Notes (and a Plea) from Venice - Day 7/8

Boyd from European Films here, reporting on the ongoing Venice Film Festival

Mood: tired
Weather: sunny but not particularly warm
Films seen: Cassandra's Dream, The Nines, La graine et le mulet, Un baiser - s'il vous plaît, The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier, Il dolce e l'amaro, En la ciudad de Sylvia, Der Freischwimmer, Mal nascida, Sukiyaki Western Django, Désengagement
People currently on the same square mile of earth as I am: Peter Greenaway, Manoel de Oliveira, Amos Gitai, Tsai Ming-Liang, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp.

A Plea from Venice:

Dear directors (and dear editors of the aforementioned),

Life is short. Please remember this when putting your films together. Life is short. Repeat after me: Life is short. Life is short. Life is short.

Directors! What has happened to you? If the new films presented at the 2007 Venice Film Festival are any indication, anything shorter than 80 minutes is considered a short film, and anything shorter than 100 a medium-length feature. Don't you think viewers and especially critics don't have anything better to do?

Here is the evidence for my case:

Atonement: 123 minutes
Se jie (Lust, Caution): 156 minutes
Sad vacation: 136 minutes
Michael Clayton: 119 minutes
In the Valley of Elah: 120 minutes
Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon - 109 minutes
Empire II - 180 minutes
Hotel Meina - 110 minutes
Cléopatra - 116 minutes
Cassandra's Dream - 108 minutes
La fille coupée en deux - 115 minutes The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - 155 minutes
La Graine et le mulet - 151 minutes
I'm Not There - 135 minutes
Sukiyaki Western Django - 121 minutes
Désengagement - 115 minutes
Freischwimmer - 110 minutes
Nightwatching - 134 minutes
and the list goes on...

Do you really think we have nothing else to do in life? That we have no friends, no family, no TV set, no internet connection? What is wrong with you people? If you want to mirror life in your films, please remember what I said earlier: life is short.

In the list above, there are only two films that merit every single minute of their running time: Atonement and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Both are historical epics and benefit from the long running time (in Atonement's case it should ideally have been even a bit longer; it's closing section is handled too quickly). All the other filmmakers have committed what might be a minor infraction if you are out on your semi-weekly multiplex visit, but what turns out to be something on the level of a crime against humanity if you are at a film festival.

If all the films above would have been shortened by just ten minutes, I would have had three whole hours of my life back, in which I could have: a) seen two medium-length films, b) watched the restored copy of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance playing here in Venice, c) gone out for a nice Italian meal d) gone for a swim in the Mediterranean and a nice Italian snack.

So, my dear directors, pleas bear this in mind when putting together your next film. Less is more. Life is short. Critics also like solid food instead of straw-fed Red Bull and coffee. And a dip in the Med is more than they could ever hope for. After any of the above occurrences (or -- God forbid -- a combination of them) , they might even be more mildly inclined towards your movies as they will not review them in a state of lethargy or somnambulance.

Thank you for your future consideration.

(a sleep-depraved) Boyd
editor of european-films.net and
TFE guest blogger from Venice

NB: Note to the editors working with the directors: If you feel that the film you are working on is too long, please advise the director to "jump straight into the story" (read: chop of the endless city-, landscape or other useless shots at the beginning) and to go for an "enigmatic" ending (read: chop ten to twenty minutes of the ending).

Reviews:

Though I've seen a lot more, I haven't been able to review much (or very extensively) for the past two days, since I've had about a dozen interviews that will be published in the upcoming weeks at european-films.net.

What I can give you are the two reviews of highly anticipated titles that both come with reservations: Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited and, as promised, Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream. Both star stars and are too long but should appeal to fans of the directors. The links above are to the medium-length reviews on european-films.net.

The score board:

On the score board published in the festival daily, the French film La graine et le mulet (The Secret of the Grain) is currently the top choice of both the Italian critics and the Italian audience so far, with Branagh's Sleuth in second place for the audience and the critics placing their bets on Rohmer's Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon. My personal top three of festival films so far: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Atonement and Se
jie (Lust, Caution).

