By: Henry J. Fromage –
This week I stay true to my random selection process to land a delectable mix of foreign films, streaming picks, and pure randomness.
183. Bedevilled
This Korean melodrama was legitimately hard to grade. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a film as relentlessly dour and full of truly despicable characters as this one, up to and very much including the erstwhile protagonist- a Seoul banker who returns to her backwater rural island hometown (Rape Island, my wife and I dubbed it after 30 minutes or so) after many years after a blow-up at work precipitated by witnessing a crime yet refusing to bear witness to the authorities. Apparently this is a real ensconced character trait for her. The biggest actress is Seo Young-hee, playing Kim Bok-nam, the most victimized victim possibly in the history of cinema. When she finally snaps, it’s a goddamn delight, though, and I do have to admit this was the first climax in which I was rooting for the psycho killer to kill the goddamn protagonist I can remember. A film it’s impossible not to be yelling out loud at by the end. Three Beers.
184. Planet B-Boy
When this B-Boy dancing documentary first starts out, I felt like I was possibly catching this too late- it felt both awfully straightforward and already dated. However, if you’re like me, let the film work its charms on you. By the time the international breakdancing competition at its core really gets going, it’s practically impossible not to be glued to the screen with well-defined rooting interests. Maybe the coolest thing about this documentary, though, is those rooting interests could be for practically any team or country highlighted here- there’s so many good stories, and the unifying force of this artform is a sight to behold. Two Beers.
185. Trespass
Joel Schumacher delivered his latest shit-fest with this 2011 film, although we all can hope it’s not his last. The man has a talent for drawing out the most embarrassing possible performance from his stars, and everyone is firmly dialed up to 11 here, to the point where Nic Cage may not make the top 3 most outrageous performances in this thing (whatever Jordana Spiro is doing and Cam Gigandet’s creeper poolboy performance certainly outstrip him). As an added bonus, the action scene editing is truly hilarious hash, the plot hinges completely on stupid decisions, and the flashbacks are pure comedic blisss. Six Pack.
186. Al Massir
Egyptian Director Youssef Chahine had a long and frequently Cannes-recognized career, and my first exposure to him is set in a Medieval Europe we don’t typically see on screen- the one in which the light of the continent is Muslim kingdom in Andalusia. This 90s epic is centered on philosopher Averroes and two sons of his Caliph, one who follows his more liberal teachings and the other who has sided with religious fanatics bent on rolling back the Islamic enlightenment. While overlong, the style of this is a curious and wondrous thing, far more liberal than you’d expect a 20 year old Egyptian production, with some serious Bollywood vibes to boot. Three Beers.
187. Blow the Man Down
This Maine-set crime tale is a story of mothers and daughters, particularly the mother whose funeral is in progress as the film begins and the daughters whose involvement in a death starts to unravel the crime hidden behind closed doors in their quaint seaside community. Margo Martindale and the deceptively grandmotherly June Squibb, Annette O’Toole, and Marceline Hugot prove formidable foes, and the Greek chorus of singing fisherman was a new and pretty awesome touch. Two Beers.
188. Crip Camp
The story of the revolutionary Camp Jened, which both accepted people of any ability and then went the further step of treating them like they really are, people like anyone else, is portrayed here in a documentary that will be in the conversation come the Oscars for sure. What made Camp Jened so special was not just what it did, but what it inspired- a group of people vitalized with the confidence to demand their Civil Rights and the assurance that they should not stop until they get them. One of the examples where a simple “hippie” idea and action truly did change the entire world. Two Beers.
189. Shirley
Elisabeth Moss delivers very likely her best performance yet as author Shirley Jackson, deep in the throes of depression and writer’s block at least partially due to her venomous relationship with her college professor husband played by a decidedly prickish Michael Stuhlbarg. When his new TA arrives with his young wife, things curdle further, before becoming an inspiration as fucked up as it is fruitful. Just great acting all around and stunning filmmaking from Josephine Decker. Two Beers.
