The Edge of Heaven [Fatih Akin, 2008]

• I've had a copy of this since February, but have put it off for no good reason, until now.
• Built on consciously coincidental contrivances, Fatih Akin's latest is similar to the Dardennes' films in the way it presents conventions and then gracefully goes in a completely direction than you're trained to expect. while it is a film about extreme coincidences, it's loose enough that it's believable because, in the words of Stanley Spector, this happens sometimes.
• Comparisons can also be drawn to Babel, in that the film connects many different people and a key set piece is a gun. The Edge of Heaven is much less heavy-handed about this than Inarritu's film, and so it's fitting that this film ends not with a bang but with a sigh.
• I don't think this was a very good collection of my thoughts, so I'll keep going a bit. The acting across the board is very fine, the only actor of note being former Fassbinder leading lady Hanna Schygulla, who is especially affecting in her limited screen time. The film's cinematography is very humble, showing what needs to be shown and focusing on its content moreso than style. The locations are what makes the atmosphere so brilliant, effectively painting a picture of both Germany and Turkey.

8/affectingly unconventional sketch of the way humans connect with each other, if not through life than through death

The Day the Earth Stood Still [Robert Wise, 1951]

• beautiful screen cap, I know. i'm simply way too lazy to make any myself. anyway, in celebration of a (undoubtedly) shitty Hollywood remake, I watched the '50s sci-fi classic for the first time.
• the film's first 15 or so minutes are interesting because its driven solely by news reports and crowd shots surrounding the arrival of a spaceship. its not until Michael Rennie's Klaatu is shot are we introduced to any characters.
• I discovered that Robert Wise's film isn't so much a sci-fi film as an anti-war global commentary. Edmund North's script is written with the best intentions, and our protagonists' struggle to simply be heard by all the nations provides a great opportunity for satire and commentary--though it singles out any one nation.
• the ending is admirably ambiguous, quite clearly saying "so Earth...what are you gonna do?" unfortunately, the film is obviously still relevant in 2008 so.
• Bernard Hermann provides one of his best scores, helping to raise the tension and leave people remembering a lot more action than there actually was.

9/well-intentioned, engaging social commentary masquerading as a science fiction film

In the City of Sylvia [Jose Luis Guerin, 2008]

• Guerin's latest has ended up on many critics' top ten lists this year, almost out of nowhere, and is clearly loved for its exercise in pure cinematic techniques, pushed to the limits
• the first 25 minutes have received the most buzz, as it features an incredibly long sequence in which the protag stares at different women outside a cafe. Guerin makes such a thing interesting by framing his POV shots in a way that clearly seems to be influenced by Edouard Manet cafe paintings. Guerin focuses on the layers of women (all beautiful, naturally), at times blocking the line of view with other people. if this kind of dedication to technique excites you, you'll likely enjoy this film. if not, run for the hills.
• as i mentioned, the first 25 minutes are what most critics are drooling about, but the greatest part of the film in my opinion comes in the later half of the film, specifically in scenes in and around a tram (to describe more would ruin the little plot that there is). Guerin here uses shadows and reflections to scape a ridiculously beautiful setting for the long awaited sequence of actual dialogue. it allows Sylvia to morph from a person to a symbol (or ghost?).
• In the City of Sylvia sounds comparable to the recently reviewed The Headless Woman in some ways (no background detail, following a single person throughout), but Guerin's is far from boring and only a tad bit frustrating in its remoteness.

7/a laudable technical achievement wrapped in a slight, whimsical search for someone from the past

The Headless Woman [Lucrecia Martel, 2009]

• debuting at Cannes in 2008 to mostly glum reviews, Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman has been picking up critical steam since, topping indiewire's "Undistributed 2008 Films" list.
  
• Martel's film is extremely disorienting--it mostly follows bourgeoisie MILF Vero in the aftermath of her running over something(/someone?) while reaching for her cellphone
• one could admire for Martel's dedication to plot dictating form--the viewer is certainly as disconnected with the story as Vero is with reality--but Martel forgot to give us a reason to give a shit about the woman we're constantly following. I spent most of the film wondering how people relate to Vero and why people kept telling her to wash her hair than worrying about Vero--or its apparent class commentary, which shows the stratification but doesn't have much to say.
• thank goodness Martel and D.P. Barabra Alvarez can compose interesting shots, edited very cleanly and rarely overstaying their welcome. in fact, the first few minutes are probably the most interesting as the camera follows three lower class boys and a dog in a friendly chase.
• at only 87 minutes, The Headless Woman isn't so much difficult for a lack of drama, but rather because it refuses to fill us in on its point