Tim Burton & Sweeney Todd:

Earlier today, US director Tim Burton received the Career Golden Lion from the hands of an actor completely unknown to the director until the time of the ceremony: Captain Jack (the two bearded and bespectacled men can be see in the picture above, courtesy of Fabrizio Maltese). In honor of the director, the festival declared September 5 "Tim Burton Day" and screened the 3D version of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the first eight minutes of Sweeney Todd, which I haven't seen but which I have been told were quite out of the ordinary (not that anything less would have been acceptable from Burton).

The director walked down the red carpet with his rotund partner Helena Bonham Carter (she is eating lots a the moment but has good reason: she's pregnant), who plays the pie-baking Mrs Lovett in the adaptation of the Sondheim musical about the demon barber. Johnny Depp plays the sharp-cutting title character.

High School Nostalgia

John Hughes seminal high school classic The Breakfast Club puts five barely acquainted students from different social orders into the library on a weekend to serve out a detention. The day begins with stereotype reinforcing banter. It’s easy to differentiate the jock (Emilio Estevez) from the outcast (Ally Sheedy), the spoiled rich girl (Molly Ringwald) from a nerdy A student (Anthony Michael Hall) and the burnout (Judd Nelson) from all of them. But soon their forced conversation –what else can they do? —leads to soul-searching confessionals and the crumbling of the social order walls that their high school identities impose on them. The Breakfast Club ends with the following quote, written by the brain, but delivered via voice-over with each student chiming in:

“You see us as you want to see us, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club.”

The simple genius of the movie is in the way it manages to accept and discuss those labels without really subverting them... (Read my full nostalgia heavy article at Zoom-In)
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"The Pfeiffer Howls at the Moon"

I'm not quite back but I had to share this...

Did you know that Val Kilmer once had a relationship with Michelle Pfeiffer?* The only time they've appeared together onscreen was in an ABC Afterschool Special called "One Too Many" (pictured left) which was directed by Michelle's husband at the time, "Gary" from thirtysomething. If you're thinking 'why the hell were they doing a TV special?' you'll have to remember that both were mere beginners. Pfeiffer had only Scarface (1983) as a true calling card and Kilmer had made but one movie, the spoof Top Secret. Ladyhawke (1985) and Top Gun (1986) would speed up their careers soon after.

Anywayyy...That's not the point. Not only did Val Kilmer date her but he wrote a poem about her, featured in his self-published book My Edens After Burns (1987), called 'The Pfeiffer Howls at the Moon'. His relationship with Pfeiffer pre-dates her stint in Wolf by ten years. Val Kilmer is psychic! I'd love to read that poem but guess what? The book is going for $1200 --more details at Book Ride.

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Related Article: Pfeiffer's animal side explored in "The Ferocity of Pfeiffer" (from the Michelle Pfeiffer Blog-a-Thon, April 2006)

*I'm sure that I did know this (being a true Pfan for 23 years --eep!) but I'd forgotten. The only pre-David E Kelley men I remember are John Malkovich (Scandal! He was married), Michael Keaton (this paid off later with that Batman/Catwoman chemistry) and Fisher Stevens (remembered due to the endless and cruel media harping on their beauty disparity).

Venice. Toronto. New York.

I hope you've been enjoying Boyd's Venice coverage as much as I have. I'm working on getting coverage for Toronto and New York too --I'll handle the latter in person: get a little more hands on... or eyes on as the case may be.

The Film Experience has gone festival happy. For this I should probably thank the Indianapolis International Film Festival again for having me on their world cinema jury this spring and re-sparking that fever.

If you're attending any upcoming festivals (large or small) and would like to help the film experience in any way (large or small) let's talk on e-mail. Much appreciated
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Notes from Venice - Day 5/6

Boyd from European Films here, reporting on the ongoing Venice Film Festival

Mood: tired
Weather: hot but cloudy
Films seen: Cassandra's Dream, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Nines, La graine et le mulet, Un baiser - s'il vous plaît, The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier
Gripe of the day: Brad Pitt's sunglasses
People currently on the same square mile of earth as I am: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Todd Haynes, Richard Gere, Jason Schwartzman, Tim Burton, Joan Chen, Toni Servillo, Terence Howard, Sam Shepard

Last night the Venice Film Festival hosted the gala premieres of two films that had the boys and girls lining the red carpet screaming their lungs out: Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream with Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford with Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, who graced the red carpet with Angelina Jolie. (During the latter film's premiere I was in another building half a mile away and I could still hear the deafening screams floating into the room on the gentle sea breeze. "Oh! It must be half past nine," I thought.)

