Cruel, Cruel Moon

No sé qué piensen ustedes pero a mí me parece terriblemente injusto que la noche se ilumine con una hermosa luna llena --de esas que te provocan salir a respirar el mundo con la cabeza en las nubes y el corazón anhelante lleno de recuerdos y esperanzas-- justamente cuando las temperaturas están en punto de congelación. Ni a quién reclamar.

Pusher (1996)

Nicholas Winding Refn was only 24 years old when he directed Pusher in his native Denmark, a fact that you would not even guess by the gritty look and the deliberate pace of this surprising film that is far from being needlessly violent and which is populated by believable and organic characters. Frank (a remarkable Kim Bodnia) is a drug dealer who is just trying to make money on the streets of Copenhagen. He has a girlfriend and a good friend who is also a business partner (amazingly portrayed by a very young Madds Mikkelsen, the unforgettable bad guy from Casino Royal, the 007 movie)  but he is far from connecting with anybody. Things get bad when a drug deal happened to be a police trap. Frank avoids prison but loses the drugs and consequently gets into heavy debt with his provider, an enigmatic guy from the former Yugoslavia who is surrounded by thugs who are as menacing as surprisingly human. The hunt starts to close in, of course, but Frank is more resourceful than what you might guess. However, the plot is far from being too important. What matters here is the atmosphere, the increasing sense of isolation surrounding the protagonist, the betrayals that he inflicts on others and the harvest of violence that he collects. This is a remarkable film, no doubt about it, and the amazing trajectory as a film director of Nicholas Refn is a solid testimony that Pusher was far from being a lucky shot.

Animal Kingdom, 2010

You never know what’s going to happen next in Animal Kingdom, the 2010 Australian movie directed by Daniel Michôd. The narrative, the mere construction of the scenes, the acting and the plot itself are unsettling and challenging for the average spectator, since everything seems to disrupt not only the usual Hollywood formula but the inner mechanics the movie seems to adhere to. As a general rule, even the least appealing Aussie films tend to make acting the center of the movie experience. In this case, Joshua, the protagonist (merely called “J”) hardly seems to act. He is a shy, introverted underage teen who speaks in monosyllables and growls. When his mother dies of a drug overdose while sitting on her sofa and a paramedic comes to the house to examine her, he seems to be more concentrated on the TV contest show being broadcast than in the outcome of his mother's situation in the living room. Afterwards, he is forced to move in with his tough grandmother (an impressive acting lesson by Jackie Weaver) leader of a family that seems to live at the edge of the law, a sociological portrait that seems to be frightfully close to the truth. Living with them, J appears to be uninvolved or unconcerned by the criminal actions of his relatives —-an idea that the final scene destroys with a wrecking ball-— who are under close surveillance by the police. With the exception of the subdued role of Guy Pearce as a police officer, almost every character is painted with gray to dark overtones. Even grandma, who seemed to be a ragged but sweet mature woman disconnected from the aberrant behavior of her sons, shows no sign of mercy at her own grandson when she has to decide between him and her sons. But if the bad guys are not sympathetic, the police are not necessarily nice either. Interestingly, the violence is not unleashed by the bad guys but by the cold blooded killing of one of the family members by the police.
Here my final thoughts. Though you might blame the movie for lacking a much needed sense of humor, it overly compensates with scenes that are so well crafted that catch you completely off guard. It's like living in the wild, never suspecting what is happening next and each one defending his own as an extension of him or herself in the world. In this Animal Kingdom there is no place for pity or a sense of justice, you just do what you got to do.

My Review of Urgh! A Music War (DVD)

Originally submitted at WB Shop

It’s live and loud. It’s urgent and proud. It’s more than two-dozen young, energetic bands caught in the act and making the music and moments matter in hot, crowded, amped venues scattered across L.A., London, New York City and elsewhere. It’s big hair, little hair, guys, girlz – with music styles ...

Urgh! A Music War (DVD)

Great video

By Jartell from Tuscaloosa, Alabama on 10/20/2010

 

4out of 5

Pros: Quality video image, Good sound

Describe Yourself: Movie Buff

I thinks that this is the first DVD release of this movie. I saw it years ago in theaters and for me it's been impossible to find a DVD since then. The Police looks great, Devo offers a great performance, UB40 is great, Gang of Four is unfortunately misrepresented with a not very hot song and a quizzical rendering of it, but fortunately, there are lots of other bands (maybe twenty something) that balance the film and make it a classic, a real synthesis of a whole generation of music. You may find all kind of genres and styles, ska, rock, punk, reggae, and some extra nut performers that who the hell knows who they are... but it's fun and, all and all, "Urgh! A Music War" is a classic. Highly recommended purchase, especially because there is no way to get it somewhere else (forget about Netflix). I just love it.

(legalese)

Machu Picchu

I found this photo the other day... The year? Maybe 1990...The place? The Inca remains of Machu Picchu, an abandoned city made of stone on the top of a mountain. The character? Just another careless traveler who did not see the signpost announcing... The Twilight Zone.

El secreto de sus ojos en DVD / The Secret In Their Eyes

Acabo de ver "El secreto de sus ojos," la gran película de Juan José Campanella que se llevó este año el Oscar a la Mejor Película en Lengua Extranjera. Ciertamente se puede entender el entusiasmo de la Academia por este filme que hilvana de manera tan lograda una historia de amor y un thriller policiaco, añadiéndole buenas dosis de humor y amistad envuelta en diálogos brillantes y llenos de vida.

No me sorprende en absoluto que esta película haya sido la cinta argentina más vista en su propio país durante los últimos 30 años. Los diálogos de "El secreto de sus ojos" aciertan en recuperar el exquisito sabor auditivo de la palabra hablada en todas sus formas, incluyendo la respuesta ágil y ocurrente del porteño y la palabrota convertida en arte por obra y gracia de su necesidad de ser, de la honestidad sin par del momento dramático.

Pero la película no está hecha únicamente de palabras. Campanella nos deja pasmados en una escena tras otra con su destreza cinematográfica y la belleza de sus imágenes. Mencionemos unas cuantas: las vistas en el tren al acabar los créditos, las versiones edulcoradas y descartadas de los esbozos de su novela, la construcción previa de la escena del estadio donde Sandoval y Espósito dialogan de fútbol en el bar junto a unos fanáticos del Racing y, finalmente, la escena misma en el campo de fútbol. Esta última sin duda una proeza técnica en la que la cámara avanza desde el espacio a unas graderías colmadas de fanáticos, una persecución por pasillos, baños y escaleras, y de ahí hasta la cancha misma sin un solo corte visible de edición.

Simplemente brillante, "El secreto de sus ojos" nos trae inolvidables personajes y una excelente trama que toca sin ahondar --pero sin superficialidad-- los grandes temas de la Argentina de los últimos años: el enfrentamiento con la violencia, la corrupción del concepto de justicia durante los años del terrorismo y, más que nada, la inevitabilidad del pasado --de lidiar con él de una u otra forma-- en la construcción de un mañana que no sea una versión del vacío.