This is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every week.
PLOT: Two oversexed teenage boys and an attractive older woman set out on a road trip to a beach that doesn't exist. During their travels each of them experiences an unexpected awakening.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: This movie is known for its graphic sex scenes. However, there is considerably more to this film. The characters who inhabit Y Tu Mamá También's world, especially Luisa (Maribel Verdú), all have very deep, incredibly complex personalities. The scene that stuck with me the most is relatively PG, but is also absolutely devastating.
Luisa, the gorgeous "older woman" (whose character is probably younger than I am, yikes), talks on the phone with her unfaithful husband. The film has previously implied that she is facing disastrous health issues. As her relationship and life fall apart, she breaks down into sobs. In the phone booth's glass we see the reflection of the two boys (Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal) bounding around, playing fooseball and acting like teenage assholes. This moment sums up her world vs. their world. Her life is in shambles while they are so caught up in their prime they don't notice her distress.
When the producers tried to buy the rights to Frank Zappa's
"Watermelon in Easter Hay" they were told that Zappa had
requested that this song would never be played in any media outside the original album. However, Frank's widow saw the movie when editing was almost complete. She agreed to make an exception because she believed Zappa would be
proud of the film.
Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki said he used "90% natural light". Only a few scenes include additional lighting.
On his bedroom wall, one of the two boys has a poster from the movie Harold and Maude (1971), another film about a young man who has a sexual relationship with an older woman.
WHO IS THIS MOVIE FOR?: As I mentioned above, this movie has some very graphic sex scenes. While I would encourage viewers to not be turned away by this, I have to be realistic. Y Tu Mamá También isn't for everyone.
However, I think even more viewers will turned away because the two boys act like total dicks. I certainly don't expect (or want) characters who act like cherubs but there where some scenes when I wanted to smack these two guys over the head with an oatmeal spoon. Not enough to hurt them, just enough to put them in a mild coma.
That being said, there are tremendous character arches and these two guys do develop as the movie progresses. If you are looking for a coming of age road trip movie this one will probably be right up your alley.
I also want to add that for some reason, I have always associated this film with Nico and Dani. The two movies are thematically very similar. If you like one you'll probably enjoy the other.
Also, lets not forget that this is an Alfonso Cuarón movie. If you're a fan, this film should already be on your list, especially if you want to see where he developed the documentary, long-take style he perfected in Children of Men.
That being said, don't pick up this movie simply because you enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Iwon't say there are zero similarities (both movies are about young men growing up), but Y Tu Mamá También is magical in a very different way.
(I've noticed that I've made Harry Potter references three movie posts in a row now.)
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?: Netflix Instant. It is also available to rent ($3.99) or buy ($12.99) on Amazon. I'm sure you could also borrow it from many public or university library systems.
RUNTIME: 106 Minutes (exact same as Devil's Backbone, from a few weeks back)
My wife and I attended March For Our Lives in DC this past
Saturday.
It was exciting, moving, exhilarating, powerful, exhausting
and a thousand other adjectives.
Apparently A LOT of teachers attend these marches. I kept
getting high fives for my sign and people stopped me to take photos and ask if I was a teacher (My parents were. It's not genetic).
One group of teachers even asked if they could have their
photo taken with me.
I knew several people who attended. We randomly ran
into one , but it would have been impossible to find any others even
though I later learned some were standing just a few feet away.
It’s weird to think that there were friends I had not seen
since high school just a couple hundred feet from me but I couldn’t see
them.
If you have never been to a march like this one, seriously
attend. If you are physically able to go, please go. Yes, it’s claustrophobic;
yes, you have to stand for hours; yes, it’s emotionally overwhelming
but it’s worth it. If I can handle the crowd, you can handle the crowd.
This march and the 2017 Women’s March were unbelievably cramped but everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) was polite. No one lost
their temper. No one shoved or started a fight.
There's nothing quite like being in a massive crowd of polite people.
All of the speakers were fantastic. They were all focused
and well-spoken. I know a lot of the media are painting them as ignorant
kids who want to sneak into your homes and steal your hunting rifles, but that
is not the case.
Even if you are a life-long conservative, even if you are a
gun owner, seriously consider taking part in one of these marches. My favorite signs
were ones that read “Republicans for Gun Control!” or “Hunters for Gun Control!” I wish I had gotten my phone out in time to take a photo of these.
