The Match Factory Girl (1990) - Directed by Aki Kaurismaki

Over the last couple years since I watched The Match Factory Girl, I have found that I’ve been haunted by it. I watched it back in 2011, as part of my viewing of Kaurismaki’s Proletariat Trilogy released on Criterion’s Eclipse Series. Thinking back on it, I believe I underrated it at the time. I gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, but have found myself thinking about the film almost on a monthly basis since then. I found that I would recall instances or images from the film at random moments. I feel the first viewing was a sort of introduction to it, but that I really needed to watch it again. So I did again recently. Sure enough I now consider it to be a fully-fledged masterpiece and probably Kaurismaki’s greatest film and one of the best films of the 1990s.

Kaurismaki leaves his mark all over this film, from the writing, directing, and soundtrack choices it is hard to mistake this film from coming from anyone else. Set in his native Finland, The Match Factory Girl regards a young woman named Iris. She slogs away each day in a match-stick factory and lives with her parents, whom she supports. Her lonely existence is compounded by the fact that although she attempts to go out to bars and dances, she is seemingly ignored everywhere she goes, ending up each evening alone. That is until one evening when she buys a new dress, goes to a bar, and is picked up by a random guy named Aarne. She wakes up the next morning at his apartment, but he has already left for work. She assumes he wants a relationship, when in actuality is not interested in her at all, except for sex. This sets up a denouement whereupon Iris gets pregnant, is shunned by this man and her parents, and then in a fit of pent-up “rage”, seeks revenge upon an uncaring society.

Now I’m sure I’m not completely qualified to make this judgement…..but in my opinion, I believe this film to be the darkest, most dead-pan comedy that I’ve ever seen. It is so unrelentingly bleak and dark, that Kaurismaki seems to be daring us to laugh or find this funny. Oh but funny it is and it’s not at the expense of Iris. It might appear to be at first, but she in fact gets the last laugh in the end. Nearly all of the comedy, and in fact the entire film itself, is told visually. This is almost a silent comedy. I point to the scene where Iris is sitting alone at the dance, drinking her orange soda…completely ignored and places her empty bottle down on the floor…where several bottles have already been finished. Or perhaps we could look at the hilarious moment where her father visits Iris in the hospital telling her that she is no longer to stay with them at their house and plops an orange down on the bedstand next to her. She says nothing, but instead begins to peel the orange. Or what about the unbearably awkward scene where Aarne comes over to the family's house and sits awkwardly with the parents as they smoke and drink coffee in complete silence. There’s very little dialogue in the film, but what little there is makes an indelible mark. There’s the moment where Iris tells a fellow co-worker that she’s pregnant. The coworker replies, “Is that so?”, and walks off. Then Iris decides she’s going to buy some rat poison at a store. After the cashier hands it to her, Iris asks “What does it do”? The cashier replies, “It kills”.

Kaurismaki’s choice of Kati Outinen to play Iris was sheer brilliance. In a near wordless performance Outinen is able to project meekness, naivete, joy, heartache, bitterness, hatred, and vengeance without really saying anything at all. She conveys all of these things through her facial expressions and captures this woman’s awkward existence with such bleak melancholy, it’s hard not to sympathize with her, but we are never asked to pity her. Her inner strength comes through at the end and even though she makes some unforgivable choices, we sense the empowerment with which she makes them. Timo Salminen’s brilliant compositions and sense of comedic scoping add a touch of whimsy to the bleak visuals, and Kaurismaki’s surreal sense of musical embellishments takes on additional comedic relevance as the bouncy, bluesy soundtrack is nearly in complete opposition to the proceedings. Although set at a brisk 69 minutes, one does not feel that anything is missing at all. The film is perfectly paced, written, and acted and there isn’t a wasted minute in the entire film. This is the kind of film that I could watch over and over again.

Is it Enough?

Is it enough to know we were there together? Is it enough to know that we shared the same space.....and breathed the same air? Is it enough to know that the Sun that day shined on both of us.....and warmed our skin?

Your voice and mine. Your hand and mine.

