MIFF 2012: Day Six

Falkenberg Farewell 11am @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A Swedish remake of the 1963 film adaptation of the play Bye Bye Birdie. Great songs, groovy clothes, far out dialogue, a rollercoaster ride of fun, fun, fun! 4/5 Conrads

According to MIFF: "Jesper Ganslandt’s visionary debut is a farewell to his own childhood, created in collaboration with his real-life friends. It captures the emotional memory of one fateful summer in the lives of David, Holger, Jesper, Jorgen and John. Holed up in small-town Falkenberg biding their time, these companions are consumed by the overwhelming experience of being young, on the precipice of adulthood, and deciding what to do with the rest of their lives."

What DeeDee thought:I was initially finding this a very soothing, easy 11am movie, but then, ah, something happened & it became something I wasn't expecting. Good, but left me with a slight case of the heebies.

Wunderkinder 1:30pm @ ACMI

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A German politician notices that a local school for the gifted and talented is only attended by attractive blond haired and blue eyed children. 20 years that politician is the now Führer of a new Nazi Germany. This movie felt a little farfetched. 2/5 Umlauts.

According to IMDB: "The story takes place in the Ukraine (Poltava) in 1941 before and during the German invasion. This story is about deep friendship between three musically talented children . Two Jewish children both virtuosic and a talented German girl who share a love of music. Their friendship extends beyond the gaps of different religions and nationalities, The Nazis invasion to the Soviet Union destroyed their world and they and their families deal with death threats War brings with it."

What DeeDee thought: Ok, I totally cried. Must stop wearing mascara. I was utterly disappointed that the multiple groups of high school children watching this as part of an excursion weren't more rowdy. The teachers only had to ssshhh them once. Sheesh, kids today.

Side By Side 4:30pm @ the Kino

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A documentary about conjoined twins. It’s candid and at times moving but doesn’t feel like anything you haven’t already seen in full length features or shorter television documentaries. 3/5 miracles.

According to IMDB: "The documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation."

What DeeDee thought: Well, this was quite fantastic. Explained things simply (but not tooooo simply) for people like me who have little knowledge of the technical side of filmmaking. Also, David Lynch & Keanu Reeves need to star in an Odd Couple style sitcom together, stat.

Note: Instead of a 6:30pm screening, I attended the Mads Brügger/John Safran Q & A @ the Wheeler Centre. I'd earlier spied Mads & his son at ACMI attending the Game Masters exhibition & during question time I desperately wanted to ask him whether it's worth a visit, because I'm thinking of going between films. But I didn't, because I didn't want to be THAT guy. God, I hate/love THAT guy.

Killer Joe 9pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A cup of coffee is drunk by Joe Johnston, however this isn’t any regular cup of Joe. This coffee Joe has consumed begins to take over Joe’s mind and forces him to commit a range of violent acts. 4/5 Cawfees.

According to IMDB: "When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance."

What DeeDee thought: THIS WAS FUCKING BOSS, SEE IT AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE!!! 

MIFF 2012: Day Five

Where’s Poppa? 11am @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A women and her trans women partner are happily raising a child together until one day that child comes home and asks Where’s Poppa? The couple then beat the child to death for being transphobic. The message of the movie seems to be that anything at all is justified if it combating transphobia except for killing children which is kind of a grey area. 2/5 scars

According to IMDB: "When New York attorney Gordon Hocheiser meets Louise Callan, the girl of his dreams, he schemes to eliminate his aging, senile mother, even though he promised his late father that he'd always take care of her. He fears that his batty mom's eccentricities will shortly lead to Louise's departure."

What DeeDee thought: Oops...I slept in & didn't make it to this.

Boy Meets Girl 1:30pm @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: Boy meets girl, but the girl is actually a monster! Blood ‘n’ guts galore! 5/5 severed heads.

According to IMDB: "Leos Carax's brilliant feature debut follows the relationship of an aspiring filmmaker, who has just been left by his lover and a suicidal young woman, who is also reeling from a failed romance."

