There was a time a while back; sometime late in that horrific period called the 90s, where it seemed, at least to me, that Kevin Bacon whipped out his “schlong” at very inappropriate moments. It was like a mutated form of the 80s mandatory tit shot. At any rate I’m here to tell you that Frost/Nixon (2008) is totally safe for people with penile phobia, and not half bad to boot.

I enjoyed Frost/Nixon mainly because I don’t know that much about arguably one of the most controversial/vilified American presidents of all time, nor had I ever heard of David Frost. To this extent it’s all well appreciated news to me. I also thoroughly enjoy the “lack” of action in Frost/Nixon, the emphasis instead placed upon dialogue and acting prowess. I suspect for this exact same reason some people will not enjoy the film, finding it to be dull and slow moving. However, then again I’m not so sure who would be expecting that, based upon the title of the film, in the first place. The supporting casts of Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt are excellent along with the two lead roles.

The real key gripe I do have is not with the film itself but its 5 Oscar nominations, specifically the one for best picture. That Frost/Nixon is there and The Wrestler (2008) is not, is to put it bluntly, “a fucking travesty!” That doesn’t diminish this film but it is out of the 5 nominees the one that least belongs, essentially stealing the spot from Aronofsky’s film.

Ah, my weekend pause from the bowels of WordPress has come to a close. I took the time to remodel then decadently sit back and marvel at my work. It appears I returned to reality just in time as my list of blog topics from this past week has begun to spiral out of control. I saw three films this week, and listened to a fair amount of music. Some good some bad, one of the “bads” in this case was the first film I screened this week, Gomorra (2008).

There are a lot of reviews on Gomorra that throw around film adjectives like neorealism, and cinéma vérité in their attempts to praise the film. Supposedly Gomorra is in the business of making mafias and gangsters less attractive, dispelling myths that exist in popular culture. Personally speaking I think the only thing that is made unattractive here is the film itself.

My opinion has a lot to do with having watched Three Monkeys the evening prior to Gomorra. This fact essentially killed any kind of love or appreciation I could have had for Gomorra’s cinematography or technical achievements, since they pale in comparison to Three Monkeys. Without technical factors to appreciate, Gomorra degenerates into a film consisting of five separate stories that the director consciously never weaves together. The problem here is that beyond one of the five stories there is hardly any character development, no conclusions given and or motivation to augment the characters’ actions. I very rarely am ever disturbed by glaring holes in a film but this was simply impossible to overlook with Gomorra. Save your time and money and don’t believe the hype on this one.

When I thumbed through the film festival catalog a few weeks back the film Sauna (2008) stood out amongst the films labeled as “Nordic”, appropriately like a “black thumb”.

Sauna is to a large extent technically amazing, I have come to expect no less from Nordic films, making great use of the feelings present in the natural rugged landscapes existent in Finland directly from its opening shot. The film’s subject material and metaphorical base is clearly laid out and described by its international title, “Filth”. Filth being the substance left behind when two things touch, in this case a border being carved out between Russia and Sweden, subsequently also described as the substance that holds things together. This clever yet simple “spiraling” metaphor is prevalent throughout all aspects of the film, permeating I am sure, the very celluloid it rests upon.

What I found to be so refreshing and fantastic about Sauna was the pure fact that its director, Antti-Jussi Annila, was willing to set a horror film like this in another time period than contemporary times. Not only that but replacing your typical screaming teenagers with that of village people, Russian soldiers, an academic and last but not least an utterly “bad ass” Finnish cavalry master, Erik Spore, who for me rivals the hardness of Marv from Sin City (2005). Throw in a touch of Japanese Kaidan and you’ve got yourself a party!

The film is also able to achieve a great deal of depth to its characters with very little telling of their stories, making it amazingly efficient in this area. This fact coupled with the pristine aesthetics of the film give a real stream lined feeling, smooth, hard and sharp like the edge of a sword.

