AFI FEST 2011: "Snowtown"

SNOWTOWN (2011) **** 120mins. D: Justin Kurzel. Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris.

The film opens with an act of pedophilia. A disgusting moment for sure but that pales in comparison to what will follow.

A recently arrived neighbor, John Bunting, comes to the aid of the family and helps coerce the predator to leave town. The family finds a father figure in John and one of the sons, Jamie, begins to spend more and more time with him. John is at once charming, nurturing and loving. However, his true colors are revealed in one of the film's most memorable scenes. John Bunting is a serial killer.

The film is unflinching and at times intense. The sure-handed direction by Kurzel and the solid performances by his leads, for some this is their first film, convey the horror and desperation of the situation.

Daniel Henshall is downright scary as Bunting. On the surface he comes off as a nice guy but underneath he's intimidating and sadistic. Lucas Pittaway is haunting and tragic as Jaime. You really feel how trapped and lost he is once he's forced to get involved with Bunting's "work". What really stands out about their performances is that they've never acted before.

It's a worth entry into the serial killer genre that has the distinction of not only being very well done but being based on true events, which is more terrifying and disturbing to think about.

AFI FEST 2011: "Beyond the Black Rainbow"

BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW (2011) ** 110mins. D: Panos Cosmatos. Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands.

Set in 1983 at a clinic that promotes mental and physical wellness, a doctor is treating a female patient who appears to be exhibiting abilities that go beyond normal.

Where to begin. This film is chock full of striking imagery, great sound and felt like a throwback to 1970s sci-fi films. However, it succumbs to a third act that was straight out of a generic slasher film and was overly long and at times tedious.

While there appeared to be some sort of structure to the story, the execution of it will try the patience of the most discerning viewer. You can throw the most bizarre and disjointed imagery and scenes at me and in many cases I will walk away with some sort of logical interpretation of what I've seen. In this case, when it ended instead of asking what was that all about I was wondering what was the point.

On the surface it was about a girl being experimented on who wants to get away. Her doctor is obsessed with her. When she finally gets away, he becomes homicidal. Pretty simple, huh. When I look back at what transpired on screen, I'm not even sure if that is what was intended. If it was, he could have done it in a better way.

AFI FEST 2011: "Bonsai"

BONSAI (2011) ***1/2 92mins. D: Christian Jimenez. Diego Noguera, Natalia Galgani, Gabriela Arancibia

Julio meets Emilia at a party and hopes to impress her by lying that he reads Proust. A budding romance ensues. Eight years later, Julio is alone, in a casual relationship with his neighbor, Blanca, and struggling with his editing and writing career. After being fired from an editing job for a well-known author, he lies to impress his neighbor that he is still editing and proceeds to hand write his own novel about a man looking back on his first serious relationship.

The film jumps between Julio and Emilia's story eight years ago and Julio and Blanca's eight years later. The film itself is very much about Julio and how his relationships had foundations based on a lie. You'd think after doing it once, he'd learn from it and not tempt fate twice but I suppose it's in his nature.

I had intending on seeing another film but missed it so this was the next available screening. I knew nothing about it, I may have read the synopsis when the schedule was released but I didn't remember it. This turned out to be a very suitable alternative. Bonsai is well directed and written with good performances. It's a heartfelt romance about longing for the one that got away and how some circumstances are doomed to repeat themselves.

AFI FEST 2011: Luc Besson's "The Lady"

THE LADY (2011) ***1/2 126mins. D: Luc Besson. Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, Jonathan Raggett.

Upon returning to her home country of Burma for a family emergency, Aung San Suu Kyi is thrust into the political spotlight as she spearheads the Burmese democracy movement.

Besson's film chronicles the struggles and sacrifices the Nobel Peace Prize winner faced as the existing militant regime did everything in their power to silence her. All the while she had the unwavering support of her husband and two sons who reside in London.

Yeoh and Thewlis are very good as Suu Kyi and her husband Michael Aris, respectively. Their struggle went on for many years and the screenwriter did her best to encapsulate and condense the key events that would give the story its weight. Besson's direction is fairly straight-forward. You don't see any of the visual flair that we've seen in his other films but considering the subject matter it would be distracting.

My main qualm with the film is how the Burmese government is portrayed so one-dimensionally. It almost plays off as comedic. We see them plot their next move, we then see Suu Kyi somehow ruin it, we then see them reacting wondering what happened. Stallone's "Rambo" really rubbed your face in how sadistic this regime was. What they did show gave you a hint of just how bad they were but it really didn't show you enough. I'm not sure if that was their intention but it felt like it was just some dictatorship that the people wanted to end and not a sadistic, genocidal, militant regime that ruled through fear and intimidation.

Suu and Michael's story is very touching, powerful, sad and is the main reason why this film works. It becomes one of those films that makes you wonder what you would do if the shoe was on the other foot. The film is at its best when it stays with these two heroic characters.

