Tuesday, August 20, 2013

SPRINGSTEEN & I

In a nutshell: Compiled from over 300 hours of homemade fan footage, this heartfelt love letter to 'The Boss' (Bruce Springsteen) examines the powerful bond an artist can make with his fans. From all over the planet, the selected few get their 15 minutes of fame to explain to us, why Bruce matters so much to them...



If you were the producer of this very specific type of movie, clearly the key element to making a 'fan footage' documentary work well is in picking the most iconic artist who best exemplifies the many reasons why millions hold that person in such high regard. With that in mind, it was, as i repeatedly say, a 'no-brainer'. C'mon on, who else has such devoted fans? Who else who clearly has such a massive worldwide following as big as the guy they choose? The one, the only, Mr Bruce Springsteen!

Director Baillie Walsh got the mix almost near perfect (Hey, a couple of them were less than compelling, but that's a minor niggle in the scheme of things). However, the people they did get right though, they were all very entertaining - for many varied reasons. My favorites were the hyper-stressed mother with her kid who clearly did not stick to HER SCRIPT! (Poor bugger probably got a right ear-bashing afterwards!) and the long-suffering husband 'dragged along' to endure hours, and hours, and hours of BRUCE, when he quite pointedly states that he is NOT A FAN! Then there's the guy as Elvis, the guy driving in his car, all adding their own unique thoughts on what BRUCE means to them - and more. Much more.

Once Springsteen gave this project his blessing, he rather generously allowed access to never-seen-before clips from his long career. Some of them are a revelation - to say the least. For a Bruce fan, this is a goldmine of unfamiliar footage that reassuringly reminds you, even very early on, this dude had an attitude that would not only endear himself to many, but also highlights an astonishing work ethic that puts many others in his field to shame. 4 hour shows? With consummate ease. Time after time. Even today, at 63 years of age, he displays a remarkable capacity to "give 'em more of what they want - more of me!". It's never clear who will wave the white flag first - Bruce - or his fans.

Springsteen & I has been expertly put together, the chosen segments are carefully edited to craft a story that is a significant reminder of how damn great Bruce is at what he does. Perhaps more crucially though, he never relinquishes the deep bond with the people that ultimately decide your greatness (or not), the loyal fans who love his artist contributions with heartfelt abundance.

Tramps like him? Baby, he was born to run. And then some...

J for... Jewel!

2013 Film Festival review: Part 2

Next installment of my Film Festival reviews! Reviews of films 7-13

7) ANTARCTICA: A YEAR ON ICE: Filmed by Kiwi Anthony Powell over a decade, this is, at once, both a stunning and heartfelt personal tribute to both the people he works alongside - and a brilliant reminder of the stupendous, awe-inspiring, yet undeniably brutal landscape of the southernmost continent on our precious planet. This entertaining doco is more than good. For me, it's not just one of the best Kiwi doco's, but one of the very best doco's I've ever seen. Period. It almost makes you want to go and live there. Even through the darkest harshest winter known to mankind! I did say almost. As a stop-gap though, you could do no worse than watch this very human masterpiece. If you can't see it on a cinema screen, then watch on the biggest TV you can. Did I mention it's very funny too? Our Kiwi humour shines through without a trace of self consciousness!

8) WE STEAL SECRETS-THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS: The timeliness & relevance of this engaging doco is revealed at the very end with a coda about the latest update on NSA agent Edward Snowden's current situation in Russia. Unsurprisingly, things have since moved on rapidly after the completion of this doco, of which, does a fantastic job at illustrating vividly, the extreme ease in which information is dispersed in the connected world of 2013. How WikiLeaks came from seemingly nowhere to being a major player could not have happened without someone like Julian Assange. Possibly, its too early to seen how he will be treated by history, but WE STEAL SECRETS does reveal Assange's complex background, and lays bare the undeniably very complicated psyche behind the public face. Clearly, paranoia was, in retrospect, inevitable? Given the highly sensitive nature of what he was attempting to do, Julian made that self-made hole he dug much bigger by alienating nearly every single person close to him. And, if you fancy a welcome diversion from an attentive groupie, don't forget that these extracurricular  dalliances usually have consequences! Sometimes, ya gotta keep it zipped up...

