Film Review: Beyond The Hills (12A) (Romania/France/Belgium 2012) (Director: Cristian Mungiu) (Romanian with English Subtitles) Saturday 16.03.2013 14:00 The Filmhouse Cinema Screen Two, Edinburgh 

This is director Cristian Mungiu's follow-up film to the exceptional 'Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days' (4M3W2D) (2007), which I would regard as faultless 10/10 film. His new film concerns two young adult women, who were  intimate childhood friends while living in a orphanage together. At the start of the film they are reunited when one of them travels from Germany to visit the other who is residing in an orthodox monastery. The returning friend clearly wishes for more intimacy than the one who has taken religious orders is able to give. 

Due to a wish to be close to the one who lives by religious structure, the returning friend comes to put up with the invasive requirement to confess 'sins' committed and also to accept the accompanying penance. As the young woman comes to display resistance to her treatment as well as the generally oppressive atmosphere, those from the order escalate the nature of the 'assistance' they give to the young lady to a point where it is difficult to see it as anything other than barbaric persecution. Those from the order do see it differently, due to being blinded by their fervered following of christianity, they see it as trying to assist her to rid herself of evil spirits who had taken hold of her. Needless to say it all ends tragically. 

The film is a very good portrayal of the difficulty of trying to have centuries old traditions living alongside and being able to accept more liberal aspects of modernity. The performances I find find very difficult to find any fault with. The pace is quite labored until it reaches the crushendo of the persecution from the order to the young visitor. This is very good film, though I did not think it was as good or as fascinating as 4M3W2D. 

Rating: 9/10.        

Film Review: Side By Side (15) (U.S.A. 2012) (Director: Christopher Kenneally) Friday 08.03.2013 20:45 The Filmhouse Cinema Screen Two, Edinburgh 

This is a documentary for cineists. It interviews various people professionally involved in the film industry. This includes renowned directors, cinematographers, editors, colorists, special effects workers & film and camera developers among others. It is looking at both sides of the divide between those who prefer photo-chemical film and those who have transferred affections to digital technology.

It goes far beyond just looking at the capturing of the image, to all aspects of film-making affected by the rise of the digital age, and then to the impact on projecting and then the afterthought of preservation. I felt the film was balanced and gave enough time to people presenting the views in favor of celluloid or digital, with very good use of extensive examples. The film had enough depth to be genuinely interesting without going so deep as to loose the layman such as myself.

I also greatly liked the aspect that prior to watching this, I was well aware that there were those passionate on both sides, though I did not really understand any of the arguments (I understood that celluloid became scratched over time and older film discolored, that was the extent of my knowledge). I feel as if I now have more understanding of both perspectives, though no greater sense as to whether one side of the argument is more right than the other, just that the whole process and affects of differing materials within this is very complex. It even has Keanu Reeves conducting the interviews without getting in the way - a film he has not made worse due to his participation...some feat.

Rating: 10/10 (For Cineists). 

Film Review: We Are Northern Lights (12A) (U.K. 2013) (Director: Nick Higgins) Wednesday 06.03.2013 20:20 The Filmhouse Cinema, Screen Three, Edinburgh 

This is the culmination of a project to capture the 'essence of Scotland' on 'film'. Members of the public were invited to submit their unique visions of what they saw as the essence of Scotland. This is essentially an edited down imagining culled from the 1,500 submissions that were received. There were clips that did appear to have very little to do with any sense of, or relation to Scotland or Scottishness.

There appears limited order to what is presented, and from the footage presented I thought this could have been achieved to a greater degree just from what the film contained. The film did appear to come to several natural endings and then would just carry on. This gave a sense of dragging on just due to the poor editing/ordering of the footage. The film landed up feeling significantly longer than it was. I don't think I could have held concentration if I was trying to watch this on T.V., which I feel is it's more natural home (or as an industry tourist video to show to foreign markets). - Something of this nature I would reckon to have very limited commercial appeal, and could only come about as a result of government funding, and therefore it is almost impossible for it to remain neutral, and sadly is almost artistically worthless, except in terms of historical propaganda interest in years to come.   