Maybe it would be better to be someone else..... or something else?
Could I be the golden glow of your hair?
Could I be the blue in your eyes?
Could I be the red in your lips?

Yes, that's what I want.

To the Wonder (2013) - Directed by Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick’s latest addition to an increasingly prolific canon is this beautifully dark masterpiece. I think it’s in fact Malick’s “darkest” film. Here there is no “grace”, like in Tree of Life, nor is there the comfort of the family bonds, nor is there the spiritual rebirth, as there was in the previous film. Gone also is the pat, matter-of-factness that so characterized his early films, like Badlands and Days of Heaven. Even the uplifting moments found in The Thin Red Line, or The New World are not really there, as what beauty there is seems to be negated by the next disappointment. This is a story of doubt, of loneliness, of longing for something that cannot truly be grasped, and perhaps even more so, the mistrust of one’s one feelings and desires. This is not the same final tone that his other films leave you with. There is something darker here that he is expressing, really for the first time in this way.

Malick’s film involves a few parallel storylines. In one, Neil (Ben Affleck) and Marina (Olga Kurylenko) fall in love in France, where he brings her back to live in his home in the U.S. Soon, their love devolves into a confusing swirl of emotions and dissatisfaction. They split and she returns home. He meets up with Jane, a girl he knew in High School and they have a short fling, and she ends up heartbroken. Soon, Marina returns from France, without her daughter. The Neil and Marina marry and seem to be rekindle the love they once had.....briefly. But, the dissatisfaction creeps back in. In another storyline occurring in the same town, a priest named Father Quintana (Javier Bardem) wrestles and struggles with his faith and his ability to “see” God. He continues to pursue his calling and his work, but his heart is not in it. He is desperate for God to reach out to him.....to prove that he is there. These stories connect and diverge at times, but what is clear to me, is that Malick wants us to appropriate these stories together…..that the search for God's love can feel elusive just as the search for lasting earthly love feels elusive, despite the fact that we keep trying to find both.

If this is a personal story that continues along the lines of The Tree of Life, then things are beginning to appear very biographical for Malick. With the continuation of Christian Theological themes even more present here in To the Wonder, it must make us take stock of The Tree of Life as a direct representation of one man’s spiritual rebirth. I don’t see how anyone can mistake the final sequence for anything other than that, considering the questions and themes that continue to arise here. But if The Tree of Life was Malick’s spiritual rebirth, then To the Wonder, is his spiritual doubt creeping in. Paralleling the spiritual doubt with relational doubt here feels like 2 sides of the same coin, and of in fact the same person. In the film it’s easier to tell these two stories from two separate characters, but my reading of this is that the ideas come from the same being….in this case perhaps Malick.

The expression of isolation, and of the inability to really achieve relational and spiritual intimacy is striking. In one sense, Malick is able to convey an unease through the interior shots in the home, almost reminding me of Nick Ray’s claustrophobic interior design in Bigger Than Life. I swear, when you watch the shaky camera movements and odd points of view shots in the home, there is something disconcerting about modern life, about Suburbia, about the disconnection between our modern life and nature/God. When the camera is outside, it swings smoothly, catches it’s breath and breathes deeply of the earth, grass, and sky. There is a freedom to these shots that feels opposite to the interior shots and this must be purposeful. It is no surprise then that To the Wonder, is Malick’s first film to be filmed in the “present day”. This cannot be a coincidence, as he’s able to project a disconnect between the individual and the other, and between the individual and God, paralleled with a modern malaise that makes suburbia feel like a place where souls go to die. Furthermore, it’s not a coincidence that Affleck’s character is researching pollution by a local factory that appears to be polluting the surrounding area. Basing the film in the present day allows for no sentiment or nostalgia for a more innocent time, like in The Tree of Life, mostly set in the 1950’s. And I think Sean Penn’s modern alienation on display there in those few scenes in that film is also echoed in To the Wonder to a large degree. Malick seems to suggest the only thing that keeps one going is to get “out”. The priest achieves a bit of a reprieve when he leaves the church to go walk the town and find people to help. Others find reprieves when they step out in the fields to bask under the sky. That scene near the buffalo as Affleck and McAdams marvel at the beasts is one of discovery and magic, something that Malick seems to indicate we have lost.

