VIVA
LOLA MONTES
HUSH
DIRECTOR: ANNA BILLER STARRING: ANNA BILLER, JARED SANFORD, BRIDGET BRNO RELEASED: JULY 6 2009 CERTIFICATE: 18
DIRECTOR: MAX OPHULS STARRING: MARTINE CAROL, PETER USTINOV, ANTON WALBROOK RELEASED: JULY 6 2009 CERTIFICATE: PG
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DIRECTOR: MARK TONDERAI STARRING: WILL ASH, CHRISTINE BOTTOMLEY, ANDREAS WISNIEWSKI RELEASED: JULY 20 2009 CERTIFICATE: 15
The ‘ironic’ bad acting gets old approximately three minutes into Viva, and there are still 117 minutes to go. Director, editor, writer, producer, costume designer and animator Anna Biller is also the lead actress, going some way to prove the maxim that multitasking means doing a number of tasks badly. A seventies housewife, Barbie looks like Winnie from The Wonder Years’ slutty aunt. After getting dumped, she changes her name to Viva and goes on a journey of sexual self discovery, becoming a model, call girl, artist’s muse and lipstick lesbian along the way. The opportunities for farce, satire, and social commentary come thick and fast, but Biller picks up not a good goddam one of them, preferring to treat us to another flash of her crotch and a whine of her monotone. The only good things about Viva are the sets and costumes: a riot of kitsch that never lets up, and the sole reason for this review’s single star. Truly dire. [Cara McGuigan]
How many classics flopped on release? Citizen Kane, It’s A Wonderful Life, Vertigo, Raging Bull...the list goes on. What is also true is that great art is often never appreciated at the time of release. Like New York, New York, The Big Red One or Blade Runner, this, the final film by Ophuls, was chopped against the director’s wishes, forced to languish until the Cinémathèque Française’s 2008 restoration returned it to its original state. So, how does Ophuls’ vision fare today? There are many good things to say about Lola Montes: the performances are excellent; the production and costume design are suitably and substantially opulent; while the film’s progressive approach to female emancipation is commendable. What is truly astonishing, however, is the direction of a man truly ahead of his time. The non-linear structure, self-reflexive imagery and narrative devices are ingenious, and the masterful intercutting takes full advantage of both visual and aural possibilities. As the Nouvelle Vague recognised, this is where modern film form began. [Michael Gillespie]
A CHILD IS WAITING
GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN 12 PARTS
DIRECTOR: JOHN CASSAVETES STARRING: JUDY GARLAND, BURT LANCASTER, BRUCE RITCHEY RELEASED: JULY 6 2009 CERTIFICATE: PG
DIRECTOR: SCOTT HICKS STARRING: PHILIP GLASS, CHUCK CLOSE, WOODY ALLEN RELEASED: JULY 6 2009 CERTIFICATE: E
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This is a very odd film: because of its subject matter; because of the way it’s handled; and because we perceive mental disability so differently today. Back in 1963, the stigma of having a child with learning difficulties must have been intense. These were the days before political correctness and assisted living, when abandoning a child to an institution was the ‘right’ thing to do. John Cassavetes’ take on this is set in an idyllic Californian colonial house, run by a heroic psychologist (Lancaster) and his new helper, a rough looking Judy G oozing high-strung neuroses in her penultimate film. For all the lily-gilding sentiment, however, it’s an undeniably daring film: disability is rarely touched on in the movies, and although the film is outdated, within the context of the period it’s extremely sympathetic. With its fabulous cast of improvising extras plucked from real institutions, A Child is Waiting is fascinating as a social document...and unmissable for Judy fans. [Cara McGuigan]
The general rule is that style or form should always match subject matter, but by that logic, a documentary about composer Philip Glass would amount to an onslaught of minimalist repetition. Thankfully, Shine director Hicks takes a different approach, but one that is at least unconventional and hugely entertaining. One of the true pioneers of minimalism, Glass is a genial, self-deprecating and understated subject, Hicks’ roving camera following him around the world as he talks sincerely about everything from his influences, his personal life, his working days and his spiritualism. We also hear from his friends and collaborators. The film offers fascinating insights and should convert more than a few non-believers, but what is truly arresting is Hicks’ method. Never settling for talking heads, he keeps things casual, quizzing the composer as he bakes a pizza, allowing mobiles to be answered during interviews, or agreeing to make tea for his subjects. Charming stuff, and nowhere will you hear more jokes about Glass’s music than from his family. [Michael Gillespie]
rrr It’s ironic that a film with this title doesn’t have much to say, but Radio 1 DJ Tonderai’s directorial debut fair cracks along and is an efficient little low budget British thriller. A young couple are driving down the M1 on a rainy night when the back of the truck in front of them opens for a moment, exposing a chained and screaming woman. What would you do? How far would you go to help? It’s a beautifully simple idea, garnering terrific mileage from the fact that the characters are ordinary people in a nightmarish situation, with everyday locations like a motorway service station and a car-park turning into something menacing and dangerous. Unfortunately the realism which is so immersive at the beginning is eventually abandoned for standard thriller logic and stock horror film locations and gore. There’s also not much more to the thin plot than the premise, but despite being lightweight and totally throwaway, Hush is nonetheless an exciting and very enjoyable ride. [Scotty McKellar]
HIGH ART DIRECTOR: LISA CHOLODENKO STARRING: RADHA MITCHELL, ALLY SHEEDY, PATRICIA CLARKSON RELEASED: JULY 13 2009 CERTIFICATE: 18
rrrr Photography’s one of those things which looks simple, but there’s something about a great picture that can’t be denied. Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art is similar. On one level, it’s just a story about two women, one an aspiring magazine editor (Mitchell) and the other a drugged-up damaged photographer (one-time 80s brat packer Sheedy), who become involved during a project before things fall apart. But, like art, the real beauty is in the details. The film intimately understands the characters and we never doubt what we’re watching. These feel like adults who live in the real world with their own baggage and history, and the fragile relationship that develops, from lust and confused ambition, has to exist and survive as part of their lives. Sheedy is a revelation here with sterling support from Clarkson as her longtime ex, a destructive and manipulative addict whose emotional hold on her leads to tragedy. Despite a slow pace, the mature script and strong performances make this a bit of a masterpiece. [Scotty McKellar]
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