Last Night with Riviera

I liked Korkoro a lot, Emilie, but then I'm a fan ...

2010-03-15T16:22:03.844+11:00

I liked Korkoro a lot, Emilie, but then I'm a fan of Tony Gatlif. Both Korkoro and The Army of Crime are two festival films that tackle World War II from angles different to the usual, with all the integrity that one would expect from the respective directors. Interestingly, both these directors usually do contemporary, social stories.

Oui! Paul, I also wondered about the title 'Making...

2010-03-15T12:50:41.778+11:00

Oui! Paul, I also wondered about the title 'Making Plans for Lena', specially because when the film's French title appeared on screen there was a more literal English translation that appeared with it.

I'm not sure what goes on the the intricate world of film translation and subtitles and if distributors and can pick and choose what they use?

But the original French title definitely has a certain poignancy and drama about it that the English one is mssing.

I saw 'Korkoro' yesterday which was good too. Not the best film ever but certainly not the worst.

A fascinating, haunting story and some wonderful understated performances.

A bientot!
Emilie in Melbourne

Thanks for the list. I haven't seen most of these ...

2010-03-11T05:35:40.452+11:00

Thanks for the list. I haven't seen most of these -- though I intend to -- but I absolutely loved Somersault.

I agree with you on Making Plans For Lena, Emilie....

2010-03-10T15:16:43.254+11:00

I agree with you on Making Plans For Lena, Emilie. Don't you think the original title (my approximate translation is 'No My Daughter, You Will Not Dance') is so much more poignant?

Just wanted to say thanks for the post and everyon...

2010-03-10T14:30:02.147+11:00

Just wanted to say thanks for the post and everyone's comments.

I find it so hard to pick quality movies from the French Film Festival line-up as they talk them up so much in the program and I often end up disappointed, so I've loved hearing your helpfully critical opinions to balance the PR hype.

I refuse to go see films with an Australian release date in the festival, so that info was invaluable! Can't wait to take some of those films in later this year.

I just saw 'Non ma fille tu n'iras pas danser'(Making Plans for Lena) the other night and I loved it - it was such a satisfying and engrossing film, intensely performed - a real gem you'd hope to come across at any Festival.

Merci!
Emilie in Melbourne

Matt, I think we had this discussion a couple of y...

2010-03-07T22:18:56.435+11:00

Matt, I think we had this discussion a couple of years ago, about The Rendez-Vous festival having more serious quality programming than the Australian French Film Festival. Looking at the NY lineup of films, they appear to be much more comparable this year. I wonder if it's a fluke, that Alliance Française has been able to get a hold of an unusual number of quality films this year, or whether it's a result of more conscientious programming. Have you notices? And what do you (or others) think?

As for what I've seen so far (and I have about ten more to see), these are my one-line thoughts so far:

MUST SEE
* The Army of Crime. Robert Guédiguian at his best.
* Ricky. A beautiful addition to the oeuvre of one of France's most interesting directors.
* Father of My Children. Quite sublime, works on multiple levels. Justly compared to Summer Hours.

SOLID FILM/DEFINITELY WORTH SEEING
* White Material. If, like me, you're a Claire Denis fan, this is 'must-see' rather than 'worth seeing'.
* Wild Grass. An eclectic take on love and longing that may be must-see for Alain Resnais devotees - I'm not yet, but my affection is growing after seeing this.
* Queen to Play.

GOOD FUN/SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
* OSS 177, Lost in Rio. Just for laughs, a James Bond-type spoof.
* First Snow. Good one to see with your kids.
* Every Jack Has a Jill. Silly title, silly film but worth seeing for Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds).
* Lucky Luke. Good fun for kids; gets a bit silly for adults-only.

OK BUT FLAWED
* Regrets. I didn't like it at all, but I can see that others might.
* Skirt Day. Good ideas, but not well-executed.

TYPICAL MAINSTREAM FARE - NOT MY THING
* The First Day of the Rest of Your Life. Mediocre family drama.
* Anything For Her. Suitable as telemovie material at best.

PLAN TO SEE
* Micmacs
* Making Plans For Lena
* Tomorrow At Dawn
* Korkoro
* Bellamy
* Welcome
* In The Beginning
* Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
* I’m Glad My Mother Is Alive

Thanks for your comments everyone, hope you're enj...

2010-03-07T21:20:27.015+11:00

Thanks for your comments everyone, hope you're enjoying the French Film Festival (or James, the Rendez-Vous in NYC). I'll try to have an update up soon once I've seen more.

What else did you see? What did you think?

PS: Lynden - good point.

Thanks for the round-up, Matt. Just a small quibbl...

