Monday, August 04, 2008

MIFF Day 10

The second weekend comes to an end. We're clearly past the half-way mark and a week to go.

Sun 3 August
Faustrecht der Freiheit (Fox and his Friends, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Germany, 1975)
Roadgames (Richard Franklin, Australia, 1981)


Fox and His Friends
I can't say I've seen much of Fassbinder's films, so this was a good opportunity to see one on the big screen. I loved Fear Eats the Soul, a serious film with a social conscience. This MIFF screening left me untouched. I found it trivial, a film I could imagine playing as part of the Queer Film Festival. It depicts characters that don't interest me, with behaviour that alienated me and perhaps Fassbinder's intent was to bring homosexuality out of the margins. I don't have a problem with that, but it just didn't engage me. I did, however, like Fassbinder's dark humour at the end, when a couple of schoolboys pilfer Fox's last remaining possessions.

Roadgames
This film's reputation precedes it and, yes, it's a very satisfying genre piece with some pretty cute nods to Hitchcock. A good addition to the Ozploitation screenings, and I also like the trailers for other Ozploitation films that have been screening prior to the features. Jamie Lee Curtis shows her trademark attitude, and it's a pity we don't see a little more of her. Boy, is she young! She must have been about 22 when the film was shot. Stacy Keach was also good as lead, though it's kinda strange having two yankee leads in an Australian film. A bit like Jindabyne, I suppose.

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