nash Edgerton, Australia, 2011) Easily the best and greatest film of the collection. Too bad it was first since the rest had a hard time measuring up. A man goes through great effort to surprise his girlfriend with a gift on her birthday, but the sheer horror of his good intentions and their consequences are blindingly hilarious.
•  BOYS NIGHT IN (dir. Brian McElhany and Nick Kocher, USA, 2012) Multiple episodes of the same joke: a guy's friend comes over and it gets increasingly gay.
•  GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (dir. Two Trick Pony, USA, 2012) A very dull and clichéd story with board game themes. Too bad. I like board games.
•  GROOVE YOUR LIFE (dir. Vincent Burgevin and Frank Lebon, France, 2011) A dark comedy about a music group you can call to follow you around and jazz up, oops, groove up your life. A suicidal man gets a second chance.
•  BUYER'S MARKET (dir. Nathan Fielder, Canada, 2012) I really enjoyed this tale of a squatter foiling a real estate agents sale. A really gross moment makes this epic.
•  SPECIAL DELIVERY (dir. Graham Lester George, Spain, 2012) This was close to the best I saw in this set. Some great comic moments when a postman accidentally drops a lit cigarette through the mail slot.
•  DAD DRIVES: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER (dir. Daniel Beirne, Canada, 2012) A father gives his mature son the sex talk - pretty funny and uncomfortable.
•  BLITZEN TRAPPER MASSACRE (dir. Joshua Homnick and Rainn Wilson, USA, 2011) Rainn Wilson of The Office fame goes on a killing spree. Not funny, not even once.
•  LAST WORDS (dir. Tony Yacenda, USA, 2011) This was just crass and irreverent without being funny at all.
•  PARACHUTE (dir. Martin Thibaudeau, France, 2012) Skydiving hustle which leads to awkward decision making - fun enough.
•  CANOEJACKED (dir. Jonathan Williams, Canada, 2012) I don't remember much about this except that it was some dark humour about escaped convicts and I laughed.
•  TALKING DOG FOR SALE: TEN EUROS (dir. Lewis-Martin Soucy, France, 2012) An old joke gets the film treatment, so if you've heard the joke, you know the punchline. I had heard the joke before.
•  THE PROCESSION (dir. Robert Festinger, USA, 2012) A funeral procession is interrupted, a great set up for comedy, but it just falls flat with boring dialogue and cliché.

Biutiful (2010)

Leave it to Iñárritu (21 Grams; Babel) to deliver yet another gut-wrenching drama. This time we're in Barcelona peering into the life of a man having difficulties financially, relationally, physically - and yet, moments of lightness (very few of them) give us a reason to believe that even at the lowest moments in life, we can shine.

Los abrazos rotos (2009)

In Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces we get a view of regret years after a tragic incident. In this case we follow a director who had an affair and where his lover is killed.

As he has in the past, the Spanish writer/director depicts characters with diminished physical or mental abilities. I think this puts enough distance between the viewer and the characters so that we can more objectively appreciate the internal struggles. But this one felt just a bit too distant as the characters were just that much more selfish.

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It's All Gone Pete Tong (2004)

This biopic of legendary DJ Frankie Wilde is wacky and colourful - like it's subject. Thematic elements about this self-indulgent star only serve to contrast his transformation after he goes deaf and is resurrected by the honest love of a caring woman. It's kind of a disturbing start to what becomes a glorious finish.

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The Hit (1984)

This is really quite a brilliant film in that it layers the character of this retired British hit man who is captured and being transported to where he will be executed by his former boss. The layers come in the form of his two captors - one a ruthless career man and the other an upstart trying to prove himself. The doomed veteran demonstrates his charisma and skill at every turn, showing that he's been through his captors' experience before.

The journey from Spain to France is beautifully filmed and the characters are just as colourful - especially the woman they've also taken captive who uses her wiles to try and survive the ordeal.

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Four Last Songs (2007)

This is an indy romantic comedy that tries to incorporate a lot of love themes (romantic, familial, friendship, musical).

Larry, an American lounge pianist on a small Spanish island, devotes himself to putting on a tribute concert to the recently deceased celebrity composer from the island. He encounters delays, opposition, and several roadblocks trying to put on the show, but in the end he brings the island together.

Nice movie with a few great characters, but rather slow with some of the overly emotive personages.

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Goya's Ghosts (2006)

Stacked with very fine actors and a compelling story, this film ultimately doesn't satisfy because of the multi-layered melodramatic threads in the fictional tale.

Francisco Goya, the famed political artist, is witness to the horrors of both the Catholic Inquisition and the invasion by Napoleonic forces into Spain. Caught in the midst of the worst kind of injustice is the daughter of one of Goya's patrons.

The film is not horrible, it just fails to bring much hope nor does it make the hopelessness palpable.

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Savage Grace (2007)

Savage indeed! This is one of those sad true stories that reveals the underbelly of a sinful race of humans, exacerbated by wealth.

