tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-348981842011-12-26T15:37:53.822+11:00Film reviews, news and discussion by Paul Martin<br><br> <i>"They come out with a strange, fantastic feeling and they can carry that, and it opens some little door or something that's magical and that's the power that film has."</i> - David LynchPaul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comBlogger4961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-89785126928942084732010-11-26T11:53:00.002+11:002010-11-26T11:56:10.277+11:00

I'm saving for new things and letting old things go, including my DVD collection. I have some absolute gems, including many that are brand new and still shrink-wrapped. If you'd like to bid for any of these, they're going for a steal on eBay, which you can view here.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-77924566898843565212010-06-12T18:09:00.000+10:002010-06-12T19:07:28.032+10:00

It is apparent at times in all our lives that we come to a cross-road. Often times we just indicate and continue, and yet at other times we stall in trepidation or confusion. My absence of late is due to this phenomenon and so to update and return I say:My personal transformation and point of launch comes to me now like a rock off the overpass. While laying here in pain from being hit so hard, I

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-22730076683738218672010-06-06T21:34:00.002+10:002010-06-06T21:37:32.352+10:00

Congratulations to the winners of Animal Kingdom double passes:Greg C, David M, Catherine M, Chris K & Melissa GOnce you've seen it, please share your thoughts of the film at my original post.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-34679035403229455962010-06-06T18:05:00.001+10:002010-06-06T21:35:19.194+10:00

As I posted previously, I consider Animal Kingdom one of the finest Australian films of the last two decades. It's now open in cinemas and I have double passes to give away to the first five readers to email me with "Animal Kingdom" in the subject field and your name and address in the body of the email (you'll find the email link near the 'About Me' section).COMPETITION CLOSED

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-17173210200806896362010-05-02T20:36:00.004+10:002010-05-02T20:48:32.263+10:00

As I previously posted, this weekend saw Williamstown Town Hall host the Williamstown Literary Festival. Yesterday, I attended a number of events, bookend by my favourites: a screening of Paul Cox's The First Wife in the evening capped off a day that began with a discussion about current social issues between former Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, and Waleed Aly. Aly is my favourite social

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-24385996591554426102010-04-27T23:59:00.000+10:002010-04-28T01:05:39.541+10:00

Accidents Happen (Andrew Lancaster, Australia, 2009)This film is quite an achievement, a very clever dysfunctional family black comedy. Its succeeds on at least two fronts. If you didn't know otherwise, there is almost nothing to suggest the film was made in Australia. It's set in Connecticut (as is the novel it is based on, by American-born author now living in Australia, Brian Carbee) and,

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-85102449764708544822010-04-26T22:47:00.002+10:002010-04-26T23:06:09.539+10:00

It's been a Fatih Akin blitz this week, having watched his new comedy and two older films - a music documentary and his dramatic feature debut. I've also revisited The White Ribbon, the must-see film of the festival (though it has a cinematic release just after). All up, there's six films reviewed.Soul Kitchen (Fatih Akin, Germany, 2009)Das Weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (The

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-77994139831867599992010-04-26T21:52:00.000+10:002010-04-26T21:53:48.338+10:00

My Week in Review will be short this time around - most of the films I've seen this week are from the Festival of German Films and reviewed separately. I'm also more time poor than usual.FILMS:Beneath Hill 60 (Jeremy Sims, Australia, 2010)Soul Kitchen (Fatih Akin, Germany, 2009)Das Weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke, Austria, 2009)Les parapluies de

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-18952789529773483442010-04-20T23:23:00.005+10:002010-04-20T23:32:47.274+10:00

I've already written about Animal Kingdom, the Sundance award-winning film that is one of the most exciting local productions in decades. It releases nationally on 3 June. For a chance to win a double pass to the film's 'red carpet' premiere (on 24 May in Melbourne or 25 May in Sydney) and attend the after-party, check out this site.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-70241096256409031102010-04-20T22:01:00.002+10:002010-04-20T22:56:31.153+10:00

I wouldn't normally post about what is for me a local festival, but this one may be of interest to readers here because it includes film and film-related events. I believe the Williamstown Literary Festival has been a regular event since 2005, but it's never been on my radar until now. I normally find out about it after the fact but this year one of my local bookshops sent out an email

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-92155003301625241872010-04-18T23:25:00.002+10:002010-04-20T16:36:39.066+10:00

Another week heavy with film - the stand-out is Man with a Movie Camera which screened at Melbourne Cinémathèque on Wednesday, an amazing film given it's place in history. Starting this week is a three-week season of films by (and one about) Jacques Demy, which I'm looking forward to - I've seen none of his work. My reviews of the two German films listed below can be found on my preview of the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-66118457394622371332010-04-18T23:06:00.003+10:002010-04-18T23:16:31.038+10:00

Rant warning ahead[beginning of rant] When John Howard was in office, he saw that the best way to head off the political threat of the redneck policies of Pauline Hansen was to outdo her at her own game. Now that Labour has no balls to stand up to the nasty political games of Tony Abbott, whose party makes chess pieces out of other people's suffering, Rudd is trying outdo the Libs at their

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-89718552459535278862010-04-18T18:27:00.001+10:002010-04-18T18:28:02.956+10:00

While checking out the Cannes festival website, I was disturbed to stumble upon this article about the Iranian government's detention/imprisonment of renowned film-maker Jafar Panahi. The director of such celebrated films as The Circle and Crimson Gold, he is clearly a director of great integrity and social conscience. Given the widespread support that Roman Polanski received for his

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-76040867425340608392010-04-18T17:51:00.001+10:002010-04-18T17:53:35.114+10:00