I think Malick is moving into more Bergman-like obsessions around spirituality, although his POV is slightly different than Bergman’s. Malick seems a bit more resigned to “this is the way it is”, rather than barking at God in anger. I actually wonder whether the quest for intimacy and purpose is more related to Bresson’s quiet search for spiritual resolve. Ultimately, though, Malick seems content with continuing to search for God, and to seek his love. At the end of the film, Father Quintana says, "Flood our souls with your spirit and life so completely that our lives may only be a reflection of yours. Shine through us. Show us how to seek you. We were made to seek you." I also wonder whether Malick is working on some sort of trilogy or something. To the Wonder seems like a close cousin to The Tree of Life, and I’m wondering if the next film of his explores similar themes as well. To the Wonder is not an actor's movie though. The actors didn’t leave me with any lingering impression, like Hunter McCracken, Brad Pitt, and Jessica Chastain did in The Tree of Life. There are really no exchanges at all in To the Wonder in fact….even conversations are muted to allow for voiceovers. Emmanuel Lubezki’s tremendous cinematography and the excellent use of musical compositions is astounding though and this makes up for the lack of traditional "acting". Some reviews have complained this film is too “Malicky” for it’s own good. Although I understand that some could see this as nearly self-parody of his own best work, I tend to think he is moving in new directions thematically, and going down darker and deeper paths than he ever has before and I welcome this. Perhaps what many are most uncomfortable with, is the intense spiritual and specifically Christian elements in the film. It cannot be ignored and is a significant key to understanding what Malick is trying to express. To the Wonder will be one of the best films of 2013.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) - Directed by Tony Richardson

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is Tony Richardson’s angst-ridden and beautifully shot masterpiece. Part of the “Angry Young Men” movement during the British New Wave, it is one of the best and most memorable of the lot. It was an influential film at the time and still works as a document of an era and of stream-of-consciousness storytelling, something that would become en-vogue during the New Wave era of the 60’s and beyond. Additionally, the wonderful use of hand-held camera and tracking shots makes the film visually alive and emotive. It also contains a brilliant early performance from Tom Courtenay as the troubled youth, lashing out and rebelling against family, responsibility, and compliance.

Tom Courtney plays Colin, a young man who has been admitted into a correctional facility for young men after stealing some money. His life though, has been spiraling downhill…..his father was ill and died; his mother quickly found another man with whom he has arguments with, he lives at home with several loud younger siblings, and basically has a hard time staying on the straight and narrow, rebelling against everything….his mother, the need to find a job, society itself. Once at the correctional facility he begins to develop a talent for running long distance cross-country. The Governor of the facility (Michael Redgrave) notices this and lets him have long jaunts across the countryside, with hopes this young man will be the winner at the cross-country meet that they will hold against a local, elite boarding school.

Richardson’s film bounces around in time and quickly cuts from flashbacks and memories to the present day and every which way, with quick edits and effectively stark black-and-white cinematography by Walter Lassally. There’s also a longingly romantic quality that the film has about it, with shots of bleak, barren trees and puddles of water reflecting the gray sky, mist hanging about…….. there is a longing and a yearning threatening to break free from every frame, just as Colin feels the need to find escape into something. His runs across the country are freeform. He streaks about and somewhat loose-limbed, runs with abandon until he can run no longer. These are his moments alone in his thoughts. There is something called the “runner’s high”, of which I have experienced on my own at times. You begin to not feel anything….your legs keep churning and pounding but you stop feeling it and you just go and keep going. You feel as if you could go on forever. But sure enough, reality comes back when the run is over.

