film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: BRWC

  • Lizard: Review

    Lizard: Review

    Lizard: Review. By Julius Tabel.

    “Lizard” is a short film that presents what seems to be an everyday situation in an African Christian region. The viewer follows a girl that gets ejected from Sunday School and experiences excessive faith and terrible danger while seeming to see a lizard in her mind.

    “Lizard” is a very depressing film with dry colors and a cinematography that mostly captures close-ups of unhappy faces. It depicts the helpless situation of growing up under circumstances Western and European Countries could never understand. Somehow though, it isn ́t really sure what its final message is as it ends on a very thought-provoking danger.

    There is a constant mood that occurs, being emerged by haunting sounds that reminded me a bit of Denis Villeneuve ́s films: It ́s about the suspense that danger might be around any corner. These sounds are dark and constant, and while they might not scare you, they build up some kind of intimidation that explodes at the climax and leaves the viewer shocked.

    Additionally, the colors are very powerful. They are very dry and mostly not shown which makes them feel so unpleasantly and disturbingly. There is no peace in this certainly mostly unknown and foreign region. These are the pictures that feel like something. The dryness makes you think of this living situation. If you then add a little girl to it, you catch the viewer ́s empathy for the situation, but only the situation. Because “Lizard” fails to express something else besides that boundary. It seems too afraid to cross it.

    There is a lot of faith thematized in “Lizard”, but this is the part where the makers are too afraid to go further than just show a daily situation. There is nothing extreme about the faith. It ́s not like a depiction of the excess of the 3rd Revelation like in Paul Thomas Anderson ́s “There Will Be Blood”. The sermon might be pretty aggressively spoken, but there is nothing wrong about that as long as there is no violence. The faith is trusted, and the people are fully committed, but “Lizard” fails to make a statement about that. It is more of a presentation than a critique. Don ́t get me wrong, a film doesn ́t necessarily have to be a critique, but “Lizard” achieves at most an atmosphere, but never feelings nor developments.

    Developing something, especially characters, is a very difficult task for a short film. But it ́s not about the characters, it ́s just about the child in this world. This is what makes the atmosphere very strong. The given impressions combined with the stunning SFX and colors depict unimaginable situations. This is what the climax of the film is about. When a character is suddenly out of nowhere held at gunpoint, that is when the atmosphere explodes into an intense silence that could define life. But then “Lizard” stops to proceed. If it would have gone a bit deeper, it might have achieved some feelings. Terror and violence are often used,

    as nobody in the world wants to embody them. This is why these ending images speak so much louder than words, and why “Lizard” is actually a good short film.

    This leaves only one question: What about the lizard? Is it just a sense of incoming danger or is it possibly the child ́s fear of Jesus? Latter would actually be very interesting, but as previously said, “Lizard” doesn ́t go deep enough to really thematize something like that. Nevertheless, its images are still silencing and partly even shocking.

    All in all, “Lizard” is a good short film that is at its best in its most silence moments. Intimidating SFX create a suspense of danger, and colors and cinematography combine into a desperate mood. Only the thematic fails to be expressed properly throughout the entirety. Subjects aren ́t depicted enough, and there is no critique or message. Still, “Lizard” is definitely worth a watch.

  • Aviva: Review

    Aviva: Review

    Aviva: Review. By Hugues Porquier.

    “Aviva” is a film released in 2020 in the United States, directed by Boaz Yakin, director of “Remember the Titans” (2000), “Uptown Girls” (2004) or “Boarding School” (2018) and producer of various films such as “Now You See Me” (2013) or “Hostel” (2005).

    The film won the 2020 Award for “Best Film” at the Choreoscope International Dance Film Festival in Barcelona. And for good reason, dance is used as a way of expression throughout the film, furthermore all the actors are also dancers.

    We find Aviva and Eden, who after having exchanged online for a long time between Paris and the United States, starts a romantic relationship. This relationship will not be platonic, on the contrary, throughout the film we follow the couple in their moments of love, doubt, pain and sorrow.

    “Aviva” addresses the theme of the couple in an experimental way, going beyond gender. The man is a woman and vice versa, gender is no longer a thing in this vision of the relationship.

    Boas Yakin makes dance a key element of his film but not only, sex is also a way of expression for the director who makes it almost looks like a choreography. Dance and sex are then intimately linked and will punctuate the film.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axSGMBaSGHk

    The white lights and the delicate music present in the film participate in the creation of a dreamy feeling throughout the film, as if we were witnessing the memories of a character.

    The different actors are all convincing, whether in the moments of life or the moments of dance. There are four main protagonists with two actors per character for Aviva and Eden, one female and one male. These actors will break the 4th wall several times during the film and address directly to the spectator, often naked, which is not an easy task, but it works very well. Nudity also seems to be party taken by Boas Yakin, the characters and the actors deliver themselves to us entirely without any protection.

    Through the intimacy of the couple scenes and the energy of the party scenes, all guided by dance and sex, the film keeps a very pleasant rhythm and keeps the spectator on the edge of his seat. This film has an atypical structure, both in terms of storytelling and visuals. But if you let yourself be embarked by this dreamlike atmosphere, relatively disorienting, you can easily appreciate this film.

