Review: The Descendant
Remember the ending of Night of the Living Dead? African American star Duane Jones survives the horrific night of zombie attacks only to be shot down by law enforcement officers. George A. Romero has been quoted as stating that he never intended racial overtones in the film’s ending, but that the interpretations were valid: even his crew realized so as filming wrapped up the day Martin Luther King was assassinated. Canadian independent film, The Descendant, has a strong ending that reveals a disturbing truth about Quebec history. The comparison may be unfair in that Philippe Spurrell’s ghost story lacks the gore and intensity of Romero’s 1968 classic; but its ending resounds with a historical commentary that should leave audiences similarly disquieted. For its sense of purpose alone, The Descendant succeeds as a film. Read more »
Tags: Cinema du Parc, Philippe Spurrell, The Descendant
Film Reviews, Screenings | 
October 27, 2008 | Comments Off
Kelly Reichardt had a goal in mind when she co-wrote and directed Wendy and Lucy, and that was to speak to the current economic hardships millions endure in America at present. Rather than focus on the homeless, she focuses on the individuals who are on the brink of homelessness, who could lose it all from one small obstacle in their way. This is the basis of the film, giving the narrative a sort of timeless feel. Coupled with a sort of naturalistic film-making that is short on drama, Reichardt’s latest is a nice little film about a woman stuck in a place where she is going nowhere. The film suffers from the same problem, but it is decent nonetheless. 
Philippe Grandrieux is a fairly well known name in modern avant-garde French art and cinema circles. Director of the dark film Sombre and La vie nouvelle, he has also recently directed a music video for Marilyn Manson showing his capability of entering mainstream media. Yet, his latest film Un lac demonstrates that his heart is still in the art-house circuit. The ninety-minute film is a tough one to watch: it differs both visually and orally from most films. The result is a fairy-tale like film that will likely divide its audience like any piece of art: that this one didn’t speak to me is just the nature of the beast. 
This week is a depressing one. There are literally tens of straight-to-video action and horror movies starring second rate actors. So I’ve chosen to stop covering them in this feature. Unless some rare beast comes along that looks interesting or has been receiving some positive buzz, I refuse to cover straight-to-video releases. Unfortunately, that means the bulk of what I can cover this week is left to minor films. HULK MAD! 
Bulgarian cinema is certainly a rare sight to behold. While its neighbouring state, Romania, has had a near-renaissance of late with such award-winning films as 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, and 12:08 East of Bucharest, Bulgaria has been a non-entity - until now. True, it lacks the depressing social commentary that we Western audience believe an Eastern European film should have; instead, first-time director Javor Gardev’s Zift is an absolutely entertaining neo-film noir done with style, true grit and a real feel for the genre that surpasses most recent North American attempts. Does it hit all the cliches, from characterization to narrative progression? Absolutely. Yet, its blend of zealous devotion to noir along with communist overtones and Bulgarian anecdotal humour make it an original and fun homage. 
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s Il Divo is a political biopic on Giulio Andreotti who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy. As such, a viewer disclaimer should have been written on the program for anyone without a knowledgeable background in Italian politics. Watching Il Divo without historical precedent is akin to an Italian citizen watching a film about Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The audience is presumed to know certain societal views on the man to fully comprehend any path the film takes. Sorrentino’s film begins with five screens of definitions for Italian political parties named in passing in the film, and then continues by introducing twenty characters in as many minutes, all of which have varying alliances. So as a disclaimer to readers of this review: my enjoyment and understanding of the film was directly affected by presumed knowledge I did not possess. 
Rare it is to witness an animated film for adults that is simultaneously engaging and meaningful. Even Brad Bird, long-time advocate of the format as extra-generational, has been relegated to creating children’s films that adults can enjoy (Ratatouille, The Iron Giant). In short, the market for “cartoon” films marketed to adults is not there. Israeli director Ari Folman has managed to break this tradition by releasing Waltz with Bashir, which is one part documentary, one part meditation on the horrors of war. By using animation as a means to enlighten, in a way that no live-action film could, Folman has created a modern masterpiece in the genre. 
Seventy is the new twenty in this German tragic-romance starring Ursula Werner as Inge. Married to her calm and educated husband Werner for thirty years, Inge is your average aging woman - stout with loose skin, knitting as a side business, and singing in an elderly woman’s choir. Suddenly swept by an influx of new unexplainable feelings, she begins an intimate affair with another man, Karl. Initially jarring due to the frequent and surprisingly graphic sex in the first part of the film, it is clear Cloud 9 (Wolke Neun) exhibits the basic themes of tragic-romances (namely lust & passion, betrayal & confusion); only this particular drama stars sixty to seventy-somethings. What this manages to emphasize is that these particular feelings never disappear, regardless of age. 
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