Yes I’m a liberal. Yes a lot of us who attended are liberals. But
this isn’t a liberal vs. conservative issue. This is a life vs. death issue.
Also, don’t make the same mistake I made during the Women’s March, write a message on BOTH sides of your sign.
This is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every week.
PLOT: In northern Australia, an Indigenous Aboriginal man named Minygululu (Peter Minygululu) realizes that his younger brother, Dayindi (Jamie Gulpilil), is in love with one of his three wives. During a hunting trip, he tells Dayindi a story set during the time of their ancestors. Through the story the impatient younger brother learns how find balance in life.
Just a heads up, the above trailer is NSFW because it contains a good deal of non-sexual nudity.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: The audience learns all the horrors that might befall you if an evil sorcerer gets a hold of your feces. He could put it in a tree and every time the branches rub together you will suffer from a sore throat. He could set it on fire and kill you. Or he could use it to steal your soul. Not the kind of magic taught at Hogwarts.
IMDB TRIVIA
Ten Canoes was the first major Australian feature completely filmed in an Indigenous language.
The canoes in the film were made according to original tribal methods,
using directions from elders who had not made them for at least fifty
years.
During shooting in the remote Arafura
Swamp, the crew required eleven crocodile spotters.
WHO IS THIS MOVIE FOR?: Anyone who is a fan of Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life, Badlands) will love the natural beauty and mythic themes found in this film. I would also recommend this movie to people who want to see a film set in a culture seldom represented in Hollywood. In many ways Ten Canoes is unlike anything else I have seen before.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?: Netflix DVD. You can also buy the DVD on Amazon but the first price that came up for me was $67.99. So, yeah, just get it from Netflix.
This is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every week.
In honor of Guillermo del Toro recently winning best Director and Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards for The Shape of Water, this week I decided to go with one of his first (and one of his best) films.
PLOT: After Carlos, a 12-year-old whose father died in the Spanish Civil
War, arrives at a remote orphanage, he discovers that the school is
haunted...and that's just the start of his problems.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: A bomb that was recently dropped from an enemy aircraft sticks up in the middle of the orphanage's courtyard. Boys play around the weapon, not giving it any mind. Carlos (Fernando Tielve), is assured that the bomb has been deactivated. He playfully kicks the bomb and presses his ear to its outer shell. Metal clangs within the mechanical guts. Something is still alive in there, waiting to explode.
The director has also said that the film was strongly inspired by
his own personal memories of his uncle, who supposedly came back as a
ghost.
The design of the ghost was inspired by the white-faced spirit in Japanese horror films like Ringu (Thank you Ringu. You will always live in our nightmares.)
Guillermo del Toro worked on this film for sixteen years. He started
writing it when he was in college. (So let that inspire those of you
who have novels, screenplays and symphonies hidden in your drawers.)
WHO IS THIS MOVIE FOR?: Fans of films like The Others or The Witch should definitely check this movie out. The atmosphere is potent and seeps under your skin. While I have not yet seen The Orphanage(sorry, I know, I know) I have heard that these two movies are extremely similar. The Orphanage was even produced by del Toro and the two movies share similar plots and even images.
I was once swapping obscure horror movie recommendations with someone at work. He said something along the lines of, "I want something totally messed up, something were even the dog dies." This wouldn't be the movie for him.
Don't get me wrong, The Devil's Backbone has some very unsettling moments (Spoiler Alert: children do die). However, while there are several classic horror ghost scenes the true terror comes from the atmosphere and the turbulent times in which these children live (the movie is set during the Spanish Civil War). In a way the film is more melancholy than it is disturbing. It is a truly beautiful ghost story with images and characters that will stay with you long after the the dedication at the end, "To my parents."
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT? The movie is available on Netflix DVD. It is also available to rent ($3.99) or buy (12.99) on Amazon.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?: I borrowed a copy from the Baltimore County Public Library. If your public library has a decent collection of foreign films I'm sure you can get it from there for free. Otherwise, it is available on Netflix DVD and it is available to rent ($3.99) or buy ($12.99) on Amazon.