The following are the films and juries announced thus far for the Festival du Cannes 2010, running from 12 - 23 May. Any, in case you didn't know, that's Juliette Binoche featured in the official poster. For a serious festival, Robin Hood sounds like a joke as an opening night film but then, Cannes is all about controversy and commercialism as it is about art. There's a number of titles that

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-55437947215957744932010-04-17T16:24:00.003+10:002010-04-17T16:32:11.617+10:00

As an addendum to my FoGF 2010 Preview, I thought I'd cut and paste a media release regarding the festival's guests:Famed Director SÖNKE WORTMANN & Acclaimed Feminist Writer ERICA FISCHER in Oz for AUDI FESTIVAL OF GERMAN FILMS 2010Now celebrating its 9th year, the AUDI FESTIVAL OF GERMAN FILMS returns in late April with its most dynamic line-up to date. Boasting more than 30 new movies – most of

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-25883778159517205032010-04-16T13:03:00.007+10:002010-04-26T13:16:31.711+10:00

The Festival of German Films 2010 opens with Fatih Akin's new comedy Soul Kitchen at the Como cinema on Thursday 22 April. The FoGF has gradually increased on popularity, and more by serious programming rather than populist. In fact, I suspect this has had an influence on the French Film Festival, which has until recently had too much of a focus (in my opinion) on popular mainstream cinema.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-87764107499402913912010-04-12T18:18:00.001+10:002010-04-12T23:54:04.256+10:00

Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, Australia, 2010)This debut feature by David Michôd, which won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is simply exhilarating. I'll go so far as to say that I think it's easily one of the top ten Australian films of the last two decades. To put that into perspective, the only films I’d place on that pedestal are: Everynight...

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-5831375909887257022010-04-12T11:49:00.007+10:002010-04-12T23:56:04.812+10:00

I just received Screen Australia's latest email newsletter, Get the Picture, which states:Avatar is now the highest-grossing film of all time in Australia. Released on 17 December 2009, it had earnt $108,621,853 at the local box office by 7 March 2010, making it the first film released in Australia to earn over $100 million.It then provides a link to its website of the top-grossing films of

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-33197147410477017222010-04-11T22:51:00.005+10:002010-04-12T17:32:03.467+10:00

I can't believe I saw ten films this week. I'm not working at present and had four days where I saw 2 films each day. This was also partly due to Easter and partly because of the Festival of German Films preview screenings (I'm posting separately about these).The stand-out of the week is Animal Kingdom, which will definitely make my top 10 of the year. This film is going to sweep the AFI awards

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-507625951415186232010-04-04T22:30:00.001+10:002010-04-04T22:37:31.108+10:00

I haven't mentioned much yet about this year's La Mirada, one of my favourite local film festivals. I filled in a survey at the festival today at ACMI and for the question about what I like about the festival I put: [festival director] Rocio Garcia's passion and love for cinema (she introduces most of the films), the volume of door prizes, the atmosphere, the Almodóvar curated section and the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-10264513114926265212010-03-31T14:18:00.003+11:002010-04-02T19:58:13.127+11:00

I had a quick look at the films screening at this year's Festival of German Films, and two titles stood out straight away: Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon and Fatih Akin's Soul Kitchen. I saw The White Ribbon at MIFF last year and have been wondering when this magnificent film will get a release. I'm a big fan of Haneke and The White Ribbon is perhaps his most mature and complex film to date.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-63325201581205962502010-03-30T19:56:00.006+11:002010-03-30T20:13:20.488+11:00

The Most Dangerous Man in America:Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Judith Ehrlich/Rick Goldsmith, USA, 2009Errol Morris' The Fog of War is a brilliant study of the principals of war and how the US went wrong with its policies in the Vietnam War, as enunciated by its chief architect, Robert McNamara, with parallels applicable to the current Afghanistan/Iraq conflict. The Most Dangerous Man

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-7509636810052611462010-03-28T22:19:00.003+11:002010-03-31T15:27:37.962+11:00

The offerings at the cinema are so thin at the moment. I did a bit of research and worked out a few films worth seeing at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, but couldn't work any of them into my schedule. Weekends I've been busy with family and weekdays the screenings just haven't been convenient times. So, I've resorted to DVD: three of them this week.FILMS:A Single Man (Tom Ford, USA, 2009)

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-77983183814623225262010-03-27T15:43:00.003+11:002010-03-27T16:00:48.505+11:00

A while ago I turned on moderation of comments on this blog. First for posts older than 14 days, then 4 days, then 3. Basically, I was getting spammed by fuckheads who know that no-one is going to read their bullshit cheap electronics, sex and other promotions but assuming (perhaps falsely) that Google web-crawlers would pick up their links and promote their website rankings on Google searches.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-83007008042018502882010-03-26T23:24:00.004+11:002010-03-27T00:01:26.550+11:00

OK, Blogger have provided some new templates that allow much more flexibility to the design of a blog. I want to stick with green. Colour is important for me in many aspects of my life and with the passage of time, I've gravitated towards different colours. I 'see' colour, something I mentioned in my 'Change of Plans'. Even as a child colour was important to me and I have vivid recollections

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-24324980955870743252010-03-21T22:39:00.000+11:002010-03-21T23:18:54.925+11:00

FILMS:Roma (Federico Fellini, Italy/France, 1972)À l’origine (In The Beginning, Xavier Giannoli, France, 2009)Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante (I'm Glad My Mother is Alive, Claude Miller & Nathan Miller, France, 2009)BLU-RAY:Planet of the Apes (Franklin J. Schaffner, USA, 1968)RomaReading the Cinémathèque Annotations on Film from Senses of Cinema has aided me in understanding the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-1735267550007697212010-03-21T21:15:00.001+11:002010-03-21T21:49:21.752+11:00

Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante (I'm Glad My Mother is Alive, Claude Miller & Nathan Miller, France, 2009)My last film of the French Film Festival was a disappointment. It's not a bad film, but not a good one either. I was surprised at the size of the audience at the Como - it was nearly full - given the film is reasonably serious and certainly not of the mainstream populist

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-20833063034946120202010-03-21T21:01:00.000+11:002010-03-21T21:43:50.562+11:00

This year I previewed ten films prior to the opening of the French Film Festival, and that number is growing as I get to more of the screenings. My comments on each film (or you can click on the individual links below) never include spoilers, but if you don't have the time to check these out and just want a quick one-liner recommendation, here are my thoughts at a glance:MUST SEEThe Army of

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-56059422342782538492010-03-19T23:04:00.007+11:002010-03-20T22:17:08.797+11:00

Ah, the festival is on the last stretch with just this weekend to go. Actually, there's a few more screenings into next week. Here's my report on two more films, with one to go (I'm Glad My Mother is Alive, produced by Jacques Audiard) on Sunday. I would've seen the Coco Chanel film on Saturday, but it's sold out (and is getting a release anyway).Le petit Nicolas (Little Nicolas, Laurent

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-5266205652122646482010-03-15T14:15:00.000+11:002010-03-15T14:27:51.579+11:00

Korkoro (Liberté !, Tony Gatlif, France, 2009)I've seen half a dozen or so of Tony Gatlif's films and I've enjoyed them all - in fact his previous film, Transylvania, was my equal favourite cinema release of 2008. While Gatlif's work documents the way of the Roma (gypsies), the themes are universal to me: celebrations of music, culture, ethnicity and so on. It's the dramatic and visual way in

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-71729254278204027482010-03-13T21:54:00.000+11:002010-03-13T21:55:03.261+11:00

Bellamy (Claude Chabrol, France, 2009)Chabrol's reverence for Hitchcock is well-known and the influence is evident from the start of this film. Unlike a Hitchcock film, though, this is more about mystery than suspense, and it's more about the journey than the destination. The film's characters seem to inhabit a parallel universe, much like our own, but where they don't respond quite as you'd

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-53350250860799023822010-03-13T17:14:00.001+11:002010-03-16T14:22:42.409+11:00

Last night I attended ACMI's Desert Island Flicks with David Stratton. I'm really enjoying this new ACMI regular event, where a film personality discusses the five films they'd want to have if marooned on a desert island.First thing, DS apologised for cheating. His selection was five that affected him so deeply that they had changed his life in some way. This is, for me, what film is largely

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-87682243039303327242010-03-10T22:59:00.011+11:002010-03-13T22:05:58.508+11:00

I've pointed out how poorly foreign language films are translated into English. Not so much translated as re-badged. As a student of French, I notice it mostly on French titles. Entre les murs became The Class which I find quite bland and lacking in the poignancy of the literal Between The Walls.Just last night I posted about Non ma fille tu n’iras pas danser renamed Making Plans for Lena,

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-87696798521036797352010-03-10T21:54:00.001+11:002010-03-10T23:03:06.393+11:00

Demain dès l’aube (Tomorrow at Dawn, Denis Dercourt, France, 2009)I missed seeing Denis Dercourt's previous film La tourneuse de pages/The Page Turner, though I heard it's a good solid thriller. Well, after seeing his latest work, I feel like I need to search out his others. This is really good, intelligent, genre film-making.I'm not going to describe any of the plot. I went into the cinema

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-48134809176450758242010-03-10T16:24:00.003+11:002010-03-10T21:50:01.058+11:00

The Last Station (Michael Hoffman, UK/Germany/Russia, 2009)When discussing a film, it's important to consider it in context, such as its intended audience. While The Last Station is no doubt a well-made film, I'm not part of the target audience, so I'll find myself pointing out the things that didn't work for me. The target audience is the demographic that flock to historic, epic, melodramatic

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-33285493341988691002010-03-09T22:09:00.004+11:002010-03-09T22:49:39.240+11:00

Brothers (Jim Sheridan, USA, 2009)I have a soft spot for Jim Sheridan. When I started out watching films in the early 1990s, his My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father were significant films for me. I have no idea what I would think of them were I to see them again. By chance, when I was in Manhattan, New York City in December 2003, the first film I watched was Sheridan's In America about

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-71050588618402707192010-03-08T23:55:00.001+11:002010-03-13T22:07:01.653+11:00

Micmacs à tire-larigot (Micmacs, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France, 2009)Non ma fille tu n’iras pas danser (Making Plans For Lena, Christophe Honoré, 2009)MicmacsI love Jeunet's films, all of them. I love his consistent retro style, the aesthetically pleasing urban and industrial decay, his bizarre characters and their equally weird looks and idiosyncrasies and the predilection for darker themes.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-26141484394744336682010-03-08T00:36:00.003+11:002010-03-08T00:46:15.342+11:00

I've attended a number of sessions at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival in past years, though not recent ones. Perhaps I didn't research sufficiently and got put off by some of the fairly camp or grotesque excesses. I never liked the caricature that TV's Melrose Place became, nor the gay somewhat equivalent, Queer as Folk. It's not the sexual orientation that bothers me, but what I might

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-22632173138376580762010-03-07T23:13:00.000+11:002010-03-07T23:13:32.045+11:00

Nothing great to report today - an unsatisfactory thriller and an acceptable children's film. But it's a long weekend, and I'm seeing another two tomorrow.Pour elle (Anything For Her, Fred Cavayé, France, 2008)Lucky Luke (James Huth, France/Argentina, 2009)Anything For HerThis French thriller was first released two years ago, and I'm wondering if the only reason it made it to the festival is the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-51841080763009342272010-03-06T22:20:00.000+11:002010-03-06T22:21:47.605+11:00