Tony is born into privilege and to a psychotic mother and fed-up father. The family lives nomadically traveling from villa to villa in Europe. It becomes clear that Tony suffers from neglect from his father and unnatural attention from his mother. No good results.

From a cinematic perspective, the film scores high. The progression of darkness is steady and the tension brews for quite a while before a stark and brutal finish. The actors superbly perform as the camera gives us perhaps too much to see.

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The Fountain (2006)

After seeing Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, I knew I would have to ignore the terrible reviews The Fountain got and watch it anyway. After all, he'd also made Requiem for a Dream.

This art film blurs the lines between a novel a character is writing about the tree of life set in 16th century Spain/Guatemala, a modern day couple's struggle against cancer in the USA, and a 500 year leap into the future on a space craft near a dying star's nebulae. 

I liked it. While the story may not have gripped me as much as I would have liked, many of the conclusions and imagery lingered on in my mind after the credits rolled. Hugh Jackman was an on screen force that kept me awake through some slow spots. There was plenty of tension to keep the story interesting too. Ultimately, the contemplation of death, rebirth, dealing with loss, and the value of life was refreshing.

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Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)

Freedom and commitment are typical themes for a Woody Allen drama. Jealousy and boredom are also typical themes for a Woody Allen drama. At least he gives both sides a fair shot.

Vicky and Christina, daughters of a privileged American culture, spend the summer in Barcelona to pursue their artistic interests. Instead, they both end up pursuing the same man, the straight-talking Juan Antonio. Vicky is already engaged to marry a flat financial droned from sector USA. Christina is happy to let her life raft bump into any passing ship. Tensions rise when Juan Antonio's violent and passionate ex enters the scene.

There are some truly hilarious moments in the film. The acting is captivating as are the Spanish surroundings. I don't think the film caused me to question my own situation in any way as the characters seemed all to self-involved to make any kind of relationship viable - open or committed.

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Mar Adentro (2004)

It is remarkable to contrast this true story film from Spain with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly from France. Both are extremely well made, but the two characters have very different views on life.

Ramón has been a quadripeligic for 30 years and wishes to be euthanized. From the early days of his condition he fails to find much value in his life and writes poetry to express it as such. Despite his wish to die, the remarkable thing is that his life is filled with love, expression and desire - more than so many other mobile people alive. The film focuses on a few relationships and on the legal battle to be euthanized.

While I agree with granting the right to individuals to be euthanized, it would never be my choice and I don't feel that the film compels the viewer into believing that it is ever a positive choice - especially for someone who is not in pain - and that's not a bad thing.

Truth: The state should have no rights over individuals' choices if they cause no harm to others. Life is always of value and one should focus on the value rather than the shortcomings.

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Vantage Point (2008)

Stop. Rewind. Watch from a different perspective. Eight times. The film is well edited, I'll give it that.

Slowly piecing together clues on a terrorist attack, we follow an FBI body guard to the President of the United States. We follow terrorist, news crew, civilian and FBI agents as explosions and chases occur in Salamanca, Spain.

The film does not delve into motive and into the politically rich reasons for terrorism. Instead, we are served good guy/bad buy characters and American heroism reaching a fever pitch with no less than the life of a young girl. Yawn.

The film does deliver good action and a terrific car chase along with a nice performance, as always, from Forest Whitaker.

Truth: If you're going to plan an assassination on the president, don't expect things to go smoothly. (honestly, that's all I could come up with)

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La Mala Educación (2004)

Almodóvar brings to light another underworld - pedophilia in the Catholic Church, the effects of which lead to drug addiction, blackmail, and gender change.

The film is far more graphic than any hollywood film of the sort. The cast of characters, all men save a couple incidental women, are intent on abusing one another for their own purposes.

The story is creatively told as a blend of the present (1980), recalled events (1960's and 70's), and the current production of a movie loosely based on the recalled events. The acting, cinematography, and writing are superb, leaving the viewer disturbed. It is difficult, though necessary, to empathize with characters bent on destroying the lives of others.

Truth: Abusive actions towards others carry lasting damaging effects on the victim, and the perpetrator.

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Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

The cast returns to produce a second chapter in Elizabethan history. Earlier in the saga, a reluctant young Queen Elizabeth unites her kingdom with a bit of purging and it a bit of virginity.

This time around, the Catholics are her antagonists, from her cousin Mary Queen of Scots to the devout King of Spain and his massive fleet of ships. The story is well known and the tension the film tries to create with these players is weak. Most of the film's tension is supported by the queen's loneliness.

With a sensational cast, virtually unlimited budget and an epic piece of history, how could a film go wrong? The story is flat. There is more emphases on costume and set design than there is on generating pathos and changes in character. The queen and her subjects remain the same from beginning to end despite overcoming a possible assassination and an attack from the most powerful kingdom in Europe.

