The Artswire's NYFF 2012 Final Roundup

BY MATEO MORENO

BY MATTHEW CODY LANG

The 50^th Annual New York Film Festival (sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center) kicked off on September 28^th and ran through Oct. 14^th.  I previously gave 10 different “Must See, Should See, and Skip it” recommendations from the festival (see them here) and now my cohort Matthew Cody Lang and I have several more films (big budget, docs, foreign films, indies) to share with you.

MATEO’S PICKS:

MUST SEE

Not Fade Away (Rated: R, Opens December 21^st 2012 in limited release, USA) David Chase’s (The Sopranos) big screen directorial debut tells the story of a group of teens in the 1960’s, and the boom of music surrounding them.  At the center of it is a suburban Jersey family which includes an excellent John Magaro, James Gandolfini, & Molly Price.  The rest of the main cast is comprised of extremely talented actors as well including Will Brill, Bella Heathcote, Dominique Mcelliogott, Christopher McDonald, and Meg Guzulescu.  Chase, along with Music Supervisor Steven Van Zandt, creates a really poetic and beautiful love letter to the 1960’s era of rock and roll.  The performances feel real and authentic, and it truly helps sell the band aspect when the actors can all actually play (even more incredible is that they didn’t know how to play when they were cast).  Chase really evokes a great feeling of nostalgia for the period (even if you weren’t alive to see it) and the cast all perfectly fit into their roles.  The ending may divide audiences (Chase is no stranger to that) but I for one found it beautiful and original.

NO (Currently unrated, opening in limited release February 2013, Chile) Gael García Bernal stars in this true story, based on the “Yes” and “No” electoral campaign that changed the way Chile’s government works to this day.  Bernal plays René Saavedra, a young man in advertising who is used to working on products like Pepsi.  When the current dictator of Chile Augusto Pinochet is pressured by the international community, he calls for a “Yes” or “No” vote to be cast, deciding his power.  Pinochet only lets this happen to appear as a team player, not thinking anyone would dare vote against him.  The opposition hire Saavedra to head the “No” campaign and using a new and innovative marketing plan, they create a campaign that could actually remove Pinchet from office and free them from dictatorship.  Lives are threatened, innocent people are attacked, and Saavedra must decide if what he believes is the right thing to do really is worth all of it.  Bernal gives a magnetic performance, as does Antonia Zegers who plays his activist wife.  Director Pablo Larraín shoots the entire film in U-Matic which makes the film look shoddy and actually feels as if it was shot in the 1980’s.  In fact, about 30% of the film is archival footage (Pinochet is never played by an actor, only seen from actual clips for instance) and it blends seamlessly.  It’s a brave move to make a movie look bad on purpose, but that only adds to the thrilling aspect of the film.

Holy Motors (Rated: R, Now in limited release, France) I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a stranger film in the theatres than Leos Carax’s Holy Motors and still loved every moment of its weirdness.  The story is weird and almost dreamlike, following a man, Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant), who travels from one life to the next, becoming a beggar, a family man, a mobster, and more.  His dutiful limousine driver Céline (Edith Scob) takes him from location to location, often saving his life as well (that is, if there is a life to save as Oscar dies several times in the film too).  Some familiar faces come up throughout; Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, and the director himself show up to play.  Throughout the film, some beautifully shot sequences bring you into a world that is both beautiful and confusing; challenging the way a film is presented and formatted altogether.  Take my word for it; you’ve never seen anything like it.

SHOULD SEE

Flight (Rated R, Release date: November 2^nd, 2012, USA) Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, The Polar Express) returns to live action features with this dark and quite exhilarating tale of Captain Whitaker (Denzel Washington), an airline pilot who during a routine flight, miraculously lands a plane falling apart and saves almost everyone on board.  However, Mr. Whitaker is far from your typical heroic man.  Before boarding the flight, he was drunk and high on cocaine.  Once in the hospital, Whitaker’s blood is taken and suddenly his dangerous and boozy life comes crashing into his brave and heroic act.  Zemeckis’s return is both very exciting and a very dark film, especially for mainstream American filmmaking.  Washington pulls quite an impressive performance with the doomed pilot, making you like him while you revile his actions.  It’s a brave and tormented performance, one that will no doubt gain traction come awards season.  Showing up in great supporting roles are John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, and a tragically beautiful (and understated) performance by Kelly Reilly.  It’s not family friendly but it is an exuberating film that may detour occasionally into somewhat sappy waters but the thrill of this Flight overcomes it every time. 

Après mai (Something in the Air) (Rated: R, Opens in limited release Nov. 14th, 2012, France) A beautifully shot story of a young man and his activist friends in late 1960's to early 1970's France makes up the story of Aprés mai.  Clément Métayer stars as Gilles, a 17 year old high school student fed up with the social unrest of the time and, along with his friends (including Felix Armand, Hugo Conzelmann, and Lola Creton) fight for what they believe in, distribute left wing magazines, and vandalize building in protest.  It’s a beautiful and engaging story following these young adults and the radically changing times of the world.  Director Clément Métayer shoots the film with an engaging precision and the cast (notably Armand, Creton, and Carole Combes as Gilles wandering ex girlfriend) give memorable performances.  Not everyone’s stories have a full ending (especially Combes) and that’s okay.  It’s as if sometimes we’re only allowed to see so much of these characters lives.  A sharp and smart import that should be seen.