PLOT: A dark comedy composed of six short stories. Each story explores the extremities of human behavior in suspenseful and hilarious ways.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: Gun to my head, if I really had to choose just one I'd pick the first (and shortest) of the tales. A beautiful woman riding in an airplane discovers that the man sitting across the aisle from her is a music critic who once professionally and emotionally destroyed her ex-boyfriend. They soon realize that a woman sitting nearby was a teacher who was once very hard on him. It turns out everyone on the flight had at one time or another hurt or betrayed this emotionally unstable young man.
Guess who's flying the plane.
IMDB TRIVIA:
Images of wild animals appear during the opening credits. When the director's name appears it is accompanied with a fox. The director (Szifron) stated that this was because his father loved foxes so much and used to watch documentaries on them.
In the third tale the character of Diego (Leonardo Sbaraglia) identifies a bridge as being at the 60th kilometer between Cafayate and Salta. The scene really was filmed at that exact location. The spot became a tourist attraction after the movie was released.
Damián Szifrón wrote
most of the tales in his bathtub.
Anthology films are a highly effective form of filmmaking. These movies (which include works such as Pulp Fiction and Creepshow) weave together short vignettes that could theoretically be their own movies. Instead, they are reduced to ten to thirty minute segments in which all the extra fat has been trimmed away. There is minimal buildup as the audience is taken directly to the climax.
Most anthology films are connected by plot, characters or setting. There might be a frame story, or the hero of one segment might have a cameo in the next. However, Wild Tales doesn't have a frame story. The characters don't meet and the plots never overlap. The only connection is that every one of the "tales" includes a character who loses control and crosses the line between civilization and savagery.
Most of us get a great deal of pleasure from dramas and comedies about mild-mannered human beings who are pushed until they resort to their barbaric nature. Just look at popular shows like Breaking Bad or Dexter. These are works about characters who do the polar opposite of what society wants from them.
One of the most common pieces of advice given to aspiring writers is to have active characters. Many of us don't want a heroine who slinks into a miserable marriage after she learns on her wedding day that her new husband has been cheating on her. We want a character like the sixth tale's Romina (Erica Rivas) who flings her husband's lover through a mirror.
None of the stories in Wild Tales are connected in terms of plot, but the common theme of ordinary people being pushed over the edge is so strong, each segment support the others. Nothing feels unnecessary or out of place.
I once had a film teacher who said he'd always wanted to give an assignment in which every student in the class made a short film centered around a common object. Then he would edit these films together to create one, feature length movie. Wild Tales proves that anthology films don't need common characters, events or frame stories. All they need is a theme strong enough to support a single, unforgettable masterpiece.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT?: Netflix Instant. I actually discovered this movie on this website: "10 African Movies to Watch on Netflix." One can theoretically buy it on Amazon but at the moment they appear to be out of stock.
PLOT: An estranged couple discusses their marriage on a
road trip. During the long drive, memories and secrets
are revealed, threatening the future of their relationship.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: When the audience sees the couple (Genevieve Nnaji and Oris Erhuero) together for the first time. Victoria, the wife, has recently arrived from the airport after being away for three weeks and is surprised to find her husband, Izu, still living in their house. Very little is said but the tension is almost unbearable.
Spoilers Below There is a scene early in the film when Izu drives home drunk. He swerves into the wrong lane and the windshield is filled with the oncoming car's headlights. In the next scene, Izu wakes Victoria at four in the morning and insists that they leave immediately for his uncle's funeral. The rest of the movie follows the couple on their road trip. Through heated conversation and flashbacks, the audience learns the secrets they have kept from one another. The film ends (sorry, I warned there were spoilers) with the two of them in a hotel room where they forgive one another.
Then, Victoria wakes up. She is in a hospital room. Izu lies in the bed, dying from injuries he received in the car accident that took place at the beginning of the film.
Everything that took place after the car accident, the road trip, the conversations and the eventual reconciliation was all a dream.
I'm just going to come out and say it. I've always hated movies/TV episodes that end with "It was a dream the whole time." And yes, I'm looking at you, Wizard of Oz. Even when I was a kid I didn't care for that "children's classic" because nothing matters in it. Dorothy could have been eaten by the cowardly lion or the flying monkeys or could have just stayed in Munchkin Land and she would have still woken up safe in Kansas (where Ms. Gulch still wants to put down poor Toto).
