Catch up time

It’s amazing how time passes. It’s been nearly seven weeks since I posted anything of substance. I’ve been trying to drag myself to writing articles but frankly, for a number of reasons, I’ve needed a break.

I’ve been battling a mystery condition – I think it may be Addison’s disease. Unfortunately, in many cases, traditional medicine can only diagnose a condition once it’s chronic, which is too late (it’s like gluing a vase once you’ve broken it, rather than moving it away from the edge). Fortunately, I have a friend of a friend who is a very switched-on naturopath, and with his help, I am on the road of improvement. My no. 1 priority has been exercise and getting my health, fitness and strength to where it should be (and I’m not there yet), as well as shedding a bit of unwanted fat. What to speak of earlier nights.

I think another factor that has obstructed my writing is grief. Having the time to grieve over the suicide of my son, Abhi, is a kind of luxury that one doesn’t always get. The last few weeks have included various anniversaries of good times we had together just before he left us, culminating in the first anniversary of his passing on this coming Friday. As I start a new job the day before, I’m just hoping I can hold it together OK.

But you know, life is not all doom and gloom. Life goes on, and I suppose I need to pull my finger out and get some writing up here. I’ve been seeing films pretty much as usual. I regret that I’ve not posted reviews of some really good stuff. I wanted to comment about Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, which is an excellent companion piece to his previous A History of Violence. Or Tarantino’s Death Proof, which I liked a whole lot more than many (I don’t think it’s his best work, but it is very entertaining).

I have been to various Australian Perspective screenings at ACMI that included Q&A with the directors/writers/producers. A Sting in the Tale had a very good reception and the conversation after just kept on going. It was particularly pertinent in the wake of the election (I was so relieved to see the end of John Howard. And the Libs lost Bennelong – how good is that?). The Independent is another rare Australian political film – not outstanding, but worthy, and we had a good Q&A with that. Pure Shit also had a screening with a Q&A, and some great dialogue came out of that. That film would make a great companion piece to my favourite film of last year, Alkinos Tsilimidos’ Em 4 Jay. Both films are concerned with drug addiction (yeah, I know, everyone’s favourite topic, right?) but unlike say, Candy or Little Fish, these films are overflowing with authenticity, especially the naturalistic dialogue. I’ve come to see that most Australian films lack authentic dialogue, drifting towards theatricality and caricature.

On the subject of Alkinos Tsilimidos, I have recently interviewed him for the second time. I have already transcribed and edited our original conversation, and have quite a bit of work to complete the second. I’m planning to submit a significant article to Senses of Cinema.

Another good Q&A at ACMI followed Alex Frayne’s Modern Love, a local film that has been doing the rounds on the international festival circuit, but struggled to be seen in Australian cinemas. It’s an unusual film, made on the smell of an oily rag, and the passion of a small group of talented friends. It’s worth seeing if one gets the chance, and while it’s flawed, I suspect the film will create new opportunities for this young film-maker. I met Alex and the lead, Mark Constable, after the film and we had some interesting conversation in the ACMI Lounge. I learnt that Mark had a small role in Tsilimidos’ Tom White.

Unfortunately, I never got to write about Kriv Stender’s excellent Boxing Day before it finished it’s short stint at the Nova. I wanted to give it a plug while it was still on. In my opinion, it’s the only outstanding Australian film of 2007. It’s dialogue was so authentic, the story was so well written, and the acting was excellent. Films like this never seem to get the reception they deserve, though it has had very good critical reviews. This is a film that really should be seen if you get the chance. No other local film comes close. I felt while watching it that it was not just an excellent local film, but that it is a good contribution to world cinema.

A little news I learnt yesterday at an ACMI function is that there will be Focus Seasons in 2008 on Gus Van Sant and John Cassavetes. I’m looking forward to catching up on the Van Sant films I haven’t seen. As I’ve only seen Cassavete’s Opening Night, I there should be several gems for me to catch up on with that Focus.

Lastly, to document what I’ve seen since my last Week in Review, these are the films I’ve seen up to last Sunday. In bold are my highlights. I’m happy to discuss any of them, or anything mentioned above. Or anything, for that matter.

SIX WEEKS IN REVIEW

FILMS:

• Death Proof (Quentin Tarantino, USA, 2007)
• I Vitteloni (Federico Fellini, Italy, 1953)
• Nel nome del padre (In the Name of the Father, Marco Bellochio, Italy, 1972)
• Romance (Catherine Breillat, France, 1999)
• Brève traversée (Brief Crossing, Catherine Breillat, France, 2001)
• Sex is Comedy (Catherine Breillat, France, 2002)
• För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (Now About All These Women, Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1964)
• Scener ur ett äktenskap (Scenes from a Marriage, Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1973)
• Tapage nocturne (Nocturnal Uproar, Catherine Breillat, France, 1979)
• 36 fillette (Catherine Breillat, France, 1988)
• Away From Her (Sarah Polley, Canada, 2007)
• Across the Universe (Julie Taymor, USA, 2007)
• Bitter Springs (Ralph Smart, UK, 1950)
• Dead Heart (Nick Parsons, Australia, 1996)
• Modern Love (Alex Frayne, Australia, 2006)
• Red Road (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2006)
• Control (Anton Corbijn, UK, 2007)
• Der Verlorene (The Lost Man, Peter Lorre, Germany, 1951)
• Die Brücke (The Bridge, Bernhard Wicki, Germany, 1959)
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, USA, 2007)
• Pure Shit (Bert Deling, Australia, 1975)
• Die mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers are Among Us, Wolfgang Staudte, East Germany, 1946)
• Fanfaren der Liebe (Fanfares of Love, Kurt Hoffmann, Germany, 1951)
• Rosen blühen auf dem Heidegrab (Roses Bloom on the Grave in the Meadow, Hans H. König, Germany, 1952)
• Interview (Steve Buscemi, USA, 2007)
• Boxing Day (Kriv Stenders, Australia, 2007)
• Into the Wild (Sean Penn, USA, 2007)
• A Sting in the Tale (Eugene Schlusser, Australia, 1989)
• Bee Movie (Steve Hickner & Simon J. Smith, USA, 2007)
• The Professionals (Richard Brooks, USA, 1966)
• Désaccord parfait (Twice Upon a Time, Antoine de Caunes, France, 2006)
• The Independent (Andrew O'Keefe & John Studley, Australia, 2007)
• Suspiria (Dario Argento, Italy, 1977)
• September (Peter Carstairs, Australia, 2007)

DVD:

• Dekalog: 3 (Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland, 1989)
• Dekalog: 4 (Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland, 1989)
• Dekalog: 5 (Krzysztof Kieslowski, Poland, 1989)

SHORT FILMS:

• Mr Electric (Stuart McDonald, 30 mins, Australia, 1993)