Like Anna Karina's Sweater

News for those that reach this site by Googling "Chloe Sevigny" and blowjob

In looking at the list of referring pages to this site, many many many come from Google searches on Brown Bunny, Chloe Sevigny, or Vincent Gallo followed by blowjob. (Filmbrain wrote a few things about the film back in April and has received over one hundred emails asking for an MPG of the scene.) Well folks, the good news is that New York's own Wellspring is going to distribute The Brown Bunny in the US. Vincent Gallo fans in NYC and LA will have the opportunity to see the film starting on August 27th. (A national rollout will follow.) People who suffer from an undying need to see Chloe fellating Vincent can walk in on the last ten minutes. Bring your own tissues. Filmbrain is truly excited about seeing the film, primarily to find out if it's a work of genius, or simply ninety narcissistic minutes of Vincent on Vincent. He's leaning towards the former.

Race for the Palme

Reuters reported today that the current top two contenders for the Palme d'Or are Agnès Jaoui's Look at Me and Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries.

Filmbrain has always been a fan of Jaoui as a screenwriter/actress, particularly in Cédric Klapisch's Un air de famille (Family Resemblances) and Alain Resnais' On connaît la chanson (Same Old Song). Her one directorial outing, Le goût des autres (The Taste of Others), was entertaining, but rather stiff in its direction. Look at Me, described as "the story of a tortured 20-year-old desperate for the attention of her self-centered father and longing for the figure of a fashion model" sounds rather superficial, but the reviews out of Cannes have been mostly positive.

The Motorcycle Diaries, based off the diaries of young Che Guevara, stars current Mexican sex-idol Gael Garcia Bernal (who also stars in the latest Almodovar film that opened the festival). Filmbrain has seen only one other Salles picture -- the sickeningly sweet and heartwarming Central Station, which he despised. Salles next picture is a remake of the Hideo Nakata thriller, Dark Water. (Once again, a film fine enough as it is -- a remake is totally unnecessary.)

Still, 2046 hasn't screened yet, and Filmbrain's money is still on Wong Kar-wai walking away with the top prize.

Filmbrain has decided not to post a link to the Reuters article, due to the fact that the writer reveals the MAJOR plot twist of Old Boy (which, by the way, Filmbrain has seen....and loved. Review coming later today.) Clearly the journalist hated Old Boy, judging by the following line:

Critics were close to vomiting over the explicit violence.

Yeah. Ok. Whatever. He heard the gagging.

Then there is the Tarantino factor -- he's made some asinie remarks over the last few days, but Filmbrain found this to be the most ridiculous thing he's said:

"I'm in heaven at the prospect of being shut in a darkened room for 12 days watching art-house movies."

Art-house movies?!? What serious film person (not to mention president of a jury) uses that expression? On top of that, since when did Shrek 2, The Ladykillers and Ghost in the Shell 2 become "art-house" movies? What a jackass. . .

2046 a no-show at Cannes?

It seems that Wong Kar-wai is still putting the final touches on 2046, and the film may not make it to Cannes in time for the Thursday morning press screening and public screening in the afternoon.

Filmbrain read on Sunday that Wong was working around-the-clock in Bangkok on various post-production issues. It seems that is still the case. Variety reports that only a portion of the film has been sent to Paris for subtitling. A source close to Wong said that he was still filming pickup shots two weeks ago. The press conference has already been pushed back to Friday, and the film must arrive by 6:00AM Thursday in order to be ready for the premiere that night.

A similar thing happened in 2000 with Wong's last film, In the Mood for Love. When the festival started, he was still in Cambodia filming the final scenes of the film. It arrived in Cannes on time, but without proper color timing.

2046 was originally scheduled to be at Cannes last year, but the SARS epidemic put a kink in their filming schedule. Wong is obviously a perfectionist, but will this last-minute tinkering have that much of an effect? DEVELOPING.

