THE MISANDRISTS proves a step backward (or, rather, a return to form) for Bruce LaBruce

With Gerontophilia (back in 2013), GLBT director Bruce LaBruce (shown below) proved at last that he could make a movie and tell a story that resonated politically, philosophically, culturally, socially, and emotionally while holding it all together. Up until then, while he'd done each of those things at some point along the way via various films, he usually did this rather clunkily so that plot and politics, humor and emotion (very little of the latter, as I recall) stood apart from each other, never really melding fluently into the whole. Characters would often spout some philosophy before going back "into" character to further the plot.

This was often done humorously (at least I suspect that was B laB's reasoning) but it grew tiresome quickly. With his latest film (made in Germany), THE MISANDRISTS, he's back into this stand-apart format during which the audience is treated to political/gender philosophizing that, despite its being so important to the tale the filmmaker is telling, is still handled clunkily enough to keep getting in the way of his story and its very real and could-have-been-major entertainment value.

I had to look up the word misandrist, and the very idea that I had to do this intrigued me. We're much more familiar with the words misogynist (one who dislikes women) and misanthrope (one who dislikes the human race in general), yet we almost never see or hear misandrist written or spoken -- so unusual is its use in our society, culture and media for us to even be aware of the possibility of singling out the male as the dislikeable object. Mr. LaBruce, no doubt, is more than aware of this. Consequently the patriarchy takes quite a deserved drubbing in his film.

The tale the filmmaker tells takes place in 1999 (for whatever reason -- pre 9-11-2001? -- I'm not sure) in the German countryside in a supposed school for wayward girls, supposedly run by a group of nuns. In reality (or what passes for same in a B laB film), this school's actually a training ground for the Female Liberation Army, which is planning to take over the state, if not the world, by virtue of a secret scheme which we eventually learn at film's finale, and which seems about as goofy and and nonsensical as all else we've seen.

One day, as two of the girls from this school frolic sexually in a field nearby the woods, they encounter a young man -- an out-of-favor leftist -- injured and on-the-run from the authorities. One of the girls decides to rescue him, hiding him in the basement of the school. A few complications ensue. And that's pretty much the entire plot.

Along the way we're treated to the usual philosophizing (sort of), satire (sort of), humor (sort of) and very camp sensibility, the special combination of which is the hallmark of B laB. There are oddball moments of fun (a sudden Charleston done by one of the nuns), lots of sex (mostly lesbian but a little homo, via some gay pornography the girls are made to watch as one of the plot points here), and the filmmaker's penchant for overkill (a pillow fight among the girls that goes on ad infinitum).

LaBruce's goal, it seems, is to convince the world that boundaries -- sexual, gender, political, philosophical -- are all somehow nonsensical. While I can understand and somewhat identify with this idea, he is neither a witty enough writer nor a good enough filmmaker to make his case with any great success. Maybe B sees his role as mostly that of prankster, in which case, he succeeds. Somewhat, at least. Why introduce a "mystery" character peering out of the school's attic window early on and seen periodically along the way, and then never explain her existence in your film -- unless pranking -- and/or upending expectations -- is your main concern?

Performances by the oddball assemble cast are OK overall (they get the job done), but the actor who best exemplifies the B laB style is his semi-regular, Susanne Sachße (shown below), who plays the school's "commandant" with the proper style, subtlety and wit.

If you're already a major fan of B laB's work (outside of Gerontophilia, which is probably way too "mainstream" for his heavy-duty fans), you will probably embrace The Misandrists with much more zest and enjoyment than could I.

You'll get your chance when the movie -- from Cartilage Films and running 91 minutes -- opens this Friday, May 25, in New York City at the Village East Cinema, and the following Friday, June 1, in Los Angeles at the Landmark NuArt. 

The "guaranteed basic income" debate gets another hearing in Christian Tod's smart German documentary, FREE LUNCH SOCIETY

Oh, yes: Here we are yet again back at the old let's-give-everyone-a-guaranteed-basic-income proposition. Turns out there is still plenty to say in favor of this, and -- after a slow beginning that seems to diddle around with only a partial guaranteed income --  the new documentary by Austrian economist and filmmaker, Christian Tod (shown below) entitled FREE LUNCH SOCIETY puts forth a damned good case for bankrolling such a "crazy" plan.