When the Governor admits a deep desire to have Colin win the race against the runners from the other school, it is slightly telegraphed as to what will happen. I don’t suppose it’s any fault of the filmmakers, but there is this innate sense that to have Colin win the race just wouldn’t be right. In the final 5 minutes of the film, we witness one of the greatest edited sequences in cinematic history. Memories and thoughts flood through Colin's head as he runs across the countryside. Back and forth, the moments flash in front of us as both exhaustion and the climactic moment spreads open before us: thoughts of his father, and past loves, of crimes and hatred and disappointment, of joys and hopes and running and clouds and grass and trees. However, the crowd’s pleas and the Governor’s astonished face are not enough to convince Colin to cross that finish line. It is a great finale to a great film, and one of cinema’s great “f*ck you” moments.

My Favorite Films of 2012 (finally)

Living in Kalamazoo, Michigan means not being able to see all the new releases in a timely manner. After finally catching Rust and Bone (on DVD) and Amour (playing to a sold out audience at Western Michigan University) over the last couple weeks, I feel I'm finally ready to lay out of my favorite films of 2012. Note that although some of these were released in 2011 in other countries, all of them saw their U.S. debut in 2012.

Here are my 10 favorite films of 2012. These are based on a **** star rating system.

10. The Imposter (2012) - Layton *** 1/2: This documentary was simply spectacular. Fascinating and proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction.
9. Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Russell *** 1/2: Great romantic comedy and hits all the right notes. Wonderful all around cast. Cooper and Lawrence make a great team.
8. The Master (2012) - P.T. Anderson *** 1/2: 2012's strangest and most haunting film. Filled with some of the most intense filmmaking you'll ever see and some of the best acting found anywhere. But at times is impenetrable.
7. The Loneliest Planet (2012) - Loktev ****: Shots, moments and storylines that I've never seen before put on film. For those so inclined, this will be a quiet and rewarding film.
6. 2 Days in New York (2012) - Delpy ****: The best comedy of 2012 and a great throwback to classic screwball comedies. I love Delpy.

5. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - W. Anderson ****: Anderson's best film since The Royal Tenenbaums. A thorough delight....melancholy and filled with yearning. Beautiful cinematography and design.

4. Amour (2012) - Haneke ****: This film will break you. Dark, moving, and intense. It doesn't let up until the end. Wonderful performances from Trintingant, Riva, and Huppert.

3. Lincoln (2012) - Spielberg ****: Brings history to life, and makes it surprisingly relevant. The cast is perfect, and Spielberg strikes just the right tone. A beautiful film.

2. The Deep Blue Sea (2011) - Davies ****: A sad and tragic look at the life of a woman caught between comfort and passion, and not able to settle into either. Rachel Weisz gives the best performance of the year by an actress. She's amazing, and the cinematography and score are memorably impressive.

1. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) - Bigelow ****: 2012's most perfect film. Bigelow and Chastain hit all the right notes and the film connects viscerally and emotionally for its entire running length. Unforgettable. Sure to rouse opinions from anyone who sees it.

And here's all the rest of the new releases that I saw from 2012, with a short blurb of what I liked or didn't like about them.

Anna Karenina (2012) - Wright ** 1/2: Great cinematography and set design, but rings hollow.

Arbitrage (2012) - Jarecki ***: Fine performances in this taut little suspenser.

Argo (2012) - Affleck ** 1/2: Empty entertainment and one of the most overrated films of the year.

Bernie (2012) - Linklater ***: Brilliant performance by Jack Black in this quirky film.

Brave (2012) - Andrews ***: Fine family fare. My kids love this one.

Compliance (2012) - Zobel * 1/2: Yucky and sensationalist.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - Nolan * 1/2: Bloated and overrated beyond compare.

Django Unchained (2012) - Tarantino ** 1/2: Half-hearted Tarantino.

The Five Year Engagement (2012) - Stoller ***: Solid rom-com and really funny.

Flight (2012) - Zemeckis **: A film that doesn't know what point to make.

Footnote (2011) - Cedar ***: Funny and smart film from Israel.

Found Memories (2011) - Murat ** 1/2: No real drive or importance.

Goodbye First Love (2012) - Hansen-Love **: Cliched and forgettable.