Ginger and Rosa (Rated: R, US release date: tba, UK) Director Sally Potter’s extremely mellow film stars Elle Fanning and Alice Englert as best friends living in London 1962.  They are literally inseparable since birth, born only inches apart.  Yet as they grow into their teens, the two girls begin to separate, one becoming obsessed with the threat of Nuclear war and the other increasingly more drawn to the sexual revolution.  Rounding out their parents are Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Annette Bening, & Oliver Platt, each giving fine performances (Nivola in particular).  Fanning and Englert are quite good too and Potter does paint an intriguing portrait here.  Yet at times the movie keeps you at an arm’s length and in the end is quite cold.  But there’s still much to admire in this film and its dark production.

SKIP IT

Amour (Rated PG-13, Opening in limited release Dec. 19^th, Austria) I put Amour in the “Skip it” category not because it isn’t a well made film (it is) or that the lead actors Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, & Issabelle Huppert don’t do a wonderful job (they do).  I put it here because it is an extremely sad film to watch, and I’m not sure if the end result is worth it.  Trintignant & Riva play Georges and Anne, a couple in their 80’s, retired, and living a quiet, pleasant life.  Until one day Anne health suddenly beings to fade away and Georges is left to care for his wife, who eventually is almost unable to communicate with him at all.  The film is very simple; elongated shots, no score, and very powerful performances by all three lead performances.  The end is shocking and sad and everyone involved does lovely work.  Yet the entire ordeal, for me, felt just that; an ordeal.  I appreciated the filmmaking but didn’t enjoy the film.  It was far too sad, too long (it runs a little over 2 hours and without a score and much dialogue it felt twice that length) and for me didn’t earn the sadness it brought me as a viewer.  And as much as the actors put out there, I never fully felt connected to them, or knew them as a character.  Perhaps you aren’t meant to, and there are plenty of fans of this film (it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year).  I’m just not one of them.

CODY’S PICKS

MUST SEE

NO (currently unrated, opening in limited release February 15th, 2013, Chile) This was the film I was looking forward to the most of the festival because I have been an admirer of Gael García Bernal work for years. Hearing he was going to be at the screening lit a fire beneath me and made me rush to the theater for a good seat. My heart sank when the press was told he was sick and could not make it. Luckily, I wiped the embarrassing fan girl tears away and stayed for the film.

This wonderfully exciting new film follows an ad executive (Gael García Bernal) through Chile’s 1988 referendum as he creates a clever campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet. Being as the film takes place in the late 80’s, director Pablo Larrain takes the viewer back in time with this charming retro documentary style cinematography. The performances are fantastic and Bernal (who never misses a note) is at the top of his game. Pedro Peirano’s screenplay highlights both sides of the debate with a worldly eye that exposes the truth but also with a safe amount of humor. 

CASTING BY  (unrated, release date: tba, USA) Tom Donahue’s insightful documentary that delves into the lives of casting directors was a surprisingly pleasant ride. It mostly centers around famous casting director Marion Dougherty who pushed her way to the top through and is responsible for the casting of many famous films/roles such as Midnight Cowboy, Lethal Weapon, and Batman. It also shows the lack of respect that many casting directors have and still have received in the industry. The film shines a new light on this job title that people in the entertainment business should not miss out on this film.

SHOULD SEE

LIFE OF PI (Rated: PG-13, Release Date: November 21st, 2013, USA) The morning I went to see this film, my right contact was hurting my eye so I decided to just watch the film with my other eye. The film was in 3D so being momentarily handicapped helped me see the film and not just the spectacle. Ang Lee returns with a visually stunning film that left my eye(s) salivating. While on a journey with his family across the sea, Pi (Suraj Sharma) is left stranded on a raft after a storm destroys the massive ship. But he is not alone. He must share the raft with a Bengal tiger he grew up to fear. This tale of survival will definitely keep you drawn in from beginning to end but the emotional attachment to the characters falls very short because of the writing. Newcomer Suraj Sharma gives a great performance that will sadly go under appreciated but still respected considering he basically carries the entire film. Though I was not fully involved with the story, it was definitely a beautiful thing to watch and the effects will have everyone gasping and craving more.

SKIP IT

PASSION (Rated: R, release date: tba, USA) Oh lord. Brian de Palma’s new thriller stars a wonderful Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace. The first half of the film is very scandalous and hilarious with a dash of suspense. McAdams keeps Rapace’s character tied around her finger until the roles become reversed and de Palma decides to stop and make a completely different film that does nothing but leave the viewer hoping for a sudden conclusion or a return to the original film you believed you were watching. This scattered film left everyone in the audience laughing and shaking their heads. The only reason to see this film would be for Rachel McAdams. Her corporate demeanor and secret sadistic side fight each other throughout and it’s exciting to see her play with both sides so effortlessly. So if you watch this film, leave the theater once the pills come into play. Hitchcock would be embarrassed.