Earlier yesterday, Brad Pitt's sunglasses caused an uproar with attending photographers when during a photo opportunity for accredited picture-takers he refused to take his sunglasses off and then maliciously passed them on to Casey Affleck before he could have his mug shot taken. A voluntary photography boycott seemed to be in the air for the evening premiere, but things had apparently calmed down by then, as photographers clicked away like mad when the Royal Couple also known as Brangelina finally walked down the red carpet.

So what about the movies? The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (full review) is a magnificent motion picture that will appeal more to the fans of Terence Malick than those of Clint Eastwood. In my review I compared it to both Zodiac and a suspension bridge in that it stars of with a violent episode before going into calmer (read: character psychology) waters and then arriving at the titular act of violence that must certainly rank with the most exciting scenes of the year. How director Andrew Dominik succeeds in making the killing of a man cleaning a picture on a wall so exciting you will have to see for yourself, though a clear mixture of cunning mise-en-scene and a slow build-up that only a 155-minute picture can afford must at least be partially held responsible.

Pitt is in fine form, though at 40+ he looks a bit wrinkly for 34-year-old James (even Pitt gets older, yikes!) and Affleck is truly great, looking at the serious possibility he might get an acting nomination at the Oscars before his older brother Ben. People voting in the technical categories will also love this film, which looks absolutely stunning (gorgeous cinematography? check. great production design? check. period costumes. check! lovely make-up and hair? check) and also features a great, sombre score from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The film seems to be too artistically inclined and too long to go for a Best Picture win, but it could turn out to go home with most Oscars a la Memoirs of a Geisha a few years back, simply because it is a stunning production all the way and could win a heap of statuettes in those categories.

Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream (cast pictured above, courtesy of Fabrizio Maltese) is a funny case. Just a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the new Chabrol film La fille coupée en deux (The Girl Cut in Two), explaining that the two filmmakers both had a glory period that belongs to the past in common, as well as the fact that they seem unable to live without making movies and still churn out one a year of varying quality. As such, Allen made something of come-back with his extremely well-received Match Point, and, I wrote, Chabrol's latest could be considered his Match Point, a "deliciously dark and well-observed tale that marks a fine return to form."

Imagine my surprise when I saw Cassandra's Dream, which feels like a Chabrol film transplanted to London as directed by an American (which it is). Is there some mutual cross-pollination going on between the two directors? Coincidence or not, the latest films from both masters premiered yesterday one after the other in Venice. A full review of Cassandra's Dream is forthcoming, but let's just say for the moment that it's pretty dark and pretty funny, and again reminds everyone why this character actor will never go out of business.

(A not unimportant note on the Chabrol: Ludivine Sagnier becomes not only prettier by the day but is also clearly growing as an actress. Plus, Benoît Magimel is irresistible as a slimy, fey and delusional heir with too much money and not enough good manners.)

Look What the Link Dragged In

High Camp is counting down the #25 greatest "camp" movies of all time. Spot #19 goes to the psycho-babblin' Suddenly Last Summer starring my darling Monty & his bff La Liz. I'd never seen this particular poster (left) before. Isn't it a hoot?
Awards Daily critical wars brewing over The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
I'm Not Obsessed Women who get better-looking with age. La Pfeiff tops the list. I don't want to split hairs but you can't get better looking when you're already perfect
Thompson on Hollywood Reese & Jake cancelling one on ones for Toronto Rendition launch --is this a vote of no confidence in the Oscar prospects? Something else...


Brieuc 75 [in French] likes Olivier Assayas' Boarding Gate. Here's the poster (right) starring the reliably naughty Asia Argento
DListed Gyllenhaal "wonder twin powers activate" -another crazy JLA rumor. This movie will never happen. Mark my words.
Zoom In "the box office is killing me" -my personal nightmare
Buzz Sugar The cast of He's Just Not That Into You keeps getting bigger and starrier. Didn't any of these actors notice the reception of this director's last film (License to Wed -8% on the RT. ouch)? To be fair he'll always have The Office
Flickhead makes a sensible decision. Talking about INLAND EMPIRE in pieces? possible. Talking about the whole thing? im
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Recycled Experience: Jodie Foster

[In between Boyd's Venice postings I'm posting choice reruns for new readers. Why? I'm prepping Fall Goodies for the Film Experience --behind the scenes stuff " pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" -- so I need some time away from the daily grind. Be back with original stuff in a few days -Nathaniel]

Original published in March 2006. I might revive the "a history of..." series this Fall.