God appears at Cannes

Filmbrain's personal deity, the inspiration for this blog, the mack-daddy himself, Jean Luc Godard appeared at Cannes today with his latest film Notre Musique. From the Cannes website: "Part visual poem, part journalism, part philosophical treatise, the latest opus from the Swiss filmmaker is a reflection on the wars that blight the contemporary world. A large section of the film takes place in Sarajevo, during a European book conference, but it also deals with the question of the conflict in the Middle East, through discussions with intellectuals, as well as more informal conversations." "Composed of three chapters entitled “Kingdom 1: Hell,” “Kingdom 2: Purgatory,” and “Kingdom 3: Heaven,” Notre Musique mixes fictional characters with real people, including the poet Mahmoud Darwich, the writer Pierre Bergounioux, and even Jean-Luc Godard himself, who delivers brilliant cinema masterclass to a student audience. As the title suggests, music is central to this film also nourished by literary references from Homer to Julien Green, to Céline and Faulkner." Check out the beautiful trailer HERE. At the press conference, Godard said the following about subtitles: “Subtitles allow viewers to believe that they are in some way in their own country. But for this film it's annoying because the viewer who reads subtitles is not listening to the language of others. Those who watch a film while reading subtitles in fact only see about 5-6 percent of the film.” The press conference is also online HERE. Filmbrain needs to see this film, badly.

Tony Randall, 1920-2004

Anybody who knows Filmbrain can attest that he is literally obsessed with The Odd Couple, and has been for many years. Hearing just moments ago that Tony Randall died has REALLY bummed him out. In his film career he was best known for playing the effete fop in such films as Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back, but one of his best roles was as the working-class husband in 1957's No Down Payment. (A great unsung film about couples living in a California housing development.) It's fitting that his last role was in 2003's Down With Love, an homage to the Rock Hudson-Doris Day films that he appeared in. To most of us though, he will always be remembered as finicky Felix the neat freak who lived with sloppy Oscar on The Odd Couple. Filmbrain believes this was the greatest sitcom ever, and the chemistry and interplay between Randall and Jack Klugman has never been equaled. (The episode where they move into a high-security building is a comic masterpiece.) It's tragic how hacked up the episodes are in syndication, and maybe Randall's passing with finally encourage somebody to release the entire series on DVD. Until then, Filmbrain will continue writing his weekly letters to Paramount.

Moby does Ian, or: Moby Division

As reported in Variety, eclectic geeky vegan techno musician Moby is going to produce a biopic of Ian Curtis, the chronically depressed and dead lead singer of Joy Division. Moby will be the film's executive producer, and will work on "shaping the film's musical elements."

Filmbrain thinks this could be a good film, but a comment by co-producer Neil Weisman gave him some pause:

"I see this film as a kind of rock 'n' roll Shine."

Oh dear. Maybe they can get Geoffrey Rush to play Ian.

The news that really caught Filmbrain's eye is that they are still searching for a screenwriter for the project. Well look no further Mr. Moby -- Filmbrain wants the job. As someone who was making-out with his punk-rock girlfriend in 1980 to She's Lost Control, he is more than qualified for the job. He'll even give the project a more uplifting ending (just like Shine). Ian, just about to take his life, is talked out of it by a young Morrissey. Then the two go off and form The Smiths. Sure, it's revisionist, but Oscar™ loves happy movies!