White Material (Claire Denis, France, 2009)So this is the film that Claire Denis was too preoccupied with in preparation for its premiere to make it to an 'In Conversation With Claire Denis' event at MIFF last year. Well, I had tickets and was very disappointed that she couldn't make it, but now I forgive her. Her film that did screen at MIFF was 35 rhums/35 Shots of Rum and while it was widely

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-2115548913859374792010-03-05T22:56:00.005+11:002010-03-06T00:15:01.178+11:00

Wild Grass (Les herbes folles, France/Italy, Alain Resnais, 2009)Alain Resnais is a veteran of French cinema, and Wild Grass is only the second of his films that I've seen, the other being his previous film, Coeurs/Private Fears in Public Places. I get the sense that this unconventional film-maker might be an acquired taste. He has a fascination with artifice, not afraid to ignore cinematic

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-17993324545986685662010-03-04T22:21:00.001+11:002010-03-05T10:02:29.085+11:00

I know, I missed last week's review and, while I prepared quite a bit of writing, I completely missed January (I planned to do a month in review). The French Film Festival opened tonight - not that I got an invite. I sure wasn't going to spend $50 to see a film, as much as I love Jeunet and look forward to seeing Micmacs. I've just finished working out my schedule for the festival and may see

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-52727808262029085722010-03-03T09:36:00.004+11:002010-03-03T09:40:26.781+11:00

There's always complaints about the quality of art house cinema outside of film festivals. There's some top-notch cinema on right now. Grab it while you can:A ProphetRicky

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-77429516007601131952010-03-02T15:45:00.003+11:002010-03-02T16:01:50.081+11:00

Below I review films by two of my favourite French directors, François Ozon and Robert Guédiguian. Ricky is not screening at the French Film Festival in Melbourne - ACMI is screening it until 10 March - but it is screening at the festival interstate. Neither film disappointed and, indeed, both actually exceeded my expectations - ain't life grand?Ricky (François Ozon, France/Italy, 2009)L'armée

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-74765997215999003122010-02-25T22:06:00.003+11:002010-02-26T22:24:10.896+11:00

The French Film Festival open in Melbourne next week. In this post, I offer brief comments on five more films. My pick of them are the family-oriented films: OSS 177, Lost in Rio and First Snow.OSS 117, Rio ne répond plus (OSS 117, Lost In Rio, Michel Hazanavicius, France, 2009)Regrets (Les regrets, Cédric Kahn, France, 2009)La journée de la jupe (Skirt Day, Jean-Paul Lilienfield, France/

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-43985736745422556662010-02-14T18:17:00.001+11:002010-02-14T19:03:32.632+11:00

I'm a bit late with my year in review, largely because of what the past year brought me. Most prominently, I had two close shaves with death. The first was a motorcycle accident in January. It didn't really affect my film-going, though I was home-bound for a week, during which time I couldn't watch any DVDs with sub-titles as my vision was impaired. While I walked out of hospital on the day

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-62305093288829199422010-02-14T16:41:00.003+11:002010-02-14T16:51:14.051+11:00

I have a question, mostly directed at fellow bloggers - how do you deal with blog spammers? A year ago, it was virtually non-existent for me but has recently increased to a rate of 2-3 a day. I've added comment moderation for older posts, and this is capturing 90% or more but I suspect that one or more of my so-called followers is using the 'Follow' feature to spam new posts. The whole point of

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-34810191995322433642010-02-13T15:32:00.003+11:002010-03-05T22:30:53.136+11:00

The Alliance Française French Film Festival 2010 is once again approaching and I must say the line-up this year looks impressive, perhaps the best I've seen. The last couple of years or so I've seen about a dozen films each festival but this year, even on first glance, I identified 8 films I want to see just by director alone. Names like Tony Gatlif, Claire Denis, Christophe Honoré, Robert

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-31686038876358229662010-01-25T19:41:00.000+11:002010-01-25T19:41:25.135+11:00

February 10: Opening Night 7:00 Lola Montès Max Ophuls (1955) 114 mins9:10 La ronde Max Ophuls (1950) 97 minsFebruary 177:00 Full Moon in Paris Eric Rohmer (1984) 100 mins PG8:55 Boyfriends & Girlfriends Eric Rohmer (1987) 103 mins PGFebruary 247:00 Who’s That Knocking at My Door? Martin Scorsese (1968) 90 mins MPreceded by What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This? - Martin

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-7371958290399599962010-01-25T18:54:00.002+11:002010-01-25T23:51:12.391+11:00

February 10: Opening Night 7:00 Lola Montès Max Ophuls (1955) 114 minsOphuls’ legendary virtuosic last work, his first in colour, is one of the greatest & most visionary of widescreen films. Montes (Martine Carol), a courtesan & great lover who is ultimately forced to sell kisses in a New Orleans circus, is the epitome of the director’s fatally & materially romantic oeuvre. A key influence on

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-89049257222554973752010-01-14T22:36:00.002+11:002010-01-14T22:39:48.661+11:00

Here's another plug, for something I'd go to if I had the time. It looks like a terrific opportunity:SPEAKEASY CINEMA PRESENTS THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON A FILM BY JEFF FEUERZEIG PLUS A LIVE ACOUSTIC SET BY THE MAN HIMSELF – DANIEL JOHNSTON 8PM | TUESDAY 2ND FEBRUARY SPEAKEASY CINEMA AT 1000 £ BEND 361 LT LONSDALE ST, MELBOURNE TICKETS $25 (PRE-SALE)* / $27 (DOOR) THROUGH

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-33940947752061272052010-01-06T23:12:00.007+11:002010-01-07T11:46:11.717+11:00

Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces, Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2009)OK, some of you may be aware of my love/hate relationship with Pedro Almodóvar. I love elements of his films and hate others. I saw his latest film tonight and need to brain dump. Apologies for any lack of coherence; I could write a whole lot more but don't have the time. I do, however, welcome any feedback and am happy to discuss

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-88575117578901487112009-12-27T23:46:00.000+11:002009-12-28T09:26:22.746+11:00

FILMS:The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson, USA/UK/New Zealand, 2009)Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie, UK/Australia/USA, 2009)DVD:Network (Sidney Lumet, USA, 1976)L'argent (Robert Bresson, France/Switzerland, 1983)Breaker Morant (Bruce Beresford, Australia, 1979)The Lovely BonesI found this film OK, if not a little disappointing. With Wahlberg in it, it could almost be The Happening in terms of look and

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-7780775719913805062009-12-20T18:52:00.003+11:002009-12-20T19:44:07.055+11:00

FILMSPrecious (Lee Daniels, USA, 2009)Sayat Nova (The Colour of Pomegranates, Sergei Paradjanov, USSR, 1968) Avatar (James Cameron, USA, 2009)Bright Star (Jane Campion, UK/Australia/France, 2009)Planet 51 (Jorge Blanco/Javier Abad/Marcos Martínez, Spain/UK/USA, 2009)DVDThe Killers (Robert Siodmak, USA, 1946)Precious I'm a bit hesitant to write about this film because it's a worthy film, well-made

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-79303850371346751782009-12-14T07:06:00.000+11:002009-12-14T07:06:00.089+11:00

It was three years ago today that I had an unexpected knock at the door, just prior to 8am as I was about to leave for work. It was a couple of local police officers who had the unenviable task of informing us that Abhi, my 17 year old son, had in the early hours of that morning taken his life. As I write this, I feel reasonably calm but I have at times been in dread for the last week thinking of

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-88985903002156467332009-12-13T23:05:00.002+11:002009-12-13T23:46:11.822+11:00

FILMS:The Intruder (Roger Corman, USA, 1962)The March (James Blue, 30 mins, USA, 1964)Istoriya Asi Klyachinoy, kotoraya lyubila, da ne vyshla zamuzh (Asya's Happiness, Andrei Konchalovsky, USSR, 1966)Katok i skripka (The Steamroller & the Violin, Andrei Tarkovsky, USSR, 1961)Avatar (James Cameron, USA, 2009)American Dreamer (L.M. Kit Carson, Lawrence Schiller, USA, 1971)The Last Movie (Dennis

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-52781157798897945462009-12-06T15:59:00.000+11:002009-12-06T15:59:36.839+11:00

FILMS:Vengeance (Johnnie To, Hong Kong/France, 2009)Proshchanie/The Parting/Farewell (to Matiora) (Elem Klimov, Soviet Union, 1983)Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, USA, 2009)Vengeance I basically just stumbled on this film by chance when I couldn't find anything worth seeing and starting browsing through yourMovies. I was a bit gobsmacked to find that a new Johnnie To film was screening

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-88762013120853430432009-12-02T22:49:00.004+11:002009-12-03T22:30:50.372+11:00

I just got back from seeing Elem Klimov's Proshchanie (The Parting, aka Farewell, aka Farewell to Matiora, 1983). It was written by Klimov's wife, Larisa Shepitko (The Ascent), who was also going to direct it but was tragically killed in a car accident on the first day of shooting. A grief-stricken Klimov took over the project as a tribute to his wife. I was particularly keen to see it (though

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-61418072270599667882009-11-30T21:22:00.003+11:002009-11-30T22:31:29.392+11:00

Yeah, yeah, time flies and I still don't have my new PC set up right. Maybe if my contract isn't extended at the end of the year I'll have time for some catch up. It should be a dream desktop when I'm finished. Meanwhile, it's been a fascinating week of film and I just had to post a little on what I've seen.FILMSPrime Mover (David Caesar, Australia, 2009)Moonrise (Frank Borzage, USA, 1948)

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-74811772770045674822009-11-11T23:11:00.003+11:002009-11-11T23:45:29.015+11:00

Yeah, I've been absent from the blogosphere longer than intended. I'm still having problems getting my PC set-up and life also intrudes on occasions. Health-wise, I'm getting back on track. I commuted by bicycle twice this week, more than I have since July, and both days were in mid-30s weather, which I've never done before. I'm feeling pretty good about that.Another thing I'm feeling pretty

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-11900475886251352302009-10-25T19:17:00.005+11:002009-10-25T20:10:45.973+11:00

Ah, my first week in review in a while. I still don't find I have the time to write as much as I'd like. And, for what it's worth, I installed Windows 7 today, so you can be sure that everything in my world will change for the better.FILMS:The Box (Richard Kelly, USA, 2009)... A Valparaíso (Joris Ivens, France, 1962)Les statues meurent assi (Statues Also Die, Chris Marker & Alain Resnais,

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-38635290364849415672009-10-23T23:34:00.004+11:002009-10-23T23:58:25.869+11:00

After the screening of Sun Seekers this evening, I had a short chat with Peter Krausz, the chair of the Australian Film Critics Association - who gave an insightful introduction to the film - and James Nolan, who curated the Focus on East German Cinema. In passing, the subject of Dennis Hopper came up and James mentioned that tickets to the David Stratton in Conversation with Dennis Hopper

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-17070947205999972662009-10-23T22:37:00.007+11:002009-10-23T23:09:52.111+11:00

I just got back from seeing Sonnensucher (Sun Seekers), screening as part of ACMI's Focus on East German Cinema. It's an excellent film, that depicts the bleakness of life behind the Iron Curtain in a very matter-of-fact manner, leading to it's banning in East Germany for 12 years. It's so frank both politically and socially, in a manner that would be considered brave even in so-called free