9) BIG STAR-NOTHING CAN HURT ME: Some bands are destined for a long career in Rock 'N Roll. For select others though, fate, circumstance, bad luck, misfortune, can be ever present. Perhaps denying or even totally preventing them the expected rewards they work so very hard to seek. Money, Success, Respect, Global recognition are, but a few of the oft-stated goals of many others. BIG STAR were one such band seeking their share. Maybe it was the way too obvious name - Irony not fully appreciated back then? Maybe it was the clash of personalities? Maybe the lack of record company support at the time? Maybe, it was just the way it was meant to be? Fittingly, history now rightfully accords them their belated due with this engrossing documentary that delves into the intense personalities and the bands initially unforeseen demise to the now respected & influential place BIG STAR rightly hold in the music business. Take it from me, the music stands up brilliantly today, which reinforces the widely held belief of the time when they first emerged (Mid 1970's) - that these guys were GREAT. They deserved major success at the time, but alas, it was not meant to be. This doco is fantastic, but I implore you  - do check out the MUSIC as well. You won't regret it...

10) MUD: I have a real attraction to any movie set in the American South, and this third effort from talented director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter/Shotgun Stories - both fantastic! Check 'em out!) is an excellent reminder of how the stories from this vibrant region never fail to excite and entertain on most levels. Starring the charismatic Matthew McConaughey, who really shines as the roguish 'Mud', playing him as a misguided hero who has clear lines of morality and righteousness. His best role in eons. (Matt, hey buddy. No more generic 'Rom-Coms', OK?) When two young friends (Neckbone & Ellis - both superbly acted with abundant natural ease by their respective two young actors) find this escaped con holed up, somewhat mysteriously on an island at the head of a river, little do they realise by assisting him with his reason for being there in the first place (To reunite with his sweetheart - White trash goddess Juniper - a very welcome and convincing Reese Witherspoon), the grave danger they place themselves in with the arrival of a bunch of very determined bad men who are planning to prevent the reunion from ever happening. Funny, dramatic, tense, heartbreaking, and absolutely compelling, this is a movie that will be on my 'best of' list at the end of the year. Unmissable...

11) TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY: Everyone can relate to this commonly struck obstacle: You know when those pesky T&C's come up on a website you're joining - and you furiously find the quickest way to say YES, so you can get on to the important stuff behind their front gate? Possibly, it might just pay to actually have a quick squizz at exactly what it is that you're agreeing to - before you say YES. The irony though is that the 'masses' will never watch this thought-provoking, entertaining, and revealing doco that lays bare the reasons why any legal contract is formatted in a very exact fashion. Make no mistake, the legal & business communities work together to ensure that most of us will never bother to read the fine print - and read between the intentionally micro-sized legalese that is expressly engineered that way. To persuade you that you do not need to read those boring bits of documentation. Trust us. We have your best interests at heart. Er, no. I'm not so sure now, after watching this penetrating look behind the curtains of control. Once viewed, this doco will leave a mark. You'll think twice before signing your 'life away' in future dealings of this nature...

Thursday, August 8, 2013

2013 Film Festival review

All done. Another year at film fest under my belt... (This is my 14th year of 'full attendance')

All told, I viewed 26 movies in total at this years festival! Not even close to my personal best from about 3 years ago (50 movies - in the two week time frame), but still, a fairly 'respectable' number to have seen this time around. Didn't feel rushed or worn out with a full-on schedule like I did with that 50 film extravaganza did at times. Worst was part of that not insignificant effort was 11 movies in two days! Yikes -what was I thinking beforehand? Ahem, clearly 'thinking' did not come into the equation when I was ordering tickets so, lesson learnt from then, when it came to making that all crucial decision about the maximum total of films to watch in this years festival, I cast my memory back, and realised that a more measured approach would be a hell of a lot more beneficial (in every sense), and a damn sight cheaper to boot! At ,on average, about $15.00 each, these tickets add up. Factor in the obligatory additional costs such as: buses, car parking, cold drinks, lunches, dinners, takeaways - and not forgetting the odd trip squeezed into a record shop (or two? Probably way more! Don't tell the other half - She will kill me if she knew exactly how much I spent on CD/DVD/BLU discs in those two weeks!), and, all of a sudden, a truckload of money has been siphoned out of your account faster than some lowlife sucking petrol out of your car!

