rev-ewe 37: Les Contes de la Nuit

Les Contes de la Nuit (English: Tales of the Night)

Michel Ocelot

France

If I had to think of three words to describe this movie (which was really just a series of episodes, similar to A Town Called Panic), they would be ... Beautiful, clever, racist.  But, more than anything, I always love me a good animated film.  If animation style captures me, it's pretty much a wrap.

The premise of the episodes are three people -- an elderly man, a young boy and a young girl who all love to create plays, but are in the wrong age range for the industry.. so they meet in an empty theatre to make their own plays up.  Okay, I can get behind that.  If that really did happen, it'd probably be pretty interesting.  Each episode is a new play that they think up.

1. Beautiful -- the animation style is interesting because it's mostly inspired by Thai shadow puppets, where the main characters are more or less just shadows in front of absolutely gorgeous backdrops.  Wonderful colors, patterns, styles, everything.  Every episode has a distinct flavor and color palette to it which makes it completely unique from the last.  I was blown away by just how stunning the animation was!  The expressions, movements, character designs (for limited shapes such as.. just outlines)... Truly top notch, I appreciate the approach.

2.  Clever -- each story was fun, had a great plot twist at the end, and held true to old style tall tales, where everything was exaggerated, ridiculous and farfetched.  Much like Twilight Zone, you think you know how it's going to end, and suddenly there's something completely different in there.  They follow crazy plots from princesses chasing werewolves, magic drums that no one can resist dancing to, to winning the heart of the daughter of the King of the Dead.  Each one was worth watching.

Aaaaand.. 3.  Racist -- The stereotypes the French flippantly throw around are.. tough to stomach at first, but the stories themselves somehow make up for it.  I don't know why they try to venture into culturally Black scenarios and then use ridiculous stereotypes to portray them, but I guess if anything it's an interesting insight into the French's complete disregard for the term 'politically correct'.  Whatever.  

I would recommend watching it for the stories and the beautiful animation. Also, I would try to avoid the British dub version because the voice actors are kindof annoying.. but it's on Netflix that way so... enjoy it!

rev-ewe 31: Tears of the Black Tiger

Tears of the Black Tiger (ฟ้าทะลายโจร)
Wisit Sasanatieng
Thailand

I have two things to say about this movie:
LOL. wtf?

So, there's actually a whole lot more to say about it.  It was hilariously exaggerated, beautifully put together, and strongly stylistic.  While the storyline was a bit mundane, it was presented in such a way that I could never have imagined a Thai movie would be like.
I guess I'd give it  8.5 out of 10?  Really, really well-done, though the story is pretty bland.  Beautiful to watch, the supporting roles MORE than make up for anything it lacks.  The first 15 minutes I could not stop laughing.  Watch it for Thai cowboys!!


The plot is basically that of a love between a poor boy and a rich girl, per usual, and of course their love is restricted.  Womp womp.  Truly, though, the best part is that it's presented like an old Western.  At first I thought the color scheme was just because those were the colors of old TECHNICOLOR! But, the whole movie uses mostly just two colors- fuscia and teal.  Beautiful!  The Western feel of it is hilariously done as the supporting actors are over-the-top and the sets are intensely designed.  Plus.. I mean, c'mon.  Thai cowboys?  Yes, please!  Why hasn't this been done before!  I could go into a whole analytical bit about the aesthetics of the film, but really all I wanna say is the fact that it was a Thai Western that was so beyond anything I could have expected!

*Fun Fact: the lead actress isn't actually Thai.  She's an Italian model who... happens to be fluent in Thai.  lol?

rev-ewe 30: The Thief and the Cobbler

The Thief and the Cobbler
Richard Williams
UK

I first saw this movie as an unfinished group of animatics and half-finished scenes in one of my animation classes.  The style was totally interesting though, as the director was the same guy who did Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Unfortunately for this movie, the story is almost identical to Aladdin, so it's a bit redundant to watch it for that reason alone.  The animation style is so interesting, however, that it makes it pretty worthwhile.  Dialogue?  Meh.  Character concepts?  Meh.
But seriously.  Beautifully done.

rev-ewe 28: Tulpan

"Tulpan"

Sergei Dvortsevoy

Kazakhstan

Real life Borat! No, not really at all. This movie was probably created as a response to that movie's poor representation of a truly interesting culture. It was obvious how much of the movie was intended to show Kazakhstan's political importance, cultural uniqueness, and physical beauty.