What DeeDee thought: By the time I woke up, I would've had to rush to make it to this one...the cats looked awfully happy rolling in the sunspot, so I joined them instead. I must've really needed the sleep & woke up feeling amazing, but am vowing not to let it happen again during the fest!

Crazy Horse 4pm @ ACMI

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A documentary about the Crazy Horse strip club. A lazy cheap effort that is 90% reused footage from the 2008 movie about Miss Nude Australia, Best Undressed. 1/5 tassels

According to IMDB: "A cinéma vérité look inside Paris' Crazy Horse, a club that boasts the greatest and most chic nude dancing in the world."

What DeeDee thought: About 60% of this was performance footage (not from Miss Nude Australia), which was gorgeous. The rest was behind the scenes stuff, but I really wished they'd talked to the performers a little more. Weird.

The Ambassador 6:30pm @ ACMI

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A zany Borat type character The Ambassador is on a trip to America and gets into all types of wacky situations. I did not enjoy this movie.

1/5 somethingastans

According to IMDB: "Danish journalist Mads Brügger goes undercover as a European Ambassador to embark on a dangerous yet hysterical journey to uncover the blood diamond trade in Africa."

What DeeDee thought: I'm not sure yet what I thought of this. Ended suddenly. Kinda got itself in a weird place by the end & ended somewhat suddenly. Q & A with the director & John Safran tomorrow will be interesting.
 

The House I Live In 9pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: You know those episodes of Cribs that showed the dumb houses of real people who aren’t celebrities? Well that’s basically all this is, except that it has terrible production values and goes for 2 hours. 1/5 dumb houses.

According to IMDB: "In the past 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer, and destroyed impoverished communities at home and abroad."

What DeeDee thought: I found this totally engrossing from start to finish. Possibly the best part was the Abraham Lincoln historian who clearly based his personal grooming & style on the guy as well. Excellent.

MIFF 2012: Day Four

Involuntary 11am @ the Forum

Kyle''s review based on the title alone: A new twist on your classic teen gross out flick. Bobby Sherwood has a problem; a BIG problem! And it sees him get into more than one sticky situation! It’s like American Pie…but he’s gonna need a bigger pie! 3/5 involuntary erections.

According to MIFF: "A man injured at his own party chooses to soldier on rather than ruin the night for everyone else; a group of teenage girls pout, preen and flirt, pushing one another further in social and sexual games; a schoolteacher carries out a psychological experiment on her class to illustrate the power of peer pressure; and, at a drunken reunion, a young man exploits his mates' willingness to go with the flow to take advantage of another friend. Involuntary raises questions about conformity and the power of a group over the individual."

What DeeDee thought: This was a yet another schedule filler that I ended up really enjoying. The scene with the guy & the flagpole though...I'm very grateful that it didn't, ah, go in. Breath holder, that one (you, you don't need to know any more).

Take the Money and Run 1:30pm @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: Danny DeVito is a small town fraudster who happens upon a scheme that’ll earn him enough money to retire for good. However he didn’t count on his conscience catching up with him. Funny, but I think it should’ve been a little shorter. 3/5 penguins.

According to IMDB: "The life and times of Virgil Starkwell, inept bank robber."

What DeeDee thought: Holy shit, I thoroughly enjoyed a Woody Allen movie! Usual routine is wanting to rip my eyeballs out. But this was rather good.
 

Dark Horse 4pm @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A touching tale of an eight year old leukemia patient and her best friend, her pet horse Moonshadow. This heart warming tale will remind us all that there’s still a little magic left in this world…you just have to know where to look. Is this the same horse that acted in the movie Zoo? 1/5 Erms…

According to IMDB: "Romance blooms between two thirty-somethings in arrested development: an avid toy collector who is the dark horse of her family and a depressed woman on the rebound."

What DeeDee thought: Welcome to the Dollhouse & Happiness remain the only Todd Solondz movies that I like. Enjoyed the first half, didn't enjoy the intentional mess that it became in the second. Bummer.


Note: My 6:30pm movie, Into The Abyss, was cancelled. Frig, mega frig, as it's one I was really looking forward to. The only other movies that I wanted to see in this slot were either sold out, or I was already scheduled to see them on another day.
 