The Grey (2012) - Carnahan ***: Solid actioner that gets better throughout.

Haywire (2012) - Soderbergh ** 1/2: Action film that doesn't leave one with any impression.

Hitchcock (2012) - Gervasi ** 1/2: Entertaining but there's no reason for its existence.

The Hobbit (2012) - Jackson **: Boooorrrrring.

Holy Motors (2012) - Carax ***: Interesting experiment. Not wholly successful but excellent in parts.

Hope Springs (2012) - Frankel * 1/2: What were Streep and Jones thinking? Steve Carrell miscast.

The Hunger Games (2012) - Ross ***: One of 2012's funnest movies.

The Impossible (2012) - Bayona ** 1/2: Too short for the material. A bit offputting at the end too.

The Kid with the Bike (2011) - Dardennes ** 1/2: More of the same from the Dardennes.

Killer Joe (2012) - Friedkin * 1/2: VERY atmospheric, but ultimately sort of ugly for ugly's sake.

Killing Them Softly (2012) - Dominik ** 1/2: One of 2012's great misfires.

A Late Quartet (2012) - Zilberman ** 1/2: I didn't believe the actors as accomplished musicians.

Lawless (2012) - Hillcoat **: Unnecessarily violent and wasted the talent of good actors.

Les Miserables (2012) - Hooper ***: A very solid musical filled with good performances.

The Life of Pi (2012) - Lee ***: Inspiring and solid film.

Looper (2012) - Johnson **: Back to the Future meets Blade Runner.....with poor results.

Monsieur Lazhar (2011) - Falardeau ***: Moving portrait of a class and a teacher.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011) - Ceylon ***: Solid film if a bit overrated.

Oslo, August 31st (2011) - Trier ** 1/2: Retread of The Fire Within misses the mark for me.

The Paperboy (2012) - Daniels *: 2012's WORST movie.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) - Chbosky ***: Solid second half and Watson is great.

Prometheus (2012) - Scott ** 1/2: Entertaining film, but not up to Alien or Aliens.

Rust and Bone (2012) - Audiard ***: Solid performances and fine cinematography.

Skyfall (2012) - Mendes ** 1/2: Does Bond have to be SO SERIOUS?

Take This Waltz (2011) - Polley ***: Uneven, but has some great elements and Williams is amazing.

To Rome with Love (2012) - Allen ***: Really funny and touching film from Woody.

The Turin Horse (2011) - Tarr ***: Worth another look someday. Might be better on repeat viewing.

The Well-Digger's Daughter (2012) - Auteuil ***: Elegant and beautiful melodrama.

One, Two, Three (1961) - Directed by Billy Wilder

This post is being re-run, with some added thoughts, in honor of The James Cagney Blogothon, hosted by The Movie Projector. 

Several of Billy Wilder's films are significant works and among the greatest films of all time.   His output, particularly up through the early 1960’s is a cavalcade of great movies. I wonder, though, if One, Two, Three qualifies as underrated? It certainly qualifies as a masterful satirical comedy, one of Wilder’s downright funniest films. But it gets lost in the shuffle. Preceding its 1961 release, there was the 1-2 punch of Some Like it Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960), arguably Wilder’s best films, containing the electricity of stars like Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, and Shirley MacLaine. One, Two, Three may not get the same attention because it stars an aging James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Pamela Tiffin, Arlene Francis, and Liselotte Pulver. But Cagney turns in one of his greatest and funniest performances here. Was the man ever funnier than in this film? Was he ever more fiery, passionate, and amazing than in this film? It is as much a crowning achievement for him in his career as it is another Wilder masterpiece. But it's Cagney's performance that makes the material really work.