One thing that really stuck out for me was the condition in which the political prisoners were kept. Absolutely barbaric.

Truth: Sacrifices must be made, both personally and publicly, in order to be a leader.

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El Pasado (2007)

If I were to write an outline of this movie, you would be shocked at the absurd downward spiral the plot takes. It is the epitome of bad telenovelas (Mexican soap operas).

We meet a younger couple at the end of their marriage, as they part ways. The man easily begins to see another woman, a model no less, and carries on with life. The scorned ex-wife becomes obsessive as the man progresses through a series of women. There is cocaine, depression, kidnapping, prison, and a beard to round out the tale.

Though the arc of the story is very bad, the acting is generally acceptable - putting it above your typical telenovela I suppose. The styles and location reminded me of Montreal a little.

Truth: Men and women deal with loss differently; if they reach their negative extremes, both are pretty ugly.

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Volver (2006)

Master writer/director Pedro Almodóvar gives us another film whose subject is the woman. Woman is characterized as the adolescent/daughter, the mother/daughter/sister, the grandmother/mother, the sister/aunt, the aunt, and the friends. There are very few lines spoken by men in the film and we get the sense that despite the effects of the men surrounding them, these women have created a world unto themselves.

Penelope Crews leads the cast of damaged ladies. Though quite a strong figure, she occasionally reveals some emotional scarring to the camera and this helps her become a multi-dimensional character. Several of the characters are portrayed using this same method - life on the outside vs. life on the inside - and it is only towards the end of the film that the two begin to meet.

The subjects of incest, infidelity, and abuse draw a bright red line through the plot which makes their day-to-day lives almost unreal. Hints of romance and financial success really don't impact the viewer when presented under the bruises these women have endured. Though not outrageously funny, there is a lightness to the film too though and the characters display a modest amount of joy and humanity to make you smile.

The film is about women banding together because almost all men have hurt them; more than their sexuality, these women are shown to be both strong and frail - like all humans.

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The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Though I'm really not a fan of the CIA and I think that most of their purposes are for evil, this film is extremely entertaining. My distinction here is that though the CIA is not presented in a terribly good light, it limits the "badness" to a few rogue directors like the coldwar Bond movies did with the bad guys stealing nukes.

One thing makes this film tremendous is how it depicts surveillance. I remember reading about how London was putting up all these cameras as a way to prevent terrorism and this third installment of the Bourne dynasty plays off this. A question that was put to me during the film was "how much surveillance is too much?" I sometimes feel that even in a mountain town in Guatemala, I could be picked off by a CIA agent (in a case of mistaken identity of course).

This is a blend of the recent surge of comic book superheroes and hightech thrillers. Bourne's supernatural anticipation of people's behaviour is assumed to have been learned while training for the CIA, but he's got the burning desire of justice on his side.

I have to comment of the remix of Moby's Extreme Ways at the end of the movie - it's awesome! Unfortunately, the projection operator cut it off about 15 seconds in.

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Hable Con Ella (2002)

A luscious interplay of the perverse and beauty, Talk to Her challenges the viewer to revisit balance and to reevaluate where that balance should be and what our roles are in bring balance to the world. For those that are tormented or comatose (in the film it is a literal coma, but it represents more the silent or sleeping in society) what should we as individuals do to revive them; what shouldn't we do?

The story is incredibly unique and we should expect nothing less from writer/director Pedro Almodóvar. We see two very different men who are smitten by women who wind up in comas. Their love is at the same time very sincere, but also echoes past loves and several degrees of codependence. The ladies are performers, one a ballerina, the other a matadora or bullfighter. The two are essentially not heard nor understood by the mooning men, but their survival and perhaps the survival of the love these doomed lovers have for them can only be salvaged by the men talking to their sleeping beauties.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this film is how Almodóvar interweaves performance art into the story. It opens and closes with dramatic dance and sandwiches a 10-minute silent film. The bullfighting is also magnificient and graceful.

The film is tragic and hopeful and left me perplexed, again. That is how I prefer films to end.

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El Laberinto del Fauno (2006)

My anticipation and the hype I read about this movie didn't diminish my experience at all. Two satisfied thumbs up!

This beautiful and graphic film transports the viewer into the woods of Spain during their civil war. A young girl caught in the crossfire is forced to find a way to survive. What makes this film so wonderful is that it brings you into her terror and her imagination so seamlessly. The urgency of the story augments with every scene and very little in the film draws you away from it.

The fantastical portions of the film are very well rendered. You won't find "Tinkerbell" faeries either. All the mystical characters are original and decidedly not cute. So marvellous they are as characters that you aren't able to decipher whether they are good or bad (well most of them). Our heroine's interaction with them makes the film that much more ominous.

The violence in the film is honest and genuinely brutal. It means not to gloss over this part of Spanish history and it brought to mind the horrific etchings of de la Goya.

I really don't want to say more so as not to give away the film. I haven't seen many films depict the subject matter more magnificently than this one.

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