A Dish Best Served Cold

While awaiting the arrival of the Old Boy DVD (any day now) Filmbrain thought he would re-visit Park Chan-wook's previous film, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, which, like Old Boy, is a brutal tale of revenge and retribution. Ryu is a deaf young man with green hair, a sympathetic face, and an ill sister who is in desperate need of a kidney. Their blood types don't match, so he is unable to donate one of his own. Desperate, he turns to the illegal organ market and gets caught up in a scam that is a twisted version of the infamous urban legend -- he agrees to donate a kidney plus ten million won (~$8500) in exchange for a kidney for his sister. He awakens in a deserted building site, nude, lacking one kidney, with the organ dealers nowhere to be found. As fate would have it, a legitimate donor is found, but Ryu no longer has any money to pay for the operation. His anti-capitalist, anti-liberal revolutionary girlfriend concocts a scheme by which they will kidnap the daughter of a rich businessman (Ryu's former boss, Dong-jin) and demand a ransom. Nothing goes as planned (does it ever?) and the remainder of the film deals with multiple characters seeking revenge. While the film is indeed violent, the most disturbing element is that it lacks any moral center. Whereas one could view Ryu as a victim, his actions throughout the film don't really reflect that tag. The solutions he and his girlfriend come up with are no better than the cold-hearted behavior of Dong-jin, who easily fires dedicated, old, long-term employees simply because he's experiencing financial hardship (his wife has left him). While we feel a certain sympathy for these characters (as the title commands us to) their actions make it very hard for us to get behind them, as it were. By the film's end, vengeance has been served (multiple times) but nothing has changed. Nobody walks away better off, happy, content or even satisfied. There's no liberal-humanist perspective at all.

There's an interesting anti-capitalist thread running throughout the film. The director focuses on the social differences between Ryu, who works in a factory under brutal conditions, and Dong-jin, with his limo, servants, and mansion. When both are confronted with seemingly insurmountable difficulties, it is poor Ryu who resorts to self-sacrifice, whereas Dong-jin solves his problems by destroying the life of others (through firings). That Ryu can neither hear nor speak is probably symbolic of how the lower classes are voiceless in matters political/economical/social. Then there is Ryu's girlfriend, the revolutionary who condemns capitalism, liberalism, and America, and speaks of ideals like universal health-care for all. Her fate, along with subsequent actions resulting from it, can also be viewed as political allegory -- but no spoilers here! In the end, the two men, rich and poor, are equal in their quests for vengeance -- they both resort to the basest human behavior by choosing violence as a solution -- something that, in a twisted way, unites us all. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is the first in a projected trilogy on revenge. (The second film, Old Boy, is said to be more precise in its presentation of the vengeance theme, but even more brutal.) At Cannes on Saturday, Park said the following regarding his interest in this theme: “I think that I make pessimistic films because I'm far too optimistic in daily life.” Filmbrain highly recommends Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, even though he felt pretty miserable after watching it. He can only wonder how Old Boy will make him feel. . .

Fahrenheit 911 brings down the house at Cannes!

As reported by DRUDGE (of all people), the film was given the longest standing ovation in the history of Cannes.

20 mins standing ovation for FAHRENHEIT 9-11, yelling, screaming, cheering... 'This is the longest standing ovation in the history of the festival! Unbelievable!' declared Cannes stalwart Thierry Fremaux. Moore, raising fist, unable to speak over crowd, vows to fight... Controversial scene in film shows wounded American GI in Iraq talking about how Democrats must win election... Movie shows video of U.S. soldiers laughing as they place hoods over Iraqi detainees, with one of them grabbing a prisoner's genitals through a blanket...

The reviews are already pouring in. The Hollywood Reporter doesn't quite seem to get it. They refer to the film as an "election-year device", which is exactly what Moore intended it to be. Then there's Jim Rutenberg's rather blasé review in the New York Times -- surely A.O. Scott will turn-in his take on it. The BBC review is quite positive, as is the one in Time magazine.

Moore, in an interview at Cannes, says that there he has more to say about the Disney affair, but is waiting until the distribution deal is finalized. Filmbrain can't wait for that. . .

As Drudge would say. . .DEVELOPING.

Tribeca Film Festival Review: Love Collage

Yukihiko Tsutsumi's Love Collage (a.k.a. Collage of Our Life) was easily the worst film that Filmbrain saw at the festival. He was amazed that the festival committee would select a film that presents such a negative and naive portrait of New York City -- one that seems to cater to the (unjustified) fears that many foreigners have about NYC.

