shunder Reviews

The Mill and the Cross (2011)

A lusciously disconcerting work

[10/10 · 23 February 2012]

It can be said that Lech Majewski's 2011 film depicts "art imitating life, imitating art, imitating life, which also typifies the layer upon layer of meaning and implication to be found in the film. Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1564 painting "The Way to Calvary" creates the story line for this completely unconventional portrayal of life in the 1600's and Bruegel's technique or the process he may of worked through while creating the painting. Bruegal's painting is much more than a back drop and can almost be seen as a central character, perhaps even a brilliant supporting actor.

As the film weaves in and out of scenes found in the painting, the characters are brought to life portraying their personal reality behind the snippet of time in which they are actually portrayed. In a further layer in the film consider the juxtaposition of good and evil, peasants innocently awaking to begin a day's work, the musicians playing and dancing with merry abandon, contrasted with the whipping and murder of the young husband by the Spaniards. As Bruegel considers the crucifixion scene he actually begins to interact with the painting. He signals to the miller (a euphemism for God) to stop; and as the miller brings the mill (and seemingly life itself) to a standstill the moment is so unsettling as the windmill, looking mysteriously like the cross Christ has suffered on, turns counterclockwise.

The final shot in this lusciously disconcerting film pans out from the painting "The Way to Calvary" as it hangs in Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and leaves one to ponder the art each of us has seen, and the snapshots in time that art depicts. Majewski's brilliant film gives pause to consider the lives lived behind all the images of all the art over the ages, and so much more.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

A Classic Cinderella Story

[9/10 · 23 February 2012]

There are basically three ways to tell a story, written, verbal and film. Film captures all three in one medium, and Being Elmo tells the story of achievement and success attained by following a dream unequivocally. One cannot tell Kevin Clash's story however, without also telling the story of Sesame Street, Jim Henson and the talented and dedicated staff of the most beloved children's television program of all time. By following the story of Clash's life in chronological order, Constance Marks, Director, is able to bring this story to life, much like the way a puppeteer breathes life into the character of the puppet they perform with.

Mr. Clash is the artist who brought Elmo to life on Sesame Street, and Clash's story has at its heart the classic "rags to riches" factor. As a young boy in Baltimore, he became enamored with puppets while watching his favorite TV shows. With unwavering commitment the youthful Clash began creating puppets with the drive of the successful artist he was to develop into. As Marks follows his life from the backyards of Baltimore to New York City, Paris and beyond, one is left with a sense of the unlimited possibility that Clash's passionate drive cultivates. The story is told in the first person narrative and directly to the viewer. When the narrator Whoopi Goldberg or Clash himself are adding to this narrative, they are speaking directly to the audience. The film clips of Clash's life and rise to "Elmo" fame are blended beautifully in the first person. We see and hear Clash's parents telling the audience the story of how Kevin went directly from high school to New York.

Being Elmo has the distinct advantage of a story told about performances on TV, thus having many clips, episodes and interviews from which to draw. Marks brilliantly weaves the elements of Clash's story, his life and rise as a puppeteer together with a combination of clips, narration of Goldberg, Clash himself and a wide variety of others. In the telling of this intimate, moving and beautifully done story, Director Constance certainly hits her Marks.

Outrage (2010)

What is black & white and red all over?

[6/10 · 23 February 2012]

What is black and white and red all over? Takeshi Kitano's latest Gangster flick, Outrage! From the seemingly auspicious opening scenes where all the characters are dressed in every manner of $5,000 black suit and handmade white dress shirt (they look like they just stepped from the pages of GQ Magazine except perhaps for their "war torn" complexions), to endless processionals of black high-end luxury automobiles which impressively fill the screen. Kitano's film does not disappoint, unless of course you are looking for a solid story line with any meaning besides ostensibly senseless violence, hence the red.

It seems the film's title would have been more fitting if it were called "Power". The only thing I could surmise in the plot to be outraged about was the very first "slight" from one arm (or finger) of the family overcharging another for the services of a call girl, an apparent set up. Or perhaps the outrage is the continual retribution for slights and gaffes occurring between families. I wonder how any of them were still alive prior to the meal portrayed in the opening scene since it seems the slightest accusation will get you killed.

Attempting to find meaning in Outrage, leaves one with more questions than answers. Drugs and the incorporation of that "business model" is an ongoing theme in famous gangster movies we love like The Godfather, Scarface and Goodfella's, and it also plays a small part in Outrage so Kitano is following the recipe anyway. I think Kitano's sly irreverence could be poking fun at himself and gangster movies but he does it with a visual elegance that is completely watchable. The lush Japanese scenery, gardens, luxury and beach homes seem to contrast with the shots (literally) of the gangsters which Kitano keeps front and center. The mies en scene of Outrage guides the viewer between peaceful lovely visuals and violent mid to short shots of the "players". Is Kitano contrasting good and evil and making a point that everyone even the sociopath among us provides a perverse balance to life…and death?