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-47559668570790828782009-10-19T21:05:00.003+11:002009-10-19T21:34:43.827+11:00

Yes folks, I'm still alive. And healthy. You could be forgiven for thinking otherwise, and I appreciate the few emails I've received recently enquiring about my welfare. I believe that I still have pneumonia, confirmed by X-ray six weeks after the original diagnosis, but not that I'm particularly cognisant of it. The main symptom is fatigue, which I only experience if I lack sleep. Ah, sleep

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-76512226320938711092009-09-01T22:46:00.010+10:002009-09-02T22:29:15.978+10:00

Reading this article today in The Age reminded me of one of my favourite films at MIFF this year, Dogtooth. Like Jaycee Lee Dugard and her two daughters, the virtual prisoners in Dogtooth also had the opportunity to escape but didn't, but that doesn't lessen the severity of the crimes of the parents. I found Dogtooth a disturbing and impressive film, and the unfolding of recent true events

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-76534211213919313052009-08-30T23:27:00.000+10:002009-08-30T23:27:41.470+10:00

FILMSInglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, USA/Germany, 2009)Viaggio in Italia (Voyage to Italy, Roberto Rossellini, Italy/France, 1953)Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo, Hayao Mizayaki, Japan, 2008)Eli & Ben (Ori Ravid, Israel, 2008)Inglourious BasterdsIt's not often I see a film more than once, but after reading various articles and interviews with Tarantino, etc, I decided to give this one another

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-78422335791556544202009-08-30T13:48:00.004+10:002009-08-30T16:58:17.723+10:00

So now Michael Coulter, The Age's production editor (whatever that means) is an Andrew Bolt wannabe, criticising the state of Australian cinema. Criticism is not unwanted nor unneeded, but this dross in today's paper is just as tired a criticism as the type of films he's criticising. Coulter's solution, à la Bolt, is to remove public funding and have Australian films funded as per Hollywood.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-82278702658221642132009-08-29T13:49:00.004+10:002009-08-29T14:09:39.171+10:00

It's been a bit quiet around here lately - pneumonia will do that to you. Mind you, I haven't been particularly unwell, but my energy levels have been a bit low and getting eight hours' sleep each night has been more important than posting every couple of days. There's actually been a heap of things I've wanted to post about, including events that have come and gone (Russian Resurrection Film

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-50472894742949735932009-08-22T21:43:00.000+10:002009-08-22T21:46:11.237+10:00

It's not often I do a separate post on such a mainstream film, but I wanted to brain dump by initial thoughts and here they are:I don't think Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's finest work, but I love anything he turns his hands to, including this. It does have some of the structure of Kill Bill and, like it, its main weaknesses are the indulgences and lack of tight disciple of most of his

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-36098173870025584602009-08-16T23:30:00.001+10:002009-08-16T23:33:28.831+10:00

Illness is often the prime motivator for me to watch DVDs, and so this week I watched two. It was a very strange week, in which one day I thought I might die, and the next I was almost back to normal. As I wrote, not dead yet.FILMSTyson (James Toback, USA, 2008)Coraline (Henry Selick, USA, 2009)DVDsApache (Robert Aldrich, USA, 1954)L'avventura (The Adventure, Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy/

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-91036845173994285742009-08-15T10:36:00.003+10:002009-08-15T11:31:40.685+10:00

Over the last couple of days, I was again reminded of my (or rather the collective 'our') frailty when I was hit hard and hit swiftly by a bout of pneumonia. Not that I needed any reminders, as my accident earlier in the year is never far from my thoughts.It all started mid-MIFF when, like Glenn at Stale Popcorn, I got knocked down by a virus. I figured I was run-down, typical MIFF-fatigue. I

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-21495807838690225662009-08-09T22:44:00.002+10:002009-08-09T22:48:57.452+10:00

Just a reminder that The Limits of Control is still on, having (unfortunately) opened the day before MIFF. I think it's better than anything I saw during the whole of MIFF, with perhaps only Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon equalling it. So now MIFF is over, you're all probably a bit fatigued and not rushing out to see anything. But, when you do, I highly recommend this beautiful film by Jim

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-51790930580229199812009-08-09T22:31:00.004+10:002009-08-09T22:50:23.394+10:00

Love him or hate him as you please, but I was impressed by Richard Moore's handling of both Ken Loach's and the Chinese government's bully-boy tactics. The Age reports that Moore's handling of The 10 Conditions of Love has received world attention.New Yorker magazine film writer Richard Brody, in a column entitled ''We are all Melburnian'', urged the world's leading film festivals, including

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-88190956342865090952009-08-09T20:56:00.006+10:002009-08-09T23:01:09.443+10:00

So, how was your MIFF? I went to 35 sessions, one non-film session and saw two of the films outside of the festival. I didn't see many films that impressed me, which was disappointing. Whether that's a reflection of the films overall or my choices, I don't know.Illness stunted my experience, but I looked after myself and got my health back as quickly as possible and consequently saw more films

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-66950223632473283392009-08-09T18:12:00.001+10:002009-08-09T23:35:07.297+10:00

Kynodontas (Dogtooth, Giorgos Lanthimos, Greece, 2009)Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009)DogtoothHere's a director with something to say, and a novel way of saying it. We've read stories in the paper of parents who have locked their children up for years, decades even. How do they get away with it, we ask ourselves. This film explores that scenario, with middle-age, middle-class parents

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-54324600218503607352009-08-08T23:59:00.001+10:002009-08-09T00:10:25.504+10:00

The demand for tickets as MIFF approaches final day is amazing. I have a Screen Legend membership, so I can get into sold out sessions, but trying to get a ticket for the missus on this last weekend has been a nightmare. I cannot recall any year where it's been so hard. Nearly every session tonight was sold out, and those that weren't were invariably 'selling fast'.According to my records (