I was initially just as frustrated with The Road to Yesterday, but as I watched the film's conclusion I realized that it uses the twist to its advantage. This is a very dream-like movie, not in a surreal David Lynch-ian sort of way, but in the sense that the film moves back and forth through time. Not even the flashbacks take place in chronological order. There are moments where one has to stop and wonder if they are watching the character's past, present, or even future.
Also, one has to wonder if Victoria's vision really was only a dream. She wakes from her long sleep with her head resting beside her dying husband's body. One could interpret that Izu's spirit lingered long enough to go on this "road trip" in order to work out their conflicts before they parted. This farewell is the meat of the story. Had the film been about Victoria avoiding mortal danger the dream element would not have worked because by the end the audience would have realized she was safe in the hospital room. However, she is facing emotional rather than physical stakes. This is a conflict that can be worked out in a dream.
Even during the movie the audience was given the impression that Victoria and Izu would probably not work out in the long run. A "happily ever after" ending would ring false. Instead, this is a story of two souls parting. It is too late for them to bid farewell in the physical world so they do it in the spiritual.
The "it was a dream the whole time" ending is (thankfully) not used as much these days as it was in the first half of the twentieth century. While I don't know if I'll ever find it a totally satisfying conclusion, The Road to Yesterday is one film that uses this ending to its advantage to make the film more unique.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT? Netflix DVD. It is available on Amazon Video to rent ($3.99) or buy ($12.99).
PLOT: A S.W.A.T. team is trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers. (That pretty much sums it up.)
MEMORABLE MOMENT: The crime lord (Ray Sahetapy) discovers that that a S.W.A.T. team has breached his building. He gets on a PA system and tells the dozens (possibly hundreds) of killers residing in the apartments that they will receive great reward if they help kill the intruders. The officers look to one another, knowing that within seconds they will be overwhelmed by a force they are not equipped to handle.
This is an unbearably tense scene, a final moment of calm before all chaos breaks loose. I would compare it to the opening moments of the prison riot sequence in Natural Born Killers and the end of the first act of Jurassic Park.
IMDB TRIVIA:
Every actor who played a member of the SWAT team went through a rigorous training program with KOPASKA (essentially the Indonesian equivalent of the Navy SEALs). They studied several techniques including weapons and hand signals.
The original title Serbuan Maut means Death Raid in English. (Personally, I prefer this title to The Raid: Redemption, which is kind of vanilla by comparison.)
The movie's tagline mentions "30 floors of chaos" but
the apartment building in the movie only features 14 floors, 15 if you
count the ground floor. (The poster I used above features a building with about twenty floors.)
The Raid: Redemption might be the
simplest movie I have ever seen in terms of plot (including Die Hard and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).The film tells the story of cops trapped in a building who need to fight
their way through an army of killers to survive. And that’s pretty much it. Not much else to say.
Most people (including myself) didn’t walk into this movie for the story. They
came to it for the chaotic ballet of marital arts and the “Did they actually
just do that?” stunts. However, as simple (and possibly irrelevant) as the
story might be, The Raid still follows
a very familiar template found in countless books, movie, graphic novels and
even ancient legends. This template is often known as the Hero’s journey and
was made popular by world renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell.
These steps are often used to outline epic stories such as The Odyssey,Star Wars and The Lord of the
Rings. However the plot of this
seemingly simple movie fits in with the same pattern.
1. ORDINARY WORLD: The Raid begins with our hero, Rama (Iko Uwais), praying and exercising in his home. He kisses his pregnant wife goodbye before leaving the house. This is a very domestic scene, similar to countless moments that take place around the world every day.
In LOTR's this step would be Frodo's life in the Shire. In Star Wars it's Luke's life as a whiny farm boy on Tatooine.
2. CALL TO ADVENTURE: Rama joins the rest of his team in the back of a police truck and their Sergeant (Joe Taslim) describes their mission: eliminate crime lord Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy), who owns a tenement house and allows criminals around the city to rent rooms under his protection.
In this movie the call to adventure comes from a police Sergeant. In other stories it often comes from old men with beards or god-like figures.
3 REFUSAL OF THE CALL: Most stories don't include every single step, much less in this order and The Raid isn't an exception. It nearly skips over this portion of the hero's journey.