Beginning (and ending his film, too) with Patrick Stewart in a scene from one of those later Star Trek TV episodes, Herr Tod moves to some interesting history: President Richard M. Nixon, of all people, was in favor of such a scheme, but Ronald Reagan, then governor of California, was not and helped sandbag any congressional efforts toward this. Overall and down the decades, certain conservatives, progressives, even Libertarians have been in favor of this -- from Milton Friedman and Charles Allen Murray to Martin Luther King (shown below) and Frances Fox Piven (further below). So the idea is certainly more "bi-partisan" than one might initially imagine.

Perhaps in order to try to coax us gently into all this, Tod offers up Alaska and the manner in which, thanks to the benefits of oil exploration, the state was able to give back to its citizens a certain amount of "free" money each year. Certainly not nearly enough to live on, the income was still greatly appreciated.

As the documentary moves along, however, we grow closer and closer to what could be an amount actually large enough to live on -- frugally, it must admitted, but that's certainly OK. We look at some of the "experiments" here in the USA (usually halted in mid-stream or prior to their even getting under way) toward this goal -- in New Jersey, Seattle and Denver -- and understand, finally, that this idea is less about the distribution of money than it is about the distribution of power. The idea of "rent-seeking" by our current corporations is brought home, as well, and this may be something many of us had not previously thought about in this manner.

Along the way we hear from entrepreneurs such as Götz W. Werner (above) and learn more about Switzerland and even of what the African country of Namibia has attempted along these lines. Much of the film is absolutely thought-provoking and bracing, particularly as regards human behavior and the old caveat that guaranteeing an income will deprive the people of their will to work. We get some fascinating ideas about the citizenry, too -- for instance, how our current power structure prefers us to be consumers rather than responsible and informed citizens.

Finally the film explores the idea of technology and who really benefits from its advancement. As statistics have now proven time and again, it is not the labor market that benefits but those who control capital. This must change.  All ready now...?

From Icarus Films, in English and German with English subtitles, and running 92 minutes, Free Lunch Society is available now on DVD -- for purchase and (I hope) rental.

Bring back the Monarchy! Blu-ray debut for THE SISSI COLLECTION, Ernst Marischka's classic trilogy starring Romy Schneider as Princess Elisabeth of Austria

"Dated" does not begin to describe the look, dialog and attitude to film, history, royalty, family and just about else else on display in the THE SISSI COLLECTION, the five-disc set of Blu-ray transfers of the series of films that were international hits back in the 1950s and turned a certain 17-year-old actresses named Romy Schneider into an worldwide movie star. And yet it is that very dated quality, utterly unapologetic and in-your-face, that makes this collection almost shockingly enjoyable. These of-their-time blockbusters out-Hollywood even Hollywood's attempts at this sort of thing, combining the lavish with the charming in such perfect measure that unsuspecting viewers are likely to find themselves as surprised as they are enrapt.

The work of a writer/director named Ernst Marischka (shown at right), of whom TrustMovies had never heard, the films bespeak that ever-popular "timeless" and fake-historical kind of movie-making (Gone With the Wind is another such) that thrills audiences while sending critics round the bend. Marischka wrote some 96 works and directed 34 films, but none, I suspect, matched the success of these Sissis. And we're talking about a time in which no one had yet imagined CGI effects, so the crowd scenes here use actual crowds, while the pomp and circumstance on view offers so much glitter and gilt that any guilt you might be feeling simply melts away.

From the first scene in the first of the films, as we watch "royalty" in action, so charming, kind and lovable are these characters you'll wonder how and why the monarchy was ever allowed to disappear. SISSI, made in 1955, details Princess Elisabeth's coincidental meeting with Emperor Franz Joseph, played by Karlheinz Böhm, above and below, right (aka Carl Boehm: remember Peeping Tom?), their falling in love and eventual marriage. Any resemblance to actual characters is accidental, of course, but, boy, is the movie sweet, old-fashioned fun.

SISSI: THE YOUNG EMPRESS (1956) follows Sissi's travails as she tries to outmaneuver her dragon-lady of a mother-in-law while helping the country of Hungary turn its fealty toward Austria. She accomplishes both and lots more, while giving birth and holding the marriage together by, of course, remaining true to herself and her ideals.

In SISSI: THE FATEFUL YEARS (1957) , that nasty mom-in-law (Vilma Degischer, above) is still making trouble for poor Sissi, whose health deteriorates some. Still, she manages to do for Austria's Italian provinces pretty much what she did for Hungary, winning hearts, minds and probably other bodily parts, as well. (All three of the Sissi films contain a smattering of international/historical-politics-for-dummies to pass minimum muster.)