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-30025472941327512282009-08-08T23:53:00.001+10:002009-08-09T23:34:57.743+10:00

La nana (The Maid, Sebastián Silva, Chile, 2008)Zift (Javor Gadev, Bulgaria, 2008)Das Flüstern der Bäume (The Whispering of the Trees, Tom Lemke, Chile/Germany, 2007) + Salt (Michael Angus/Murray Fredericks, Australia, 2009)The MaidPsychopaths are everywhere, even in our own homes. That's the message of this film about Raquel, a jaded and bitter maid to a middle-class Chilean family who's been

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-34213381232390428962009-08-08T08:53:00.001+10:002009-08-09T23:34:50.773+10:00

Today I had the pleasure of having lunch with Lynden Barber from Eyes Wired Open who has braved the southern climes to interview MIFF director Richard Moore for SBS, visit the Len Lye exhibition at ACMI (his article) and cram as many films into the weekend that he can. It was the first time we'd met other than online and I I took him on a little walking tour of Melbourne's laneways before

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-67472503529680720142009-08-07T11:20:00.001+10:002009-08-09T23:34:42.947+10:00

Singularidades de uma Rapariga Loura (Eccentricities of a Blond Hair Girl, Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/France/Spain, 2009)La barbe bleue (Bluebeard, Catherine Breillat, France, 2009)Eccentricities of a Blond Hair GirlThere's a timelessness to this relatively short (63 minutes) story by the world's oldest working film-maker (100 years old). A man is narrating to a stranger on a train the story

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-61766214811539285462009-08-06T23:10:00.000+10:002009-08-06T23:10:48.890+10:00

Eastern Plays (Kamen Kalev, Bulgaria, 2009)Villa Amalia (Benoît Jacquot, France/Switzerland, 2009)Eastern PlaysThe cliched MIFF blurb for this film didn't give me high expectations and yet I was surprising satisfied by this small film that contains a little bit of a lot of elements that I like about festival films. The ideological divide between brothers fortunately wasn't the main thrust of the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-58946163667286991742009-08-06T22:41:00.001+10:002009-08-07T23:43:52.534+10:00

Due to illness, I dropped Yuri's Day and The Nun from my schedule but watched Morphia in the comfort of my own lounge-room, thanks to a preview screener for the Russian Resurrection Film Festival. As for The Nun, I generally love Rivette, though I heard the print was at best ordinary. I finally ventured out for the 9:15PM screening of The White Ribbon and was questioning my sanity - sick as a

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-22868617778769058992009-08-06T22:04:00.000+10:002009-08-06T22:04:52.755+10:00

Still unwell, I missed Film is a Girl & a Gun and Dogtooth, and there was a no-show by Claire Denis for her talk with Philippa Hawker. On the strength of Beau travail, one of my favourite French films, I just couldn't miss 35 Shots of Rum.35 rhums (35 Shots of Rum, Claire Denis, France/Germany, 2008)35 Shots of RumI sense that there's a lot more I could write about this film than I will, because

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-89865275036844718882009-08-06T16:24:00.000+10:002009-08-06T16:34:46.050+10:00

Blind Company (Alkinos Tsilimidos, Australia, 2009)Blind CompanyI first discovered Tsilimidos' work with Tom White, a film that impressed me with it's beautiful visuals, humour and humanistic narrative. That film also changed the way I looked at the homeless. Coming soon after Candy and Little Fish, I didn't have high expectations for Em 4 Jay, a film about a couple of drug addicts. I was so

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-23698570095941697112009-08-05T12:13:00.003+10:002009-08-05T12:22:17.085+10:00

Thanks to the intransigent and bully-boy tactics of the Chinese government, the little film The 10 Conditions of Love, which might have otherwise flown under the radar, has received exposure that money cannot buy. Originally programmed with a single screening, Chinese protests raised its profile and it was given a second screening at Greater Union 6 on Saturday 8 August, 4:45PM, which promptly

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-4569405493432227772009-08-05T00:22:00.004+10:002009-08-05T00:28:03.235+10:00

MIFF-fatigue got a grip of me this year like no other. It started on Friday afternoon when I suddenly lost my voice, just as I was introducing myself to a well-respected local author. OK, I figured, I'm not getting enough sleep, and aimed to rectify that. Despite the best of endeavours, I've been pretty sick and since Sunday, only attending one screening per day. I can see the light at the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-50601117232001140772009-08-02T13:14:00.004+10:002009-08-02T17:28:45.573+10:00

Anecdotally, I've been noticing that the mid-week daytime ticket sales have been looking strong. Most of my screenings during business hours have been at the Forum, where the house has been very busy indeed. My analysis of sold out sessions also looks pretty strong. So far, 43 sessions have sold out compared to only 15 for the same period last year. I realise that sold out sessions don't give

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-68537148825282139872009-08-02T12:02:00.002+10:002009-08-02T13:59:10.460+10:00

I'd planned to see the Roy Andersson shorts but MIFF-fatigue got the better of me and I took the early part of the day off. I wasn't impressed with either film I did see.Hansel and Gretel (Yim Phil-Sung, South Korea, 2007)Double Take (Johan Grimonprez, Belgium/Germany/Netherlands, 2009)Hansel and Gretel Koreans are great with horror, when they get it right. Unfortunately, this isn't one of them.