1962 Wee infant Alicia Christian Foster is born in Los Angeles. She will be known, very quickly I must add, as "Jodie". Her mom will pimp her out just two years later for her first professional gig. Over the next 40+ years Alicia will flash a lot more than her Coppertone tan.

1968-1973 Jodie on the lam! The young actor skirts child labor law authorities by accreditation as two different actors "Jodie" and "Jody" (her imaginary twin brother?) making 33 TV appearances and 4 movies.

1974 Jody and Jodie make a big impression as a tomboy in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

1976 At the tender age of 14, whilst peers are having slumber parties and talking about cute boys, Jodie stars in three enduring films: One classic,Taxi Driver, and two family favorites, Bugsy Malone and Freaky Friday. Fearing she had accomplished too little that calendar year, she makes two more films, begins work on Flora Plum, hosts Saturday Night Live, and moves to France. C'est tout.

1981 Crazy John Hinckley Jr shoots President Reagan in what he claims is an attempt to impress Jodie Foster. It becomes The Subject That Dare Not Speak Its Name in interviews with the actress. Stephen Sondheim later speaks its name in his musical "Assassins." Meanwhile she attends Yale and adds another undiscussable to her resume: The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name. Sondheim stays mum.

1984 Jodie emerges from college related obscurity to repeatedly f*** screen brother Rob Lowe in The Hotel New Hampshire. Hey, he looked like this. You would too.

Yes, even if you were a lesbian.

1988-1989 Jodie stars as rape victim Sarah Tobias in The Accused and steals the Oscar from its primary 80s lady-in-waiting Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons whose performance is, by rough estimation, 413 times better. Freaky Friday Monday, March 29th --That same night Rob Lowe dirty dances with Snow White, wishing it were Jodie all the while.

1991 Anthony Hopkins chews scenery and downs a nice quianti as Hannibal Lecter. Foster becomes Clarice Starling. They both take home Oscars. But what she really wants to do is direct (Little Man Tate).

1993-1999 Jodie enters her "romantic" phase, wherein she pleads for the suspension of your disbelief while jumping Richard Gere's bones, flirting with Mel Gibson, trembling with Matthew McConaughey, and making goo goo eyes at Chow Yun Fat. She is more convincing whilst playing Nell, a freaky twin. Her other half is dead. Hmmmmm. What did happen to little Jody, anyway?

1997 She offed the wrong brother. Buddy Foster publishes an unauthorized biography, Sister Dearest "Foster Child"

2002-2006 Enters her "trapped in confined spaces in thrillers" period.

... wherein she phones it in from within a high-tech bomb shelter and a big airplane. She mixes it up in The Inside Man by being outside of the confined space (a bank) where others are trapped. That Jodie ...always surprising us.

Most Popular Histories...
Sharon Stone * Angelina Jolie * Gay Cowboys * Dakota Fanning * Jake & Maggie Gyllenhaal

Notes fom Venice - Day 4

Boyd from European Films here, reporting on the ongoing Venice Film Festival

Mood: optimistic
Weather: sunny & hot
Films seen: Michael Clayton, In the Valley of Elah, It's a Free World..., Searchers 2.0, Cassandra's Dream
Gripe of the day: sunglasses on the table in my room
People currently on the same square mile of earth as I am: Ewan McGregor, Diane Kruger, Michele Placido, Andy Gillet (pictured above by Fabrizio Maltese), Spike Lee, Charlize Theron, Ken Loach, Ridley Scott, Valeria Golino

There is nothing like a good portion of beauty to help you through the day, especially if this beauty looks like French actor Andy Gillet (above). He stars in Eric Rohmer's latest film, the bucolic medieval tale Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (The Romance of Astrea and Celadon), in which he plays Céladon. The film is part of the Competition here in Venice, but I haven't actually the film, though I had been noticing a particularly good-looking guy walking up and down the Lido for the last couple of days, which turned out to be him. No wonder I didn't recognize him, because he has had a drastic haircut recently (what a difference a hair cut makes!). Could he be the next Gaspard Ulliel? Let's hope he makes his international film debut with a film a bit better than Ulliel's. General consensus on the Rohmer picture was mixed at best.