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists 9pm @ the Kino

Kyle's review based on the title alone: An attempt to portray Anonymous as a legion of internet based Hacktivists. It starts with a bang, but then just ends up being about memes & 4chan. 2/5 /b/s.

According to IMDB: "A documentary on the workings and beliefs of the self-described "hacktivist" collective, Anonymous."

What DeeDee thought: Well, the title was a complete giveaway, but Kyle pretty much got it right, except that the 4chan stuff is all at the start (and completely freakin' hilarious). A nice watch, but felt a little one-sided & glowy.

MIFF 2012: Day Three

Girl Model 1:30pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A documentary following the meteoric rise of model Andrej Pejic. Who says a guy can’t model girl’s clothes?! Get with the program! It’s the 21^st Century, bitch! FASHION. 2/5 Smizes.

According to IMDB: "Follows a complex supply chain between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S. within the modeling industry. The story is told through the eyes of the scouts, agencies and a 13 year-old model."

What DeeDee thought: The yearly token modelling documentary. This one creepier than most, but nothing I hadn't seen before. Screening after it was a really fucked short called 'Barbie Blues' that seemed to have a surface message of 'girls who flirt/tease men deserve to be sexually assaulted'. Gross.

Avalon 4pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A Blair Witch come Wolf Creek style Aussie horror movie about fictional serial killer Freddie Avalon. Well, it’s no ‘I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer’, I’ll give you that much. 1/5 Cate Blanchetts.

According to MIFF: "With characters inspired by the director’s parents and their friends, this impressive debut feature from Axel Petersén centres on Janne, an 80s party-boy still indulging his youthful hedonism, who is preparing to open a nightclub – named after the Roxy Music hit – in a Swedish summer resort. Mostly in the company of his equally self-absorbed, boozing sister Jackie (a masterful performance by Petersén’s own aunt), Janne is derailed by an unfortunate incident, forcing this adult “who never grew up” to finally face the consequences of his actions."

What DeeDee thought: Seemed to go on forever, despite a short running time of 79 mins. Some nice moments, but mostly left me a bit 'eh'. Kyle, your review scares me, mostly because you remember that 'I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer' exists.

On The Road 6:30pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A mockumentary about the lives of wildlife removal specialists. Three glass-half-full Southerners take you inside their world of squished squirrels & flattened housepets. A gutsy effort from a first time filmmaker. 4/5 entrails.

According to IMDB: "Dean and Sal are the portrait of the Beat Generation. Their search for "It" results in a fast paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S."

What DeeDee thought: I nearly did my first walk out during the first half hour of this film, but I slowly got into the feel of it & even enjoyed it, despite all the goddamn jazz. Yes, I realise it comes with the territory, but ugh, jazz. I really don't like jazz. Kyle has learnt not to play jazz when I'm home, because I turn it straight off. It makes me feel physically ill. Yes, my cold, dead heart at work again.

Flicker 9pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A post-post-post feminist exploration of female self-pleasure. Empowerment. I think I might be gay. 1/5 index fingers.

According to IMDB: "There is something going on in the small town of Backberga. The towns proud telecom company Unicom is just about to launch a new modern profile when they discover that there is something lurking in the outskirts of Backberga. An accident triggers a power failure, which leads to a chain of events,mishaps and love stories."

What DeeDee thought: Schmovie of the day! Wonderfully Swedish, clever, funny & endearing black comedy. Cute q & a with the director followed, totally worth nearly missing the last bus home for.

MIFF 2012: Day Two

Robot and Frank 11am @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: Classic buddy film with a Sci-Fi twist. Robot is a wise-cracking cop who lives on the edge, while Frank is a hardline veteran cop, just five days away from retirement. 4/5 Melvin Gibsteins.

According to IMDB: "Set in the near future, an ex-jewel thief receives a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. But soon the two companions try their luck as a heist team." 

What DeeDee thought: Kyle wasn't toooooo far off, I guess. This was a perfect 11am film, got me all chuffed & warmed up for the day. Frank Langella does grumpy old man well. Nice twist near the end. The robot stock footage sequence that played with the end credits was farking rad. 