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-45892383003929107762009-08-01T11:34:00.006+10:002009-08-01T23:44:02.620+10:00

"Online sales are currently offline due to a Denial of Service attack of Chinese origin."- MIFF ticketing website"China summons Australia over Uighur leader visit"- ABC News OnlineWith ticketing information offline, I'm unable to update my 'sold out/selling fast' page.[Update 1-Aug 11:43 AM]: the MIFF ticketing site went back up but is currently down again. The Age reports on a concerted effort

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-27344626098551129602009-07-31T21:26:00.000+10:002009-07-31T21:28:51.766+10:00

The Man Who Came With the Snow (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iran/France, 2009)Une femme est une femme (A Woman is a Woman, Jean-Luc Godard, France/Italy, 1961)Tony Manero (Pablo Larrain, Chile/Brazil, 2008)The Man Who Came With the SnowNice-looking film that is made by an Iranian but set in a former Soviet country. The result: a film that has elements of Iranian cinema, such as the view of an adult world

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-73715877897722699342009-07-31T11:00:00.002+10:002009-07-31T14:14:03.057+10:00

Running at 190 minutes, I figured I'd drop United Red Army off my schedule yesterday, have a little break and do some other things (like blogging). Then darn, the person who suggested it to me in the first place tells me it's the best film he's seen yet. I'm a bit pissed with myself and yet not. I've long given up on the idea that one can see everything one wants to at MIFF, or even during the

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-66551333045490551182009-07-31T00:21:00.004+10:002009-07-31T00:51:44.261+10:00

While more Chinese film-makers are reportedly withdrawing their films from MIFF, I can't for a moment believe that there is not undue pressure being placed on them by their government to do so.The Age reports that "Three more Chinese films pulled from Melbourne festival".

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-26440825657387426492009-07-30T14:35:00.002+10:002009-07-30T14:40:33.733+10:00

With a full-on schedule booked for MIFF (some 40 films), it's easy to forget that there's other things on (all film-related, of course). I had booked myself in for United Red Army at the Forum this morning but, at 190 minutes, figured I'd take some time out, and hence this post.Having given Balibo a whopping 5 stars (and I don't know how that's justified), I'm a little bemused by Jim Schembri's

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-50708587349439942852009-07-29T22:54:00.001+10:002009-07-29T23:11:40.868+10:00

Aruitemo aruitemo (Still Walking, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan, 2008)Red Riding: 1980 (James Marsh, UK, 2009)Tatarak (Sweet Rush, Andzrej Wajda, Poland, 2009)Still WalkingMIFF held a Kore-eda retrospective a couple of years ago and I think I saw them all, or maybe I missed one. Consequently, I was keen to see this latest effort and wasn't disappointed. Basically, it's a day in the lives of a family

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-56992234364249377482009-07-28T23:16:00.000+10:002009-07-28T23:17:03.410+10:00

Day 5 and still no knock-out films I've seen. What about you?Home (Ursula Meier, Switzerland/France/Belgium, 2008)Red Riding: 1974 (Julian Jarrold, UK, 2009)Katalin Varga (Peter Strickland, Romania/UK/Hungary, 2009)Home I wanted to see this film on the strength of my fascination with Isabelle Huppert, who is perhaps my favourite actress. Huppert is obviously sought for her unusual talents: her

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-20556911756001989992009-07-27T22:31:00.000+10:002009-07-27T22:31:49.747+10:00

Pierrot le fou (Jean-Luc Godard, France/Italy, 1965)Pierrot le fouThis is the only day that I've only scheduled one film - the calm before the storm? I know that MIFF Senior Programmer Michelle Carey is very fond of Jean-Luc Godard and recommended the three Godard films in the Anna Karina retrospective. Me, I'm still not sold on his work and that ambivalence continues with this brand new print

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-8468945134496298112009-07-27T13:19:00.000+10:002009-07-27T13:21:11.432+10:00

Les plages d'Agnès (The Beaches of Agnès, Agnès Varda, France, 2008)Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (Alphaville, Jean-Luc Godard, France/Italy, 1965)Amintiri din epoca de aur (Tales from the Golden Age, Hanno Höfer/Razvan Marculescu/Cristian Mungiu/Constantin Popescu/Ioana Uricaru, Romania/France, 2009)The Beaches of AgnèsWhile I'm generally not big on documentaries on the big

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-32696114945966022082009-07-27T12:21:00.002+10:002009-07-27T13:04:22.297+10:00

Kdopak by se vlka bál (Who's Afraid of the Wolf?, Maria Procházková, Czech Republic, 2008)In Conversation with Anna Karina & David StrattonAnna (Pierre Koralnik, France, 1967)Who's Afraid of the Wolf?My first MIFF film was from the NextGen stream and I attended with the family. It's a fairly typical festival film aimed at children, and you can read that as meaning fairly bland. It looks nice

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-74789230241039059152009-07-25T23:21:00.000+10:002009-07-25T23:21:55.236+10:00

I decided not to attend Opening Night for a couple of reasons: most significantly, I'd seen the opening film, Balibo - check out my short review - and didn't feel like seeing it again. Last year I'd regretted not seeing a couple of other festival films rather than go through the whole Opening Night thing: it starts late, then there's speech after speech (Victorian Premier, Lord Mayor, major

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-80261108904077117812009-07-23T16:17:00.003+10:002009-07-23T21:37:27.693+10:00

The Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch, Spain/USA/Japan, 2009) Jim Jarmusch is quite simply one of the most interesting living film-makers working out of the USA. His latest film, The Limits of Control, is set in Spain with an international cast. There is at the core of his work a consistency of style and yet this latest outing represents a progression in the evolution of his body of work that is

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-47942017830938436672009-07-22T00:30:00.002+10:002009-07-22T00:35:20.362+10:00

China pulls films out of festivalTHE Melbourne International Film Festival is reeling after the withdrawal of three Chinese films in what appears to be retaliation for the festival's backing of a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer.Read the full article in The Age

Paul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.com7