As aforementioned all of this is refreshing because naturally enough I fail to understand the utter lack of imagination that is present in most films made today, when you have all of history to play with why not break from some genre based conventions and advance them instead. This is what Sauna successfully accomplishes, for once choosing imagination over predictability. Have a look at the trailer below,

It has been difficult to conceive of anything to write about Waltz With Bashir (2008), specifically concerning the content. I guess I could state that I probably have some difficulties when it comes to films that give an historical count of something. So my review of the film to a large extent will not discuss this aspect of the film, nor do I even wish to breach the political discussion or aim of the film. I leave that up to future viewers, ones more educated and interested in these arenas than myself.

What is masterfully done in Waltz With Bashir, is the animation. What specifically catches my eye is the aesthetics of the animated vision, colours used and the shadowing. Within my own photography work I see what colours and shapes I gravitate towards so it’s appreciated to see someone else’s vision as such stand out so clearly. I am sure I will be influenced by the aesthetics Waltz displays in the realm of my own work in the not too distant future.

Beyond the animation the praise that I can bestow upon the film is its lucidity of vision. It reminds me of the first time I watched the animated portions of Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) when I was very young, back when my little tiny brain could still read it directly as it was meant, as pictures of dreams. Now that I am all grown up and definitively can separate the two realities I give Waltz tremendous praise for being able to lend me this feeling of “dreaming while awake” once more. Its exploration into the realms of memory, specifically here those revolving around cataclysmic events, are displayed and presented wonderfully through this angle.

My one true gripe with the film is that its ending, for me, was perhaps far too blatant. It depends who you are, and for me what mood, but I thought directly after the film ended that the vision itself was strong enough to not rely on reality for its conclusion. In afterthought and conclusion, perhaps that could have been the point with the entire film, that the ending was meant to wake us up from the dream to the harsh reality the films subject material consisted of.

When I went to see Mammoth yesterday I went without too many expectations on the film, no baggage to take with me into the movie theater, hadn’t read a single review or synopsis, and I’m very glad that this was the case. The director of Mammoth (2009), Lukas Moodysson is to a large extent Sweden’s own David Fincher, a director who tends to produce, whether it’s your cup of tea or not, stable and decent work every time out. Mammoth, his first film with major international film stars and a sizeable budget, is no black mark on his resume. Had Mammoth come out in 2008, I easily would have had it in my top 5 list, so it definitely has set the bar high early in 2009.

Mammoth more so than anything else critiques the confines of individual prisons that exist within the globally intertwined capitalist society. This is accomplished by showcasing a “modern” New York family, contrasting their individual hells in the race to succeed and obtain more, with that of their Philipino nanny who is in a similar position.

Having already, two hours prior to Mammoth’s showing, been and watched I.O.U.S.A (2008) at the Gothenburg Film Festival I had the perfect set up for this film. Mammoth is a film that intricately and slowly allows us to be aware of some of the insane ways society functions through capitalism, the faulty logic present therein. Moodysson as a director has, as a trademark, shown this typically through the eyes of children (Lilja-4-ever (2002), Fucking Åmål (1998)). It is not difficult again in Mammoth to understand the point that in the end it is always the children who suffer most. Amazingly, for a male director, is also the contrast Moodysson is also able to weave around “responsible” women characters against men who essentially are allowed to run a muck and have fun eventually falling victim to their own genitals.

Mammoth is probably the most engaging movie that I have seen since I’m Not There (2007), requiring one’s complete attention. This requirement, and subsequent lack of attention, was visible at the showing with people mucking about with their mobile phones half way through the film’s 125 minute run time, obviously disinterested at a commercial movie theater’s viewing of a film that is directly critiquing their existences and pursuits. Had I had the same chance that I did last year, that is to write a major academic essay on a film, I would have chosen Mammoth as my subject. Its exploration of the postmodern condition, that all identities and classes are essentially one and the same, suffering from similar ills would have been too meaty for me to pass on. I’m left with only one question that really requires a re-viewing for my theoretical “nerdiness” and that is, if in fact, the words “Intellectual Capital” are flashed across the screen at one point? Even if they are not, it is the perfect answer to the questions the film raises.