  • Boogie Nights: Classic Review

    Boogie Nights: Classic Review

    Boogie Nights: Classic Review. By Julius Tabel.

    This is THE coolest movie of all time; I have no doubt about it. The first 90 minutes are the greatest party you will ever have when watching a film, and the last 60 minutes complete the most interesting character study. In my opinion, this is the best directed movie of all time because Anderson ́s collaboration with Elswit (cinematographer) pays off in every single shot.

    I fell in love with “Boogie Nights” before it even cut for the first time, because the first shot is a continuous three-and-a-half minutes Steadicam-shot through a Night Club. This happens multiple times in the film. Other examples would be the party at Jack ́s house, the New-Years party, and the reunion at the end. To pull something like that off is simply amazing, and the directional effort behind it is unbelievable. Anderson always has a plan in his mind of what he is doing, and when executing, you can see that he has so much fun. At 27-years-old, he is able to do such great stuff with a camera, and I think that every aspiring filmmaker is in total envy of PTA.

    Five things are certain when watching a PTA movie: Outstanding camerawork, that I partly mentioned already, deep characters, an interesting score, a thought-provoking story, and amazing performances. Starting off with latter, everyone can see that Anderson ́s films emerged some of the greatest performances of all time. For instance, Tom Cruise ́s career best in “Magnolia”, Adam Sandler ́s career best in “Punch-Drunk Love”, Daniel Day-Lewis with my favorite performance in “There Will Be Blood”, and Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”. Only one of these may have won an Oscar, but who cares about Academy Awards when talking about PTA. He is the only person that won in Cannes, in Berlin, and in Venice, and there are 8 films that prove that he is one of the greatest directors out in the world. Speaking about “Boogie Nights”, Anderson revived Burt Reynolds ́ career, and started it off for Mark Wahlberg, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, and John C. Reilly. All these amazing performances are no coincidence. It all comes from the directional mastermind of Paul Thomas Anderson. Once again, there is not one little flaw in the performances.

    The cinematography isn ́t only proven to be pure perfection in the Steadicam-shots, but in every single shot of the film. There is a thought behind every decision. Considering that Elswit left Anderson after “There Will Be Blood” and the cinematography hasn ́t dropped off one bit off since, I consider PTA to be the master behind it, but Elswit ́s execution is still flawless. Anyways, the two must have about a hundred different kinds of shots ready because each scene looks so very different. There is always something special about where the camera is placed.

    In only one movie, Anderson was able to create more, deeper and more interesting characters than Christopher did in his entire filmography. No offense against Nolan here, but Anderson is out of this world. Every, and I mean every of the 10 protagonists – and yes, Dirk Diggler may be the major protagonist, but literally every of the 10 has a complete and complex story. If you think about other great movies, they have mostly 2-4, and very rarely 5-7 important characters with most of them being side characters. Anderson created 10. I am not saying that the more characters, the better the movie, but if you can do it perfectly, why not? Also, I already did study all characters in one of my previous reviews which you can find here: https://letterboxd.com/steggo27/film/boogie-nights/1/

    Quentin Tarantino is often known for the incredible collections of music in his films, but “Boogie Nights” is on top of my list. Every scene is a party. There are scenes that only contain dancing to iconic songs, and it really wants you to stand up and dance as well. I never had more fun when watching a film.

    Now, speaking about the thematic of “Boogie Nights” for the first time, there are only a few movies that come close to the excess of it. Maybe, Martin Scorsese ́s “The Wolf of Wall Street” is worth mentioning, but from my point of view, while it is still an awesome movie, Anderson used a better portion than Scorsese. “The Wolf” contains definitely more crazy stuff, but Anderson depicts it way better. He transforms the excess of sex and drugs with some kind of hilariousness. For me, one of the greatest scenes of the film is when they film the porno, and everybody just stares at Dirk ́s penis and is in absolute awe. Furthermore, Anderson knows when it ́s too much. There is no loudly-spoken “Oh my god”, but only minor facial expressions that speak louder than a thousand books ever could.

    Additionally, each character has some kind of special and hilarious trait like ultimate stupidity or megalomania. There won ́t be one scene that won ́t be funny. I will not mention it right now for specific reasons, but the highly sexual dialogue is just awesome. Additionally, this guy ́s name is Dirk Diggler. I think that ́s prove enough.

    The truly interesting thing about Anderson is that, although his partying and excess is absolutely awesome, he changes in a different direction after 90 minutes in order to complete his story. And this may be the part when an overall easily understandable film becomes a true PTA film that is very complicated and needs to be understood to fully be appreciated. If you are not a cinephile, you probably won ́t like the second half, but if you are, you will be able to enjoy just as much as the first.

    Another amazing scene would be the one at the house of Rahad Jackson portrayed by Alfred Molina. It is truly one of the most intense scenes I have ever witnessed. There is this boy throwing firecrackers that will throw you out of your seat every 10 seconds, and you also are very aware of what ́s at stake, while also knowing that Molina portrays an absolute madman. And then, in midst of all this danger, there is Dirk ́s stare. It ́s the moment when he realizes what has becomes of him. And when he comes back to Jack a few scenes later, the delusions of grandeur have mostly ended. It is the ultimate development of a character with a perfect pay off. The from-one-day-to-the-other star wanted to much, and his megalomania almost killed him, but he completed his history because Anderson is a mastermind. This was Dirk ́s story quickly summed up, but I guarantee that every character has a similar one that is just as masterful.