Oh the hilarious joys of this film are a sheer delight. Based on a one-act Hungarian play from 1929 and a plot sort of borrowed from Ninotchka (1939) (which Wilder co-wrote), Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond wrote this script which revolves around C.R. MacNamera (Cagney), an executive for Coca-Cola who is based in West Berlin. He’s aiming for a head job leading Western Europe and is banking on his proposed introduction of Coke to the Soviet Union as his ultimate achievement to get the promotion. He also has a wife (Arlene Francis) and 2 kids at home. C.R. gets a call from the home base in Atlanta from his boss Mr. Hazeltine in Atlanta saying that he’s sending his daughter Scarlett (Pamela Tiffin) to Europe and wants her to stay with the MacNameras. C.R. reluctantly takes the responsibility. He realizes he’s into a huge mess, though, after Scarlett winds up falling in love with and marrying a communist named Otto Piffl (Horst Buchholz) while in Berlin under his watch. MacNamera has further complications when Mr. Hazeltine comes to visit and MacNamera has only a few hours to turn the Communist into a distinguished European gentleman before Mr. Hazeltine arrives.



Most of this film’s comedy is a satirical hodge-podge filled with communist jokes, but no one is really spared. Everything from American patriotism to Nazism is given full assault here: MacNamera’s assistant named Schlemmer, who repeatedly clicks his heals together every time he’s given a command; his secretary who provides fringe benefits; Otto Piffle’s hilarious communist pronouncements; Scarlett’s southern heritage; even the spread of mega-corporations globally and the use of lavish gifts and under-the-table bribes. It’s all played at an uproarious pace, especially in the blistering second half, on the level of traditional screwball comedies like His Girl Friday (1940) and Bringing Up Baby (1938). Of course it’s all rather silly and over-the-top, but this sort of material begs for this treatment.

This film ultimately belongs to James Cagney, though. This would be the last film he would appear in until Ragtime (1981), but it’s arguably his greatest performance in any film that I've ever seen him in. He simply owns this film and devours it beginning to end. His lightning paced dialogue and snappy timing are simply stunning and on the order of supernatural. There’s a scene toward the end of the film where he’s rattling off a list of items needed acquiring to his secretary and the delivery is astoundingly quick and punchy. You take pause and marvel at him as you watch it. It might be my single favorite Cagney moment of all time. How the heck could he talk that fast and still be coherent? For most of the film he is worked up into a gloriously nervous lather. His character is rather a conniving rat, but he’s pure fun to watch! For those with the background information, look for some humorous nods to previous films that Cagney appeared in. Also, a couple things of note as I did a bit of background on this. Apparently, Cagney hated Buchholz, saying of him, “this Horst Buchholz character I truly loathed. Had he kept on with his little scene-stealing didoes, I would have been forced to knock him on his ass, which I would have very much enjoyed doing." Another thing of note is that at the beginning of Wilder’s shoot in Berlin, the Berlin Wall was just being built. Thus, the tone in relations between nations as the film was released went south, causing the film to fail at the box office. It really should be seen though and is not only one of Wilder’s best films, but one of the all-time great comedies from this era, even presaging the Cold War lampooning that Kubrick would examine in his masterful Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). But the most memorable thing about the film is Cagney. His remarkable talent and timing is on display here in all it's perfection.

Roger Ebert....R.I.P.

If I could name any film critic that had an influence on me, it would be Roger Ebert. I think it was his conversational approach and emotional honesty. Something was personal for me when I read his words. I felt like even if I disagreed with him, I still always understood where he was coming from. Just yesterday I read his most recent blog post where he admitted that cancer had come upon him again. Yet he was still so optimistic. We have lost him now. This is a sad day.

On two occasions I met the man. I attended the University of Illinois, his alma mater. While there, I had the opportunity to volunteer for his "Ebertfest", which was his film festival that he holds every year in April at the glorious Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign, IL. I remember greeting him and opening the door for him at the back of the theater, as I was a "crowd-support" volunteer. It was at the beginning of the opening night showing of Patton, back in 2002. He was gracious to me.

A few years later, while living in Chicago, I went to see him speak at a Barnes and Noble store, at the Orchard Creek Mall, back in 2005. Well he was signing my copy of his "Great Movies volume I" and I told him that I had a lot of fun volunteering at his festival. He told me that he really appreciated my help and thanked me for that.

In the book, he signed it, "Thanks for Ebertfest".....Roger Ebert.