The overlong film starts innocently enough -- budding young photographer Makoto meets quirky, nutty, offbeat Shiziru, and soon the two are in love and living together. Their relationship is more about eating oranges than anything else. (The orange is a symbol of their relationship -- the director includes it about a thousand times, just to make sure you get it.) After some time, Shiziru begs Makoto to teach her how to take pictures. She quickly progresses from poorly framed out-of-focus shots to contest-winning photos. Makoto, jealous of her success, wants to split up. Shiziru says she will move to New York City to wait for him -- he is only to contact her once he becomes a famous photographer. Cut to three years later. Makoto, still not a true photographer, is invited to NYC to see Shiziru's solo show at a Soho gallery. After some hesitation (and more orange eating), he decides to go. At this point the film turns into a poorly crafted mystery/thriller, replete with ignorant, offensive, and racist stereotypes.

No sooner does Makoto arrive in Manhattan than he is set upon by a gang of gun wielding black teenagers who want his money. Refusing, he is pistol-whipped, beaten, stabbed and winds up in the hospital. Waking up in a strange apartment, he soon realizes his savior is an orange Vespa driving, drug dealing gay black man with an Asia fetish (horrendously overacted by Dominic Marcus). He agrees to help Makoto find Shiziru (he has no address, only a picture of a fence in the east village) but not before giving Makoto a gun and laying down some bullshit philosophy about how it means nothing to take another person's life. Lovely.

Finding Shiziru's apartment is just the beginning of the puzzle, for Shiziru is missing as well. A strange young Japanese woman in the apartment offers little in the way of help. Makoto's quest to find her is often met with violent outcomes. Asking for an address in Chinatown finds him being dragged into a basement and beaten senseless by a gang of Triads. Everyone in Tsutsumi's New York carries a gun. Even the art dealer draws a gun on Makoto. The film continues in this fashion, getting more and more ridiculous until the final shoot out and torture by stun gun.

What Tsutsumi appears to be saying is that New York changes people -- even young Japanese girls turn into gun toting killers (all while popping handfuls of pills.) As a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker, Filmbrain was quite offended by this depiction of NYC. (The inclusion of 9.11 footage is exploitative and reprehensible.) Any concern we may have had for the young couple is tossed out the window in the second half of the film. It's as if the screenplay was an exquisite corpse -- the writer of the second half was given no knowledge of the first half, other than the character names. How else can one explain this radical shift? The film was very popular with teenagers in Japan, and Filmbrain can only wonder what effect this depiction of NYC had on impressionable young minds.

The only interesting thing about the film are the impressive photographs that Makoto and Shiziru take, and their presentation takes up a good portion of the film. Other than that, Filmbrain is clueless as to how or why this got selected for this or any festival. He welcomes any and all discussions or arguments -- maybe he simply missed the point.

Cannes Preview: Life is a Miracle

Filmbrain is a big fan of Bosnian director Emir Kusterica. When Father was Away on Business, Time of the Gypsies, even the ill-fated Johnny Depp-Jerry Lewis vehicle Arizona Dream -- though very different thematically, all three are perfect examples of Kusterica's love of humanity, flawed as his characters may be. No other director can laugh in the face of tragedy like Kusterica.

His masterpiece came in 1995 with the Palme d'Or winning Underground. (Contender for best film of the 90's, easily.) This darkly funny, almost surreal film is an absolute joy to watch, and at the same time serves as an important commentary of the fate of the former Yugoslavia. The film was responsible for an outright war amongst French intellectuals. It escalated to such a point that Kusterica declared he would never make another film. Fortunately for us, this was a promise not kept. 1998's Black Cat, White Cat was a humorous film, though very light in tone, as if Kusterica needed something like this after the whole Underground affair.

His latest film, Life is a Miracle looks like a cross between the two -- funny, but with more of a political bent than his previous film. The film takes place in 1992, just at the outbreak of war in Bosnia, and is about the construction of a railway that will bring tourism to the tiny town of Golobuci. As with Underground and Black Cat, White Cat, the film appears to be drenched in music. Controversy may yet rise again, as the film depicts Serbs as (according to Variety) "peace-loving victims of circumstance". Controversial or not, the film looks wonderful from the trailer. (Available HERE (Windows media) -- not entirely safe for work.)