Room 237 1:30pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: All the guests who have stayed in Room 237 over the years have died in mysterious & shocking ways. Writer Joan Cusack is eager to explore what mysteries lie in the room. Enjoyable, but I feel like I’ve seen it before. 2/5 boomboxes.

According to IMDB: "A subjective documentary that explores the numerous theories about the hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining"

What DeeDee thought: This wasn't quite what myself (and I suspect, most of the crowd) were expecting. The interviewees were kooky & most of their theories were beyond a stretch, but there was the odd one that made me go "awww yeah, slightly plausible, I guess...". For the sheer 'nice try' factor, I liked the minotaur theory best. I like people being passionate about whatever it is they dig, so I liked this. Kooks are good.

Monsieur Lazhar 4pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: France’s answer to Jerry Seinfeld wanders around the streets of Paris commenting on what he sees. “Who ARE zeees people?”. 2/5 Newmans.

According to IMDB: "At a Montréal public grade school, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace a popular teacher who committed suicide in her classroom. While helping his students deal with their grief, his own recent loss is revealed."

What DeeDee thought: Fuck. I don't know why it didn't click in my head properly that this was a 'troubled teacher & students learn non-academic life lessons from each other' movie when I booked this. Just not my bag. Every time the crowd laughed at some cutesy/sweet moment between the teacher and a kid, my cold, dead heart shuddered. I wish it had've been Kyle's movie instead.

Gainsbourg by Gainsbourg: An Intimate Self-Portrait 6:30pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: Serge Gainsbourg detailing all the women that he’s slept with, while Jane Birkin  sits next to him & shifts uncomfortably in her seat. A compelling portrait of a musical genius & renowned libertine. 5/5 Je T’aimes.

According to MIFF: "Constructed using footage and audio recorded by Gainsbourg himself, Gainsbourg by Gainsbourg is essentially a posthumous autobiography. It’s the story of a boy growing up in tumultuous times, his obsession with art and sex, and the power he finds in his own incredibly unique voice."

What DeeDee thought: Fairly unnecessary doco spliced together using clips you could find on youtube. The way it was constructed meant that you really needed some prior knowledge of Gainsbourg's life (which I thankfully have) to understand the context of what you were seeing at times. Screening before it was a 40 min film by Jane Birkin made using old home movies they made together. It was sweet, but Birkin's Play School presenter narration was really off-putting at times "Oh look, there's Charlotte...and there's Serge...isn't he beautiful?". What was interesting about the session was that both films presented completely different sides of Serge.

The Legend of Kaspar Hauser 9pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A playful homage to everyone’s favourite friendly ghost & everyone’s favourite teenage doctor. Kaspar Hauser is a delight from start to finish. “There’s no law in here saying a teenage ghost can’t practice medicine!”. 3/5 plausible premises.

According to IMDB: "Arriving on a deserted beach in the Mediterranean sea, in a time and a place unspecified, Kaspar Hauser is forced to confront the evil of a Grand Duchess who feels threatened by the power she exercises over the community."

What DeeDee thought: Many walkouts during this one! The trailer had suckered me in weeks ago & I'd been looking forward to it muchly. Batshit crazy techno western awesomeness with a bitchin' soundtrack. Loved it. Favourite so far.
 

V/H/S 11:30pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A Korean version of Be Kind Rewind. Korean Jack Black isn’t very funny. And also not fat enough. 1/5 Erins.

According to IMDB: "When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire a rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they bargained for."

What DeeDee thought: Kyle came to this one with me & was disappointed it wasn't Korean, but still had a good time. I was approaching that giggling, wide-eyed delirious stage of over-tiredness at this point, so I enjoyed this. Some dud segments, but you get that with anthology movies/tv shows. Rather women-hatin', as many people have noted on twitter.