The collection also includes two more films: VICTORIA IN DOVER (1954) -- a German version of the Victoria and Albert love story, also starring Ms Schneider and filmed by Marischka -- and FOREVER MY LOVE (1962), a version of the trilogy in which the roughly five-and-one-half hours that make up the three films have been condensed into two-and-one-half and then dubbed into English. I have watched neither of these two "bonus" discs, but the three that make up the Sissi Collection are more than worth their viewing time.

As enchanted as viewers may be by this series, some older ones may find themselves musing on the great success of the trilogy, which came at a time when Germany was still recovering from its recent Nazi past and needed something to feel good about. So turning an Austrian princess into a heroine of the people was not a bad idea, and Ms Schneider could not have been a more delectable nor charming choice for the role. It must have nice to be able to forget the Holocaust, even briefly, by embracing an earlier period pre-Hitler in which everything on view appears quite heavily Christian. And then -- such luck! -- to have the trilogy embraced by international audiences.

Performances all-round are all you could want -- charming, reassuring, expected -- given the time period in which the films were made. The Blu-ray transfers are quite wonderful, as well. Capturing amazing detail in both close-up and the vast scenes of spectacle, the transfer occasionally offers up a little surprise -- such as Ms Schneider raising her arms to wave to her subjects and in the process revealing some armpit hair (European women of the 1950s had not yet collectively embraced the American habit of shaving).

In all The Sissi Collection proves a surprise treat with luscious, endlessly entertaining visuals. From Film Movement Classics and running a total of 600 minutes(!), the collection features the films in both their original 1.37:1 aspect ratio, and in eye-popping 16:9 widescreen (which I watched on our widescreen TV and found pleasing indeed. Bonus features include a 20-page booklet that offers a smart and engaging essay on the films by Farran Smith Nehme. Both the Blu-ray and the DVD editions hit the street this coming Tuesday, November 14 -- for purchase and (I hope) rental.

VODebut: From Germany, Peter Thorwarth's NOT MY DAY proves a funny, crazy delight

That the famous -- and still quite beautiful -- Columbia Pictures logo is the first image we see on-screen for the 2014 German box-office hit NOT MY DAY (Nicht mein tag) should indicate that we have a rather mainstream, Hollywood-inspired European movie on our hands.

Indeed we do, but it's one that's funnier, smarter, more and surprising and appealing than, say, any of those Hangover films. And while the movie is quite obvious about what it is and where it is going, how it gets there--ah!--that's what proves to be so much fun.

In fact, even before the halfway mark arrives, we've already reached the point that would be the finale of any self-respecting U.S. action/comedy/bromance (which this film most definitely is), during which our heroes -- one a criminal/bank robber, the other a nebbishy bank clerk -- have bonded, enjoyed some fun together and gone their separate ways, after a fulfilling, comedic, and now slightly sad bromance. And then the fun really begins.

As co-adapted (from the novel by Ralf Husmann) and directed with energy, verve and pacing good enough to take us through a nearly two-hour time frame (which is long for a comedy) by Peter Thorwarth (shown at right, and yes, his last name does sound like Star Wars with a Castilian accent), Not My Day builds beautifully from an opposites-attract/fish-out-of-water scenario into something a little bit deeper and more original. Nothing profound, mind you, but a good deal better than the crap we often get from Hollywood would-be comedies. Herr Thorwarth was one of the writers responsible for that smart and troubling students-turn-into-fascists film, The Wave, so it's good to see what else this young man has been up to of late.

Not My Day also boasts two terrifically-played performances from its well-chosen leading men: the ever-versatile and stops-out actor Moritz Bleibtreu (above) and a fellow new to TrustMovies but evidently very popular in Germany, Axel Stein (below).

While the wonderful Herr Bleibtreu initially seems to command the movie (as his character does Herr Stein's), once we arrive at the turning point mentioned above, Stein's character Till takes over, and the film grows ever wilder, funnier and crazier, while just managing to hang on to that iota of credibility movies like this one need to stay on track.

On the distaff side, we've got another pair of performers who fill their very different roles quite nicely, too: Jasmin Gerat (above) as Bleibtreu's main squeeze, the take-no-bullshit Nadine, and Anna Maria Mühe (below), as Till's more passively-aggressive partner, Miriam. Both our heroes, as it turns out, are somewhat pussy-whipped fellows.

How the two men bond, fuss and fight makes for a good deal of fun and frolic, and the changes that occur in both of them are are managed by Thorwarth and his co-adaptor Stefan Holtz with enough pizzazz and believability that we easily follow along.