There were a couple of pro Scottish independence statements which I did not approve of as this was not balanced with anti statements. Though then I realised that this was funded by Creative Scotland, who ultimately answer to the Scottish government i.e. the (in my view dreaded and racist) S.N.P.. So it is easy to understand why there was a clear and ugly bias. There were also several scenes of either peoples joy at returning to Scotland from England or trepidation at the prospect of entering England, which just struck me as petty and shortsighted.

Now that the criticisms are out of the way...there are quite a few very funny passages in the film, and the footage of the Scottish countryside, particularly the highlands, which I found quite beautiful and reminded me of the beauty of where I come from (without showing you the narrowminded attitudes of many of those who live in these remote and beautiful places...don't want to put of those tourists now).

Rating:
(5/10 in terms of the enjoyment of some of the footage)
2/10 as a result of the politically unsubtle overtone. 

Film Review: Stoker (18), (U.K./U.S.A. 2013) (Director: Park Chan-Wook), Friday 01.03.2013 20:45 & Sunday 03.03.2013 15:40, The Cameo Cinema, Screen One, Edinburgh, & Monday 29.04.2013 20:30 Filmhouse Screen One

As soon as I heard of this film I was intrigued due to it having been made by Chan-Wook Park, the director behind the fantastic 'Old Boy' (2003), though I was also equally put of by it featuring Nicole Kidman, an actress I usually take every precaution to avoid. Having heard some positive crits, I decided to give it a go. 

There are big twists central to the story, so I'll to not say too much in regard to the plot, as to not risk giving away the twists. The film concerns corrosive family secrets, mental illness, sexual awakening and how people are always more than what we know of them. Nicole Kidman's character, the widow, appears pleasingly (in my eyes) dumb by the end. Matthew Goode (recently in BBC2's Dancing On The Edge) is very good as the cold sociopathic uncle Charlie, who the other family members know very little about. 

The central character, the daughter India, is played by Mia Wasikowska. Her performance is extremely impressive, displaying restraint around the judging family and greater extremes elsewhere as a balancing release, while at times appearing to be unsure as to who she sees herself to be. Her manner of holding herself, her movement and what she does with her eyes I found to be quite sharp yet vulnerable and sensual. There are scenes including where she brushes her mother's hair, where she subtly portrays the pleasure of awakening awareness of sex and sexuality, in a manner that I found to be quickening. There is also a 'piano duet' which is particularly well performed and which lingers on the difficulty of restraint when first becoming familiar with arousal.  

The film is stylish and beautiful throughout, with scenes that are surprising as to what is visually focused upon, while bringing out the striking in the mundane. The film has noir elements, there are aspects where it is not clear as to how aware some characters are as to what is going on and therefore how complicit they may be.  

While Old Boy left with a sense of the desperateness of revenge and the restorative power of acceptance, Stoker leaves with a sense of empowerment and chilling nihilistic dislocation.

There are elements such as the arousal created by someone coming to rescue that results in murder, that could be labeled grubby, perverse and that dreaded term 'dark'. I think it could equally been seen as having a refreshing lack of saccharine dusting, and as a legitimate addressing of emotional reactions that are all to possible in real life.

I experienced this as a very satisfying watch of which I could find no fault and which has left elements strongly lingering. I would recommend to others who don't need films to have nice sweet resolutions, though I am clear that this will not appeal to the masses. I was captivated enough that I went to see it twice in three days. Easily the best fictional film of the year to date. (Not even Ms. Kidman could ruin this this one.)

Upon seeing for a third time, I was struck by the plethora of subtleties, an attention to detail & the exquisite imagery and framing throughout; a masterpiece.   

Rating: 10/10.         