Let's talk about the Competition titles I did catch. First up is Michael Clayton, the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy, screenwriter of the three Bourne films. The film stars George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack. The Brits steal the show, though Clooney is also convincing as the titular "fixer" working for a New York-based law firm that was co-founded by Pollack's character. Because there are not enough thrills for the film to be considered a real thriller, it will have to be classified under the legal drama banner, which means it's serious business and has no major show-stopping car chases or other incredible stunts (Bourne this is not).

As noted in my review of Michael Clayton, the film is "one of the few cases where the title character could have written the film he headlines," which means that it uses a lot of smoke and mirrors to hide the simple truth. Also interesting is the question of whether Clooney's corporate cleaner is a good guy or a bad guy. The Italian press is in love with the idea Clooney's lawyer is a baddie, but I don't think he would be considered that way back home; the man is just doing his (admittedly dirty) job. We'll see what the US reviews say when the film comes out.

Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah (who decided that was a good title?) is also in Competition and is the Oscar winner's second film as a director after the much-discussed Crash. For me, as part of the camp who did not care for Crash, Elah suffers from many of the same problems of that film, so perhaps if you liked Crash you should check this out. It stars Tommy Lee Jones as a father of a young soldier who has gone missing after he has returned home from Iraq. Together with a tough-cookie police officer (Charlize Theron, looking glamorous as always, though with dark hair) he tries to unravel what the military and police can't -- or don't want to -- find out. The film is one of a whole glut of Iraqi-war themed films coming your way, so be prepared to be depressed.

Read my review of In the Valley of Elah for more on that film, which is almost saved by a great performance from the ever-reliable Tommy Lee. The film's roster of supporting players is also impressive and includes Susan Sarandon, James Franco, Josh Brolin and Jason Patric, though too many of them have too few things to do.

A film I haven't seen, Brain De Palma's Iraqi war drama (here is another one!) Redacted currently leads the score board of the Italian critics, while the audience still thinks Sleuth is the best Competition film so far. More on films from Venice, including the latest from Woody Allen and Claube Chabrol, coming soon!

"Margot" Kidman

I really am not here. Nope. Working on stuff. But check out JJ's initial reaction to Margot at the Wedding at Telluride. 'Sensation or near miss?' Intriguing question. The Hollywood Reporter also loves it.

Taking Care of Business

Boyd will be back soon with more from the Venice Film Festival but otherwise I'm taking a working holiday. The number 1 thing on my "to do" list when I return (Wednesday) is completing review requests from that fundraiser --I didn't promise when I'd write about those beloved movies but I do completely appreciate the saintly patience of the donors.

What do you want to see more of @ The Film Experience this Fall? podcast? interviews? series? guest columns like Boyd's? more of same? Speak up!

-Sincerely, Nathaniel needy type who likes feedback.

Recycled Experience: Brangelina 2005

In between Boyd's Venice postings I'm posting choice reruns for new readers. Why? I'm prepping Fall Goodies for the Film Experience --behind the scenes stuff " pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" -- so I need some time away from the daily grind. Be back with original stuff next week -Nathaniel]

Mr & Mrs. Smith (notes from June 2005)

...it wasn't anything close to a great movie but I entertained myself throughout with impure thoughts for the über-luscious stars. Whatever one might say about this movie, my guess is it wouldn't be 'gee, those two sure are homely.' The Boyfriend remarked to me afterwords "that's too much lips for one movie!" But with Brad & Angie's on display I heartily disagreed. The saying 'never too much of a good thing' instantly came to mind.

Experience the fullness.

No seriously. Experience it. Puckered to perfection these two.

Still, if total genetic perfection turns you off there’s still the gorgeous lippage of Adam Brody, Kerry Washington and Vince Vaughn on the sidelines.

Now, I realize that to suggest that the welcome sight of one Kerry Washington is short of perfection is a waste of time but I was doing a lead / supporting thing so please ignore the time wastage. (And a note to all Kerry-lovers out there: I saw her first. So back off!)

Despite the maximization of kissability on display -- or maybe because of it since the abundant sexuality is servicing a movie with domestic violence played for big laughs -- I much preferred this movie when it was called War of the Roses (1989). That film was deliciously nasty as well but it understood that black comedy cannot contain audience coddling happy endings. "True love conquers all” is a tough sell when people are onscreen beating the s*** out of each other.