The best part of the fest? Only 1 dud! (Terence Malick's critic dividing "To the Wonder" - which I have reviewed in full on this site below) Its not bad I guess, that only 1 out of 26 that didn't provide some form of pleasure. Pretty good ratio if you ask me...

What follows is a brief rundown on all of the movies I attended. I will spare you all the eye-glazing wall of lengthy spiels about how wonderful they all were - and keep it short and sweet. Promise I will self-censor myself if I start to get way too verbose!

In order of films viewed, here we go then...

1) GOBLIN PLAY "SUSPIRIA" (LIVE IN CONCERT: The original band (1970's Italian prog-rockers GOBLIN) provided the live soundtrack to this mid 70's horror from Dario Argento. Film has clearly dated in terms of the acting style, but the stunning visuals were dramatically reinforced by the demonically appropriate music. An event that was worth the price of admission. Glad I went!

2) VILLAGE AT THE END OF THE WORLD: Just how tough life really is in a very small village in the Northwest coast of Greenland in 2012. An insightful look at how a community can be brought together even closer when faced with the ever creeping threat of employment in the only place (A neglected fishing factory) becoming non-existent in Niaqornot due to the current unpredictable economic climate. Market forces are a powerful entity to try to overcome, but the Inuit people are conditioned to survive in a very harsh environment, so they do the only thing they can. Run the factory as a co-operative. A very inspiring story with a few colourful local identities making themselves heard through this film.

3) MY SWEET PEPPER LAND: When retired Kurdish resistance fighter Baran takes on a police posting in a remote village in northern Kurdistan, little does he realise the impact his presence will have on the villagers lives. He immediately incurs the wrath of the hometown local warlord whose twitchy lieutenants who are eager to show this infidel who is in charge. Complicating matters further, Govend, a pretty female teacher rides into town, on the run from over eager family who are keen to escort her back to be married off - much to her disgust. A very blackly comical look at the harshness of life in a region that probably hasn't seen much in the way of peace for many long periods. Factor in the imposing physical landscape that only reinforces the bleak situation the protagonists find themselves in, and you've got a very watchable movie indeed.

4) PERSISTENCE OF VISION: Put yourself in the mind of Richard Williams, a master animator who had a significant career in animation, winning awards by the truckloads over the decades. Which all meant nothing compared to his dream he dared to entertain. The dream to create an animated film that would be nothing short of revolutionary, dazzling, life changing, influential. It had the potential to be a landmark in this industry. An iconic work that would transcend time. Next, entertain this ominous thought. What if, say, you've toiled away for the best part of four decades - and the work still is nowhere near finished? Now, due to various legal contracts you've signed, you no longer have any rights to that work. Forever! How the hell would you feel then? Unsurprisingly, Williams declined to appear on film, but many of his colleagues, associates, friends did, recounting his tragic, possibly self inflicted tale of woe. A tale of dogged determination against pretty much anything and everything! Art above commerce indeed...

5) PARADISE: LOVE: This sordid little tale of how we act so differently when away on holiday ("What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" type of attitudes typical of many a tourist) is bleakly displayed by a lonely middle-aged, flabby solo mum looking for love in all the wrong places. Moral is, yup, money doesn't not buy you happiness. It only reinforces how pathetic you can be when you put your vulnerability on the line - and the vultures start heading in for the kill. A scarily believable fable in this day and age.

6) LESSON OF THE EVIL: Nobody does psycho like Japan's enfant terrible - Takashi Miike does, and in this gleefully violent film, he presents the latest exhibit to remind us of his supreme ability to create enduring nutters who revel in their handiwork with aplomb. School teacher Mr Hasumi is popular with all the students, his natural empathy creating a special bond with his students. But, as always the case, another teacher is distrusting, and starts digging into his seemingly fact-free prior employments. Cue to Hasumi finding out about this investigation which, naturally does not make him happy. Far from it in fact. Once we've got halfway through the film, Hasumi starts to display those qualities that aren't so endearing, unleashing slowly, but surely, his true intentions. Being a latent psycho, later rather than sooner, all around him start to see a different side to his character they've not seen before... Then, all bloody hell breaks loose. With absolute sadistic pleasure, he methodically teaches the students and staff who he really is. A very evil lesson indeed... albeit, with several lashings of perverse humour!