2010-03-07T17:29:20.497+11:00

Thanks for the round-up, Matt. Just a small quibble - when you say filmmakers took 40 years for France to tackle the events of May 68 on film, you've perhaps forgotten Louis Malle's Milou en Mai (1990). Not actually set in Paris during the riots admitted, but themed around them definitely.

I hear you! Had I been in a different mood that da...

2010-03-07T12:43:33.570+11:00

I hear you! Had I been in a different mood that day, I might've been exasperated. And if I see it again, that's precisely what could happen...

Hmmmm. Trying like hell to see this movie through...

2010-03-07T10:56:30.125+11:00

Hmmmm. Trying like hell to see this movie through your eyes, Matt. And you certainly supply plenty of ammunition for your views. But I just can't get past LVT's crazy ticks. They tick me off something fierce.

Whew -- so much fuss and verbiage! The post and t...

2010-03-07T10:51:19.776+11:00

Whew -- so much fuss and verbiage! The post and the comments sure make me what to see ANIMAL KINGDOM asap, whatever film finally opens the fest (which, if Sydney is anything like everywhere else, is as much about internecine politics and novelty as about quality and commerciality). In any case, it's time Australia got back on the Int'l movie map again, as it did for awhile back in the 70s. Don't we need a new Romania?

How about BALIBO as a good comparison: That was a ...

2010-03-03T17:48:16.480+11:00

How about BALIBO as a good comparison: That was a commercial enough thriller, also opened MIFF, was a hit with critics, had recognisable cast that attended the premiere, a true life story as a backdrop... That opened MIFF on July 24, got heaps of coverage with Jose Ramos Horta in town for it, then went into cinemas on August 13.

For a film like BLESSED, sure there's a benefit opening a festival. But for a big film that will get lots of publicity anyway like ANIMAL KINGDOM, with its Pettingill family inspirations and Underbelly being all the rage - plus its coverage so far - I can't see it helping much - well not enough to sacrifice a well planned word of mouth/preview screening build up, anyways.

Scott, fair comment about closing night. But Not ...

2010-03-02T22:59:58.321+11:00

Scott, fair comment about closing night. But Not Quite Hollywood isn't just a documentary. It's full of clips of Ozploitation films, a term that was unheard of until this came out. Documentary or drama, the point is that opening the festival seemed to do little for its box office. I suspect it'd be the same for a fiction film as well.

Don't think Not Quite Hollywood is a reasonable co...

2010-03-02T15:07:25.752+11:00

Don't think Not Quite Hollywood is a reasonable comparison to Animal Kingdom given that one is a niche documentary and the other is an crime drama. Plus I don't think closing night films are comparable to opening before most the public have lost interest by the end... biggest media hit always comes with the opening – kind like the Olympics.

Scott, I think being an opener is of dubious value...

2010-03-01T19:13:14.503+11:00

Scott, I think being an opener is of dubious value for a film's subsequent distribution. It seemed to do little or nothing for Not Quite Hollywood at MIFF. And Bran Nue Dae closed it, but it's not like that's been prominent in the marketing (mind you, that was six months ago, so I don't think the distributors saw the closing gig as much value either).

What about SOUTH SOLITARY, if we're keeping with a...

2010-03-01T17:34:42.696+11:00

What about SOUTH SOLITARY, if we're keeping with an Aussie opener? It's from Icon (it's been pointed out to me that the last three SFF openers have been Icon titles), it's got a talented, Cannes-winning director and a few photogenic actors (Marton Csokas, Essie Davis and Miranda Otto)...

Just wanted to follow up with one more comment reg...

2010-03-01T17:23:14.830+11:00

Just wanted to follow up with one more comment regarding the official comp Matt. The last two years the opening night film has been one on the films in competition. Not only would it be an unnecessary logistical headache not opening the 12-day festival with one of the films in competition (each of which receives a red carpet gala, but it also would completely marginalise the importance of competition. And regardless of what you think of the official competition, the last two years SFF has staked a lot on its relevance and how it positions the festival on the international circuit.

But here's a question for you, why does it have to be Animal Kingdom? Are there no other Australian films set for release in the second half of 2010 that might make for suitable candidates?

Matching Jack sounds like the kind of safe territory opted for with the past two year's opening gambits of Happy-Go-Lucky and Looking For Eric. But according to this article Nadia Tass' film will premiere at MIFF. So what's your back up prediction Matt?

Anonymous: I would imagine that launching as openi...

2010-03-01T11:46:22.321+11:00

Anonymous: I would imagine that launching as opening film for SFF would be a massive coup for Madman. The festival might not be Cannes as Matt says, but the marketing department couldn't buy the kind of press coverage Animal Kingdom would enjoy as opening night film there.