Film Review: West of Memphis (15) (New Zealand/U.S.A. 2012) (Director: Amy Berg) Monday 18.02.2013 20:15 The Filmhouse Cinema Screen Two, Edinburgh 

This is a documentary about the case of the 'West Memphis Three', who in 1994, were tried and sentenced for the gruesome murders of three eight year old boys, despite there being no evidence to convict upon. This case has been documented previously by the likes of the 'Paradise Lost' documentary trilogy, which although did an important job of keeping the case in public awareness also had a tendency to meander and loose focus. Despite this being a long film at two and a half hours, it has a far better sense of focus and clarity. By focusing upon what was not handled as it should have been in the case including evidence that was ignored, the film gives a very good overview of  the 18 year period since the incident and subsequent trial. The film is not exactly balanced, though I think it would pretty much be impossible for this to be achieved given the circumstance.

This film goes beyond the Paradise Lost films in getting the elected persons who would benefit from the final outcome to speak on camera and by their words show themselves to lack any morality in regard to any persons directly concerned with this case; the wrongly convicted, the real perpetrator(s), the victims and their families. Any anger I find to be tempered by the calm presence of the three wrongly convicted, none of whom ever appear to even come close to negativity.

Although I already knew what happened with this case, the film was an engrossing watch, well composed and considerably better than the sprawling Paradise Lost. Amy Berg, who previously made the exemplary 'Deliver Us From Evil' about the accusations of pedophilia in the Catholic Church in the United States, is clearly very skilled at documenting very complex matters in a clear and concise manner. I could not recommend this highly enough for people who are interested in miscarriages of justice. I cannot find fault with this film.

Rating: 10/10.  

Film Review: Smashed (15) (U.S.A. 2012) (Director: James Ponsoldt) Saturday 16.02.2013 20:45 The Filmhouse Cinema Screen Two, Edinburgh 

This is a film about a young married couple who 'drink' excessively. The female, Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is a primary school teacher who lands up going to work hungover and vomiting in front of her  class. One of the children asks if she is pregnant, and she uses this as a way of hiding the real reason, though at the same time she begins to want to do something to address this problem.

The film then explores how difficult it can be to stay sober when those around you, who you know from when you were drinking, are not taking the same steps. How lies you previously told to hide the issue, knock you back down when people are informed of what the truth is, and are unable to react in any way other than hurt/seeing as a personal slight.

The cast are perfectly decent, though it is Mary Elizabeth who is central to all that happens, and who gives a very well measured performance as someone trying to cope with her problems while trying to hold on to what she has. This is easily her most serious, grown up and raw performance. Some of the other characters felt as though they could have benefited from a bit more fleshing out, though I am quibbling. The film is not overly grim and has some good moments of humour. It's ending  felt refreshingly optimistic without being saccharine.

Rating: 8/10.

Film Review: No (15) (Chile/France/U.S.A. 2012) (Spanish with English Subtitles) (Director: Pablo Larrain) Tuesday 12.02.2013 20:45 The Cameo Cinema Screen Two, Edinburgh 

This is a film about a plebiscite held in 1988 in Chile for the military junta to try to legitimise it's rule. The electorate had two potential answers to give. Yes, to more rules of military role, or No, to refuse them the rite and force a transition to democracy. Each campaign for Yes and No had there own daily 15 minute slot on state television to get their message across. The film tells a story of the No campaign, led by the advertising worker played by Gael Garcia Bernal. The film is well told and acted, and again one of these films where you know what the ultimate outcome was, though not necessarily what happened to individuals involved. There is a sense of genuine threat to the portrayed family of Gael Garcia's character, as the junta get more and more desperate to try to cling onto power.

The film was shot on U-Matic Videotape giving a genuine 1980's look to the image on the screen. Although this assisted with anchoring the film in the time of it's setting, it could not always handle the bright light and was showing burn out in the image. Overall I don't think the film used really added anything, and it could have easily been portrayed well on modern film stock.

The film was not outstanding, though was a very engaging film to watch. It showed well the details of how such conflicts can affect the everyday lives of families and is well rooted in a sense of community as opposed to, for example, concentrating on the armed forces. It felt rewarding and enlightening.

Rating: 8/10.