4/finely framed, but lacking in any apparent message to justify its form or your time

Let the Right One In [Tomas Alfredson, 2008]

• the best films get under your skin, and Let the Right One In certainly does a good job in that department. i'm glad i slept on it before writing this, as I like it more in retrospect--it truly warrants the phrase "hauntingly beautiful"
• Alfredson captures a cinematic world that I've never seen before. a small, middle class town in Sweden flips between the bright reflections of snow and the eerily dark woods and playground outside the leads' apartment complex. 
• both the leads (Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson) are wonderfully interesting, neither looking nor acting like the other children shown. the romance that ensues is handled gracefully as their "love" is never taken too seriously and yet its still enough to draw the audience in.
• horror scenes are mostly very creepy without extreme gore. the first kill is first shot from a distance, and then the subsequent gore is blocked from view. the kills do become more graphic, but Alfredson clearly is not trying to merely please bloodthirsty viewers.
• all in all the story is touching and strikingly slight, ultimately about a friendship between two children who aren't like everyone else. with some revenge thrown in there as well.

8.5/nimbly balances its coming-of-age story with horror elements to create a not soon forgotten product

Shotgun Stories [Jeff Nichols, 2008]

• unjustly snubbed by Sundance, probably because of its slow, lethargic pace, Jeff Nichols' directorial debut is nonetheless one of the most mature debuts of the year.
• Michael Shannon stars as Son in a story about two sets of half-brothers whose hostilities are brought to surface when their father dies. the film plays as a sort of double-edged In the Bedroom, focusing on the apparent necessity of revenge and the lack of satisfaction that comes with it.
• while far from perfect or as well-made as Todd Field's picture, Shotgun Stories has a sensible pace and makes its statement in only about 84 minutes. Nichols (who also scripted) would've been better to make the film solely from Son's family's point of view as the brief scenes of their half-brothers fail to characterize any of them beyond archetypes. Nichols is however properly subtle in his economic contrast of the two sets; the superiority can be felt when Son's half-brother shows up to his house, parking his new Ford in front of Son's beat up Mazda.
• landscape is well captured which is to be expected when David Gordon Green is producing, and one gets a fair idea of Arkansas as that's all the camera or the characters seem to know.

7.5/genuine directorial debut with enough nuance to successfully recapitulate its themes

Hunger [Steve McQueen, 2008]

• Steve McQueen surely earned his Camera d'Or for Hunger, a film whose visual audacity is bested only by its content. the picture is carefully divided into three acts: the brutality against the prisoners, Bobby Sands' unthinkably long conversation with an IRA-affiliated priest, and Sands' hunger strike and death.
• first act begins with the morning routine of Ray Lohan, who we are lead to believe is our protagonist until we see him put on prison guard uniform. isn't this a Bobby Sands biopic? McQueen's camera (d.p. Sean Bobbitt) focuses on the nuances of Lohan's routine -- the crumbs he brushes off his lap during breakfast are obviously a juxtaposition of what's to come; we see him washing his hands in the morning and then again at work, except the second time, his knuckles are bloodied.
• then we are introduced to a skinny new inmate who we find is not Bobby Sands? we follow him for a bit before finally getting to Bobby (played admirably by Michael Fassbender). I believe McQueen (with Enda Walsh) designed the film this way so not to glorify Sands as the lone martyr in what was indeed a community suffering. one of the film's few missteps is in this transition, though, as the viewer is left wondering who's Bobby, when's he going to show up, was Bobby the roommate who had his hair cut?
• McQueen makes up for this lack of focus quickly in an unthinkably long static shot (pictured above) of Sands conversing with a priest. Fassbender's chops really show here, as he displays selflessness, doubt and charisma all within the same shot.
• last act is dedicated to Hunger, and Fassbender's grotesque body transformation rivals Bale's infamous weight loss for The Machinist and Rescue Dawn. McQueen pulls quite a few visual and aural tricks to communicate the symptoms of your body slowly shutting down.
• all in all, Hunger is certainly unflinching in its portrayal of IRA prisoners of war in 1987. it's an extremely subjective film, and assumes you know quite a bit of the civil war (I didn't), and is clearly sympathizes with its portrayed side. nonetheless, McQueen's direction is magnificent, and had the world any justice, both he and Fassbender would be receiving Oscar buzz. European Film Awards noms will have to do.
• i suppose that was too much plot for a review, but hey, it's my first since October. give me a break.

9/unflinching, beautifully observant examination of Bobby Sands' last six weeks