Despite its flaws, it's still pretty good for a biopic and worth a look.

11-02-11: The Last Command? SEE IT!

THE LAST COMMAND (1928) ***** 88 mins. D: Josef von Sternberg. Emil Jannings, Evelyn Brent, William Powell.

In late 1920s Hollywood, an old man who does extra work is hired for a specific part in a film. When he arrives he learns that the film is about the Russian Revolution. The man claims to be the cousin of the Czar and had served as a General in the Imperial Russian Army. While being belittled by his fellow extras, he reflects on his past when he was one of the most powerful men in Russia.

This silent film's engaging set up leads to a fantastic story about a powerful man, a feared man but ultimately a kind-hearted man caught up in a revolution. Emil Jannings is mesmerizing as Grand Duke Sergius Alexander. Every emotion, every nuance, every moment is etched on his face that you truly feel for this man who is actually a villain. Jannings won the first Academy Award for acting for this film. It's well deserved.

He falls for a revolutionary, memorably played by Brent, but as is the case things can go tragic at every turn. There are several memorable scenes that Jannings and Brent share that are quite moving and heartbreaking.

There are many fantastic scenes in this film but none can compare or is as powerful or as stirring as its impactful conclusion. An unexpected reunion and circumstance brings all that Alexander had bottled up within him to the forefront. Jannings must be seen to be believed.

If you have the opportunity to see this in a theatre, do yourself a favor and go. Either way this one is well worth seeing.

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I saw this at the Silent Movie Theatre with live organ accompaniment. It was a great theatrical experience.

In addition to "The Last Command" two shorts were screened with live organ accompaniment. "Big Business" (1929) with Laurel and Hardy and the animated "Ko-Ko's Klock" (1927.

BIG BUSINESS (1929) ***1/2 19 mins. D: James W. Horne, Leo McCarey. Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson.

Stan and Ollie are selling Christmas trees and run afoul of one homeowner who simply doesn't want a tree. The hijinx escalates from simple insults to mass destruction as they try to one-up each other in the devistation quotient.

Funny and over-the-top almost to the point of overkill. Still pretty entertaining but I don't remember these guys being so sadistically destructive.

KO-KO'S KLOCK (1927) ***1/2 7 mins. D: Dave Fleischer.

In this entertaining Ko-Ko the Clown short, Ko-Ko serves as his master's alarm clock and must find a way to make sure he wakes up in time. It's a very nice blend of live-action and animation.

11-01-11: I don't wanna grow up

YOUNG ADULT (2011) **** D: Jason Reitman. Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser.

While writing her latest novel, an author returns to her hometown in an effort to reconnect with an old flame. With each passing day things become more awkward and desperate as she tries to come to grips with what brought her home in the first place.

Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody reteam for this very entertaining dark comedy about a career woman who is having what can only be described as a mental breakdown.

Charlize Theron is fantastic as Mavis. Played like a bitch but you can see there's something there beneath the surface that is eating away at her. Patton Oswalt is charming as hell as an old classmate who repeatedly warns her not to go after her ex, Patrick Wilson. The two have great chemistry that really helps the tense and tender scenes they share.

Like "Up in the Air" there are many elements that an audience can relate to. Longing for a lost love that you can never have back, watching helplessly as you watch a friend go down that road of desperation, the lack of affirmation from loved ones because they just don't get you.

By no means your stereo-typical comedy, it seems it's being billed as a quirky comedy. There is plenty of funny moments but it is first and foremost a dark dramedy.

Beyond what I've mentioned it's kinda difficult to go into detail, at the risk of revealing far too much, about the film. There are character arcs that you think you know where its heading but in the end you don't know anything. You'll just have to see for yourself.

As a whole it is a funny and engaging character piece that you'll either like or hate. I for one liked it.

10-30-11: He Ain't Dr. Doolittle

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932) ***1/2 D: Erle C. Kenton. Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen, Kathleen Burke.

A shipwreck survivor finds himself on the mysterious island of Dr. Moreau and encounters the infamous scientist and the island's strange inhabitants.

Based on the novel by H.G. Wells, this early adaptation doesn't dwell on the creatures as later versions have. It approaches events scientifically and draws the horror from the ramifications of what has been done. It really focuses on the characters and I like how events unfold realistically. The science seems sound, especially when watching it from a 21st century perspective.

Laughton chews the scenery as Moreau. Equally sinister, creepy and mad. Kathleen Burke is memorable as the Panther Woman, Lota. Her attempts to seduce Parker are sweet, sexy and awkward. Part woman, part beast...still qualifies as beastiality? Lugosi appears as the Sayer of the Law and makes due with the part.

Dark and atmospheric, it is easily the best of the adaptations that is far more memorable then the latter versions.