    All in all, “Boogie Nights” has to be on every cinephile ́s all-time list. It is one of the most awesome, most genius, and most interesting movies ever. It contains amazingly portrayed characters whose story will be a lesson to everyone, artistic cinematography that is gold for the human eye, hilariousness in its storytelling, enjoyability in its soundtrack, and the best direction of all time. This is an ultimate recommendation for every cinema lover and a must-watch.

  • Yard Kings: Review

    Yard Kings: Review

    Yard Kings: Review. By Julius Tabel.

    This short film is about a young girl who lives with her mother and her boyfriend, who seems to abuse her, in a trailer park next to a junkyard. As she flees from the troubles at home, she found a friend, a young boy, who lives alone in decrepit trailer and plays around on the junkyard.

    As uninteresting as this all may sound, I see “Yard Kings” as a small love letter for the beautiful mind of children, although the striking and convincing expressions miss. It ́s a short film, so there is not much of a big story to be told, but yet “Yard Kings” thematizes many things such as poverty, abusive boyfriends, childhood, appreciating the little things and on how little a friendship can be built. I think that the more you think about all these things, the better will the film stay in your mind.

    The music was the best part of the film. It fits to the subject because of its childish and inspiring sound. Sometimes, it makes you feel like you can see into the mind of this little girl. In this world, that doesn ́t seem to expand the territory of a junkyard, with very dry colors, beauty and satisfaction can be built out of almost nothing.

    The fact that these two children and good friends, that just wander around the junkyard and collect trash to play with, were able to build a better home than the girl ́s mother depicts that simplicity is sometimes the true key for happiness. There is no education, and no knowledge of the world, but they are their own “Yard Kings”. This is what makes this short film so charming.

    Nevertheless, it ́s just a sweet short film. If you are a mother and have a little child, maybe this helps you a bit to appreciate this child because of the specialties that it builds up on its own. And even besides, “Yard Kings” is an appreciation of the little things. Maybe, that shows that everybody should appreciate this little, short film. It ́s not much, that ́s for sure, but it ́s still charming.

    All in all, I think that the 15 minutes of runtime are definitely worth watching. As I explained, this film won ́t change your view on anything besides a bit of appreciation, but its atmosphere is truly wonderful and may make your day.

  • Minari: Another Review

    Minari: Another Review

    Minari: Another Review. By Nick Boyd.

    “Minari” is a deeply moving Korean assimilation drama about a family trying to make it in rural Arkansas in the 1980s.  It is based in part on writer, director Lee Isaac Chung’s childhood.

    Working at a hatchery, the father and husband named Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) does what he can to provide for his wife Monica (who works alongside him) and two kids David and Anne, who are living in a trailer home on an expanse of land.  With little experience as a farmer under his belt, it is Jacob’s American dream to escape the monotony of the hatchery by making a go of farming his own crops, and along the way, have his children be proud of their dad’s success.  David is the more curious, mischievous child, while his sister Anne is the more levelheaded one.  Jacob’s goal is to grow enough Korean produce to sell to vendors.  While Jacob remains on the hopeful side of what the future holds, his wife Monica is disappointed and pessimistic about their new life in the Ozarks.

    To help tend the land, Jacob hires an eccentric, very religious man (who carries a life-sized cross on his back through town every Sunday) named Paul (Will Patton), who is a Korean War veteran and the town pariah.  Meanwhile, to provide assistance in the home, Monica’s mother Soon-ja travels from South Korea.  Her grandson David is disappointed that she is not the typical grandma he had imagined – she does not bake and she swears.  “Grandma smells like Korea,” he proclaims disdainfully upon her arrival.  In addition, she shares a room with David, much to his displeasure.  Through her playfulness and energy, she is able to provide occasional humorous moments and she is one of the most endearing characters in the film.  Her calming presence upon her arrival is able to lessen the continual tension between the parents’ marital turmoil.

    Even while trying to fit into their community such as by going to church, the family makes it a point to honor and uphold their South Korean traditions in their lives.  Hard work, values, and self-sufficiency are emphasized to the children.  The Yi’s outsiderness is emphasized in their interactions with the local church.  Comprised mainly of Caucasians, some of the congregants seem bewildered by their new Asian members.  However, in a nice gesture, an inquisitive boy (who had initially asked David, “Why is your face so flat?”) befriends David and invites him over to his house. 

    The naturalistic rhythms of the movie are reminiscent of the magnificent “Boyhood.”  While there is not much plot in either, the mood and richly drawn characters pull the viewer in. 

    The film depicts the struggles the family has financially and maritally and the nuances of small-town living.  The acting and writing is understated and quietly powerful with the emotions of determination and faith palpably felt. 

    Exploring heavy subject matter, the picture shows us a microcosm of the American Dream in vivid detail and creates an indelible family portrait.