Unlike Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins or Tony Stark, Rama doesn't refuse his "adventure." However, he does appear apprehensive in the back of the van. When an audience member first watches the film they assume he is worried about leaving his family for a potentially suicidal mission, but later in the movie we realize there's another reason for his reluctance.
4 MEETING THE MENTOR (part 1): The Raid splits this step in two. As Rama and the rest of the team breach the building they encounter Gofar (Iang Darmawan). At the time they think of him as nothing more than an impoverished man caring for his sick wife.
5 CROSSING THE THRESHOLD: Sometimes this is a physical threshold (Luke Skywalker entering the Death Star) or a psychological one (Tony Stark deciding he has to destroy the weapons his company created).
In the case of The Raid it is both. Crossing the threshold is the "memorable moment" I described above: The S.W.A.T. team is discovered, and the crime lord calls upon his tenants to kill them. Most of the team is slaughtered. Rama and only a few other survivors are now trapped in a building surrounded by snipers. They need to fight their way out.
Tons of spoilers after this point!
4. MEETING THE MENTOR (pt 2): This is where Gofar truly becomes helpful. He hides Rama and his injured team member, Bowo (Teger Satrya) and gives advice on how to escape.
6. TESTS, ALLIES, ENEMIES (AKA: Balrogs, Ron/Hermione, Storm Troopers): Rama is confronted again and again by dozens of thugs armed with guns and machetes. They fight through hallways, rooms and fire escapes. It's a lot like watching someone else play a very realistic video game. He's very short on allies, save for Gofar and the injured Bowo.
7. APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE: Obviously, this is a symbolic cave. In this step Frodo is overcome by the ring. Skywalker and Co. fight their way through the Death Star.
In The Raid, Rama is confronted by Andi (Donny Alamsyah), one of the crime lord's two lieutenants. The audience now learns that Rama and Andi are brothers. Rama volunteered for the mission to save his family. Andi refuses to leave his life of crime and they reluctantly part ways.
8. ORDEAL: This is the step in which the hero decides to face his/her greatest challenge. Simba leaves his relaxing life to fight his uncle. Neo decides to rescue Morpheus. Harry and the others decide to save the Philosopher's stone.
In this case, Rama has a way out of the building but decides to remain to save any other surviving team members.
9. REWARD (SEIZING THE SWORD): This one speaks for itself. It's Harry retrieving the philosopher's stone or Luke finding purpose among the rebels returning to destroy the Death Star.
In the case of The Raid, Rama rescues his brother from the crime lord's other lieutenant, Mad Dog, who is beating him to death. They team up to defeat the psychopath and have a more meaningful (if brief) reunion.
10. THE ROAD BACK: This is more or less the beginning of the end. Luke returns to the Death Star or Frodo and Sam finally arrive at their destination.
As the brothers attempt to leave the building together, Rama learns that Lt. Wahyu (Pierre Gruno), the man who organized the raid, is a corrupt cop and was sent to kill Tama, the crime lord, in an attempt to destroy a competitor. In this scene Tama is killed and Wahyu is taken into custody.
11. RESURRECTION: This is generally considered the climax of the story. Luke destroys the Death Star (yay!) or Neo realizes he is the one (duh).
The two brothers survive the slaughter in the tenement building and leave together with Wahyu in custody. Rama tries to convince Andi to come with him but Andi refuses. He is determined to remain in the world of crime.
12 RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR: The hero gains his/her reward. Frodo leaves Middle Earth to live with the elves. Simba takes his place as king of pride rock.
Rama and Bowo leave the tenement building alive and the film ends. In this case the "elixir" is the imprisoned Wahyu. The corrupt cop who instigated the massacre has been captured and there is hope for justice (in the sequel).
The fact that The Raid follows the hero's journey does not automatically put it on the same level as classic epics or pop culture sagas (although it is a very fun/adrenaline pumping movie). However, it does support the concept that no matter how irrelevant the plot may seem, most stories follow similar patterns.
The twelve steps of the Hero's Journey aren't only relevant to action movies or fantasy adventures, either. You can find the same template in many romance stories or family dramas. Perhaps I will make a similar post next time I watch a quiet, down to earth movie.