While Bleibtreu does the expected first-class job, Stein gets the more showy role in which he evolves from milquetoast to nutcase and finally into something nicely calibrated between the two. In just about every way, Not My Day proves an example of European mainstream action/comedy/bromance. Yet it is such a good example of this particular genre mash-up that I can only wonder why it's taken so long for the movie to reach us.

The film is being distributed here in the USA by Under the Milky Way, is in German with English subtitles, and runs one hour and fifty-five minutes.

It opens on VOD nationwide this coming Tuesday, July 11 -- on all major platforms including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Microsoft, Vudu, Comcast, Charter, Cox, Vimeo, and various other cable operators.

If you're looking for a divertissement that's glossy, fun, and a just a little different from your usual fare, Not My Day should very nicely fill the bill.

Piotr J. Lewandowski's JONATHAN proves a not-so-hot "family secrets" melodrama

If you enjoy melodramatic movies in which long buried family secrets come to the fore, then JONATHAN -- the new (and first-full-length) German film from Polish-born director Piotr J. Lewandowski -- may be just your cup of tsuris. Most adult filmgoers who've been around the block once or twice will be far ahead of both the title character and the film he occupies in terms of figuring out exactly what's going on here. Heavy-handed does not begin to describe the movie's style.

Cancer, chemo-therapy, and "I can't go on!" are all present and accounted for, as is a budding "first love," and Lewandowski, shown at left, packs them all in with a vengeance. Unfortunately, the title character is something of a major twat, although the actor who plays him (Jannis Niewöhner, shown above and below) is hunky enough to keep us watching and would probably seem a perfectly good actor when seen in less turgid material.

Jonathan behaves so poorly throughout that his redemption at the finale seems both stupid and unearned. Granted, the filmmaker enjoys piling it on, and if you happen to be a sucker for that sort of thing, Jonathan is definitely made for you.

Early there's a shot of a spider and fly, and we see spiders again off and on throughout, along with moths attracted to (if not the flame) the bright light. Lest you imagine some symbolism here, as did I, after a time it seems that the filmmaker is instead merely giving us a closer look at "the natural world." The movie, set in the lush countryside of a farming community where Jonathan, his father and aunt all labor, is certainly easy on the eyes, foliage-wise.

Dad (André Hennicke, above, left) has terminal cancer, however, and though his son takes care of him, communication does not seem to have been one of their more valued endeavors. "Tell me about mama," Jon queries his dad at one point, following this with, "I don't know anything about her." Hello: You're asking this now?

The less said about the film's utterly schlocky finale -- with light pouring from the heavens yet! --  the better. Enough to know that every scene goes on perhaps twice as long as it needs to make its point. Still, Thomas Sarbacher, below, makes a very impressive old friend of dad, while Julia Koschitz, above, proves a pretty, sprightly caretaker-cum-lady love. The rest of the cast is as fine as the material allows.

Running a seemingly forever 99 minutes, the movie -- in German with English subtitles -- will be released this Tuesday, February 7th, in the U.S. and Canada on DVD and VOD via Wolfe Video -- for purchase/rental.  

The Bushmen (and women) are back -- in Simon Stadler/Catenia Lermer's GHOSTLAND

The very first scene of GHOSTLAND -- African natives viewing an airplane -- a new documentary about the bush people of Namibia, may have us elders recalling a very popular, though to my mind rather heavy-handed and condescending movie called The Gods Must Be Crazy, which detailed a Bushman's interface with modernity in a highly comic manner. This new movie, while having its funny moments, is much more even-handed (the earlier film was a narrative, in any case), as it shows us a bush tribe undergoing some change and adaptation to the world of today.

As co-written (with Catenia Lermer) and directed by Simon Stadler (the latter shown at right) -- this is a first film for each of them -- the movie makes up in simplicity, honesty and feeling what it may lack in slick professionalism. It captures the character -- individually and as a group -- of this unusual Ju'Hoansi tribe in ways that range from funny and charming to quietly compelling. The movie also makes its points without condescension -- to both those natives and the western world with which they must increasingly interact.

Initially, it's the western world that comes to them. "The first time we saw the white man, we thought it was a ghost," one of them explains (hence the movie's title), and even when the tribe gets to know the western world and its discontents, it still remains unconvinced. "Sometimes white people are crazy," one explains. "They want too much and work too much, and it seems they never sleep.” Amen.