Plot? Nah. This movie is just about a guy who needs to get married and has trouble since, on the steppes of Kazakhstan, there is slim pickings. Plus, he's kindof an awkward character.

The pace is incredibly slow, which I've found I'm quite a fan of.  Movies that can keep me interested while having little to nothing happen for five minutes are my fave.  The analysis of family dynamics is equally as satisfying as the wife (protagonist's sister) has to struggle between two stubborn men in her life that she loves equally.  In the end, it is more of a film of realizing the important things in life than it is about seeking love. There are funny moments (which at first I wasn't sure were meant to be funny), but it is indeed mostly a cool insight into a country I'm sure almost everyone thought was what Borat presented it as.  If you love seeing a culture you didn't know about, this is a really great one.  Also, this is another one of those films that gets better each time you watch it.

Noooot to mention, it's super interesting because when I first saw the characters, my mind thought - Chinese?  Then when they didn't speak any Asian language I knew of...  Mind blown.  

rev-ewe 24: Bagdad Cafe

Bagdad Cafe

Germany

Percy Adlon

Okay, first of all.. don't let the image fool you. I chose this screen cap because it's hilarious, but completely unrelated to the film. Second of all, while the film is German, it takes place in California and is entirely in English. However, because it is foreign, the direction of it is veeeery unique. I used to watch this movie all the time on that weird cable movie channel I used to have, but hadn't seen it in a good decade or so. To find it on Netflix instant (go watch it!) was so exciting, and I knew I had to blog it once I'd seen it again.

This movie is cute, fun, weird, funny, exaggerated, quirky, etc. No particular plot, but again a development of characters and character relationships. It has a great pay-off in the end and I'm pretty sure almost anyone can enjoy it. Its humor is not particularly focused, but I would imagine the direction of it can be a bit off-putting at first.

Basically, this German couple are travelling through CA, but have an argument and the woman walks off (in the middle of the desert) while her husband drives off. She comes across a lone cafe/motel and checks in. After realizing she might be there for a while, she settles in and gets involved in the little group of people that share the residence at the Bagdad Cafe.

Again, the plot sounds mundane because the movie is totally not about the plot. It's the beautiful relationships and humor and direction! Each and every character is interesting and unique, and you pretty much know who they are straight away. Not to mention one of the beeest closing lines ever! so perfect.

Love it! Great, great movie.

rev-ewe 21: I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

South Korea

Park Chan-Wook

I don't remember where I first saw this film, but I came in the middle of it where two characters were talking to each other by looking at each other only through a compact mirror. They were seated in front of a large wallpaper image of the Alps. A large woman comes into the middle of their conversation and informs them she has learned how to levitate by using wool socks. She says she does this by creating enough static electricity from rubbing them together that it actually lifts her off her bed.

GENIUS.

This movie is about a mental institute and the patients within it. The main character, Young-goon (I still wonder if the Korean names are also a pun in English terms.. maybe not), believes she is a cyborg designed to kill the doctors which keep her (and once took her grandmother long ago). She meets another patient named Il-sun who claims he can steal people's characteristics, and promises her to take her sympathy so that she may go through with killing the doctors.

That's about all I want to say for the plot. I watched most of it again recently and it was very, very funny. In its over-the-top absurdity, it makes complete sense and is extremely entertaining. I can remember one scene where the patients are made to talk about something in their childhood that upset them, and one character nervously starts with 'mother..' and then quickly hocks a loogie and finishes with '..fucker.' and that was it. LOL. If you can find this film somewhere, DEFINITELY watch it. It's not on Netflix, so go out and find it. Worth it fo sho!!

rev-ewe 16: Dogtooth

Kynodontas (Greek: Dogtooth)
Greece
Giorgos Lanthimos


uhhh... yeah. This film was a whole lot of weird. The only movie I could think of while watching it was Napoleon Dynamite. But, a darker way creepier version. It had the same awkwardness as N.D. but used it in a way different manner. There was no plot, there was really no conflict, and then it just ... ended. While I will give credit to the film that I did not turn it off and was compelled to see the thing all the way through, at the end I was just unhappy and disturbed. If its point was to do that, it wins. But, for what purpose?