MIFF 2012: Day One

I've been attending the Melbourne International Film Festival since I was 17, managing between 10-20 films every year. I wouldn't call myself a film nerd or buff at all (tv is my passion), but I just like watching movies & enjoy the whole stupid film festival experience. It was always a dream to buy a Festival Passport & go all day, every day, for the duration, or until I develop a DVT, whichever comes first. So this year proved to be the right time & I booked my annual leave. I nearly had to cancel a few months ago when I severed a tendon in my index finger & had to take time off work, but my totally boss boss worked out a way for me to return 4 weeks earlier than planned, performing different duties, so I didn't have to dip into my annual leave. Cool story bro? Yep.

I'll be blogging the whole thing. As I'll only be home each day just long enough to sleep & shower, I've worked out a way to do the bulk of the posts before the festival even starts. I will make a daily post reviewing the films (all 87 of them) I've seen in 1-2 sentences. My husband Kyle will also be reviewing the films I see, except his reviews will be based on the title alone. He loves movies, however mostly older movies of a certain...persuasion. He does not keep up with the latest releases, has not read the festival guide, doesn't trawl IMDB, so he has no prior knowledge of any of the films that I'll be seeing, bar one (Ice T's Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap). I'll also include a brief run down of what the film's actually about to see how close Kyle got it.

Aaaaaand, for shits, giggles & judgement, here's our top five favourite movies of all time:

DeeDee

1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

2. The King of Kong (2007)

3. Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985)

4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

5. Duel (1971)

Kyle 

(not in order, because he JUST COULDN'T DECIDE!1)

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Pink Flamingos (1972)

The Aristocrats (2005)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)

Now onto Day One!

Beyond 11am @ ACMI

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A coming of age story set in rural Pennsylvania. Explores the challenges faced by a group of college graduates in this post-Bush economy. 1/5 socialists.

According to IMDB: "A drama set in 1970s Sweden and centered on a young woman's experiences growing up in a home riddled with abuse and alcoholism."

What DeeDee thought: Rather depressing domestic violence drama. Filled in the time well enough.

Maori Boy Genius 1:30pm @ ACMI

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A fly on the wall documentary about a Maori Boy Genius. Delightful & heart-warming, if a tad pedestrian. 2.5/5 hongis.

According to MIFF: "Pietra Brettkelly explores the life of gifted Maori teen Ngaa Rauuira Pumanawawhiti, who’s trying to balance his academic aspirations with his cultural duties."

What DeeDee thought: A lot more moving than I expected (possibly a personal bias because I kept being reminded of my grandmother). Beautifully shot & edited. 

The Intouchables 4pm @ the Forum

Kyle's review based on the title alone: An inner city English teacher hits his head against the wall for an hour & a half trying to teach a group of youths correct grammar. 2/5 Coolios.

According to IMDB: "After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caretaker."

What DeeDee thought: Favourite film of the day. I expected it to be touching & all that crap, but I didn't expect the many, many lolz. Rather good.

Moonrise Kingdom 6:30pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: Takes place mostly in the imagination of a young group of childhood friends. When the moon rises, their adventures come to life. A delightful summertime romp for the whole family. 1/5 brats.

According to IMDB: "A pair of young lovers flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them."

What DeeDee thought: Wes Anderson films have a tendency to be really Wes Anderson-y & this was no exception. Whenever I'm watching one, I feel like I'm waiting for the cutesy moments to get too much & drown my enjoyment, but it never happens & I always leave the cinema with a shit-eating grin on my face. Goddammit. 

Safety Not Guaranteed 9pm @ Greater Union

Kyle's review based on the title alone: A documentary about a Hollywood bodyguard. Candidly shows the quiet desperation of a man who has spent his career in the shadows of celebrities who couldn’t care less about him. 3.5/5 Whitneys.

According to IMDB: "Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel."

What DeeDee thought: Easily enjoyable, sweet, funny movie. The guy playing Jeff totally reminded me of Kenny Hotz, which only heightened my enjoyment.

'in style'.

sometimes i have these moments where i wonder what life would be like as a suburban trashbag. would this be the kind of thing i'd get up to? i think diamantes would feature heavily in my everyday life, why confine them to super clever 'cheeky' custom t-shirts for nights out with my gurlfriends? maybe one day i'll 'white chicks' myself, rock up to the over 28s night at the shoppingtown hotel & see where the night takes me.