A full court press on interviews across all media accompanying coverage of the kind of red carpet premiere the film almost certainly would not otherwise enjoy would create such a surge of publicity and word-of-mouth it's not unreasonable to argue that Animal Kingdom would enjoy a significant opening week, buoyed by continued free coverage of 'will it won't it' become the first Australia film to win the SFF official competition.

One thing I can guarantee, whatever credence you give to SFF's stature as a launching platform for the film, it is without a doubt a greater platform than anything Madman could offer on their own.

And I would add that it's not an decision without precedence, in 2008 Paramount Pictures used a special red gala event to premiere Kung Fu Panda and both the film and festival enjoyed a huge amount of press coverage in the wake of Jack Black, Jeff Katzenberg and, of course, Po the Panda's attendance.

I'm not entirely sure, anonymous, you've staked your place as a distribution whiz either...

Paul: Neither do I. But we're hardly the audience ...

2010-03-01T11:38:30.862+11:00

Paul: Neither do I. But we're hardly the audience that festivals and distributors have in mind when planning their strategies. If we were, the scene would look a lot different!

Scott: Don't worry, your diet's safe from rubber and leather for the time being! Also: I would imagine that if AK opened the fest, it would be out of competition.

Anonymous: Yes, I'm clearly not in distribution, I think I said as much in my post. Unlike you who chose not to sign your comment, I'm not hiding where I'm writing from. I'm sure Madman will do what's best for the film, AK is in good hands.

I'm not in the business of telling anyone how to do their job, just putting ideas out there for discussion. The industry is changing rapidly, the SFF is evolving, film marketing is undergoing a major transformation. There's nothing wrong with questioning long-accepted time-proven methods, even if it's simply to confirm that they are indeed, still the best.

You may be a festival programmer but you're clearl...

2010-03-01T11:17:38.014+11:00

You may be a festival programmer but you're clearly not in distribution.

Madman cannot afford to be this narrow sighted in their strategy. You speak as if normal cinemagoers outside the film community, not to mention audiences outside of Sydney, actually give enough credence to SFF in the first place for it to be a major launching platform in a way that the normal release publicity and premiere event would.

I can't speak for the other respondents to your An...

2010-03-01T11:12:45.067+11:00

I can't speak for the other respondents to your Animal Kingdom prediction, but in light of your vigorous defense I wanted to expand on my own reaction. Less than a disregard of the film's potential strengths as an opening night film, by invoking Herzog's Shoe perhaps my hope is to dare the Sydney Film Festival into action, or maybe it is an expression of my belief that such a bold move is beyond the Sydney Film Festival.

Past evidence suggests the later is more likely, however, with so much change afoot perhaps my first Kino film will be a short documentary titled: Scott Henderson Eats Werner Herzog's Other Shoe.

On a more serious note, irrespective of the festival-going public, how do you think other filmmakers entered into the SFF official competition will feel about their picture competing with a feature playing in cinemas, soaking up all the local media while their film is yet to play? How might that affect selections in future years? Would it be a one-off to create a much needed media smash and grab in 2010?

It may make sense for all the reasons you mention,...

2010-02-28T21:44:38.615+11:00

It may make sense for all the reasons you mention, but I have no interest in seeing a festival film that opens in cinemas soon after.

Interesting thoughts -- as usual -- Matt. Makes m...

2010-02-28T11:05:43.474+11:00

Interesting thoughts -- as usual -- Matt. Makes me want to see The Wolfman more and Daybreakers less. But I'll probably wait on the DVD release for both.

Wonderful review of a wonderful film, Matt -- whic...

2010-02-28T11:00:20.980+11:00

Wonderful review of a wonderful film, Matt -- which we're getting in the U.S. as part of our upcoming Rendez-vous w/French Cinema series at Lincoln Center (and then Film Movement has picked it up for theatrical distribution & DVD release). While we need more films like this that deal with immigration in a multi-sided manner, I doubt it will be seen much here in our polarized society. The converted may go and have their beliefs further calcified, but the anti-immigrants will probably stay away -- just as they did from SIN NOMBRE, another fine film on the subject from last year.

And you're right: WELCOME does seem better than THE VISITOR, but you are far too hard on the latter film. It had a lot to say and managed to say much of it quite well -- even if you found its view of illegals in the U.S. false. I don't believe that was the case. In our post 9/11 world, treatment of them appears to have grown worse, particularly those from the middle east.

Lovely review, Matt. I saw the film in France near...

2010-02-17T22:45:41.467+11:00

Lovely review, Matt. I saw the film in France nearly a year ago, so I am very pleased to see it's finally getting an Australian release. Can't wait to see the debate it's likely to inspire.