The film focuses on a family that shelters its 3 children to the point where they have no idea what the outside world is like (at ALL) and have stayed only on the premises of their house. When the eldest daughter acquires films from the real world, things begin to change.

I usually like weird, but this was intensely creepy weird and didn't really work for me. Though I may need to see it again, and usually seeing it again makes me like it more, I'm not so sure how long it'll take me to watch it again. It was really, really intense! And just.. crazy. Mindfuck, for sure, but I suppose its point was something along the lines of "don't shelter your children" but.. I don't know. I'd say watch it, but know what you're getting into.. I certainly didn't, and got a whole lot of opened-mouth scenes and NO, NO, NO!! moments.

rev-ewe 15: A Town Called Panic

Pannique au Village (French: A Town Called Panic)
France
Stéphane Aubier


WOW. I loved this movie. It is as out there as possible, but absolutely hilarious at almost every moment of the film. I was absolutely blown away! I turned it on and thought 'gee this is cheesy animation' then right away I was laughing hysterically! The animation fits perfectly for the type of film and humor and everything that it is. While nothing in it makes sense, within its own world, it makes perfect sense. The voice acting was exceptional and beyond entertaining. The characters were so cute, the situations outrageously bizarre, the movie...awesome. Very funny and totally and absolutely worth watching.

All I can say about the plot is it is about a Horse, an Indian, and a Cowboy. And their adventures.

An absolute masterpiece. If you like strange, out there animated films, this is the one. The Mecca of WTF-dome. The Holy Grail of WHY-ianity. The third coming of LOL-esus! 102091 thumbs up!!

rev-ewe 14: He Died With a Felafel in His Hand

He Died With a Felafel in His Hand
Australia
Richard Lowenstein


Another film I'm not so sure about. Its good points were its sense of humor, aesthetics, and character development. Its low points were (for me) a meaningless story line, and a bit too slow. I know pace is not usually something I would complain about, but its lack of a story or even character conflict in addition to the slow pace makes it hard to watch without doing something else at the same time (I was doing laundry while watching, so I was able to keep going). Though, it does have quite a few points that are funny and interesting. The film felt influenced by Guy Ritchie style Snatch or Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels. The humor was quite unconventional but just the way I like it. The small story lines that exist are quite strange, but I can dig it.

It sortof follows one man named Danny and the various shared houses he lives in throughout Australia. There are 3 consistent characters beside him; Flip, an endearing drug addict.. Sam, his best female friend.. and another girl whose name I can't remember, but is some sort of ethnic European "chaos-freak". That's about as much as needs to be said about the plot.

While I enjoyed the humor and visual story-telling, I still don't know how I feel at the end of it all and it seemed a bit too unfulfilled to make me feel like it was worth watching. But, for the sake of seeing something visually interesting and having a film to laugh at, this film does the job. I recommend watching while having something else to do, and it will keep you going.

rev-ewe 10: The Price of Milk

The Price of Milk
New Zealand
Harry Sinclair


I'm on a bit of a New Zealand roll here, but this film may have different reactions from different people. I would suggest it to those who are down for a bit of a mindfuck, but it is a sweet mindfuck, if I may say so. I was not really sure how I felt about the film the first time I saw it, but after watching it a 2nd time (the fact that I even got to a 2nd time I think is saying something) I realized I really liked it. The direction is more than strange, and it takes such a bizarre way of approaching the topic of love. It probably does not work for everyone, and when I read the reviews on Netflix (Yes, it's on instant view! So, maybe give it a shot?) many people gave it a 'Hated it' rating and said things like 'New Zealand should stick to raising sheep and not making films!' A bit harsh (actually way harsh, considering LOTR came from NZ...) but clearly a sign that maybe this film really does not appeal to the masses.

The film, in short, is about a woman pushing her fiance to the limits to test how much he truly loves her. They live on a dairy farm, and one day she sells his cows to get her blanket back from an old woman (again, it's a bizarre film and it makes sense ..or not.. when you see it), which enrages him and strains their relationship to a breaking point.

I would completely understand if people did not like this film because I think it could be a bit much to take in, but in the end I think it makes for a nice statement about love and appreciating your partner. And did I mention Karl Urban is in it?? The mega-hot horse lord from LOTR!

I award this film 5 pairs of baby shoes.