Seeing a homeless man begging in a German city, "It seems white people can also be poor." Still, the tribe is indeed learning the ropes of "civilization." As one of them notes, "We have to work with the tourists to survive." First the whites and their crew get to know the natives (and so, of course, do we) and then they take them on a kind of "field trip" to the modern world. Seeing the tribe and its first experiece in a supermarket is as much of a wonder to us as the supermarket is to them.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the film takes our tribe into the world of another African tribe, the Himbas (that's a Himba woman, above), and the interplay is fascinating. Then the opportunity arises for four of the natives to take an extended trip to Germany where they will mix and even "teach." From being up in that airplane they watched at the film's beginning to taking a trip in the subway ("We are under the earth!"), the four tribe members take in our modern world in wonder but with irony and intelligence. And yes, they do teach.

The update we learn in the end credits is both helpful and sad. One wishes to know why certain events occurred. In fact, there is a lot more we might have learned here. But the filmmakers obviously preferred to simply watch and listen, rather than do a lot of questioning. Even so, what we see, hear and feel should make budding anthropologists thrill, and folk who love documentaries just happy to have experienced the film.

From Cargo Film & Releasing and Autlook Film Sales, Ghostland opens tomorrow, Wednesday, December 14, in New York City for a two-week run at Film Forum, Elsewhere? Not sure. But you can at least learn more via the film's website.

Blu-ray/DVDebut: Wim Wenders' angst- and surprise-laden EVERY THING WILL BE FINE

I can't remember the last time I found a movie so trying to sit through for its first half, and then slowly became so involved in the second half that, by the finale, it had me in tears. Such a film, for better or worse, is EVERY THING WILL BE FINE, the new one from the popular German arthouse director, Wim Wenders. What Wenders does here is about as risky as it gets these days, in terms of audience approval. He delays and delays and delays our gratification and involvement with his main character to the point -- if you look at the critical reviews and audience response to the film -- of near obliteration. Even TrustMovies must admit that, had he not received a complementary disc (along with an obligation to cover this film), he might have stopped watching midway and moved on to something else. He is very glad he didn't do this.

Actors are often attracted to roles that occasion angst, guilt, and depressive behavior (and why not, as these so often win awards). Part of the problem very soon into the film is that James Franco (below) is not an actor who fares well with this sort of role. He can seem all-too-shallow for one thing, and he needs real specifics from which to build a character. Initially, at least, Wenders (shown at right) and his screenwriter, Bjørn Olaf Johannessen, don't provide these. Franco plays Tomas, a novelist who is evidently somewhat blocked and whose main characteristic seems to be that, despite the sub-zero temperatures, he forgets to close doors to the outside.

Fifteen minutes into the film, after a sudden shock of an incident, we are handed an ever greater shock, and the movie, for a time, clicks in. This is due partially to the actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (below), who does "depressed" with the best of them.

Tomas, in fact, treats her character better than he treats his longtime girlfriend -- another somewhat wasted role for the often excellent Rachel McAdams (below, left) -- and later in the film will treat his next girlfriend, played by Marie-Josée Croze (at left, two photos down), with equal unconcern bordering on disdain.

But Wenders has something more on his mind. During his film a number of years pass -- nearly a decade or more, I believe -- and in that time, things and people begin to change to the point where we finally become much more involved with them and their issues. Time is said to be the great healer, but it can act as something more. It bridges huge gaps, and when telescoped as interestingly as it is here, it shows us things and makes us understand them in ways we might not have otherwise done.

The Gainsbourg character has a son whom we meet early on (below) then later see as he grows up (as a teenager, he is quite beautifully played by young actor Robert Naylor). Tomas' odd bond with both the Gainsbourg character and her son is key to the movie, and as this bond grows and changes, the film takes on enormous resonance, with its ultimate scene a pure and emotional amazement.

Every Thing Will Be Fine is also quite a beautiful film to view. I believe it was originally shot in 3D, and even on the rather spectacular Blu-ray transfer the film has been given, there are a number of moments in which you can almost see that 3D come to life. (This is one of the better Blu-ray transfers I've yet viewed.)

All of which is by way of saying, stick with Wenders' movie and you may be very surprised how moved and connected you will eventually feel. Even Franco -- about whose work I run hot and cold -- finally acquits himself surprisingly well. And McAdams gets one scene toward the end in which she absolutely shines.

From IFC Films and running 119 minutes, the movie hit the street on Blu-ray and DVD this past Tuesday, June 7 -- for purchase or rental. On the Blu-ray extras, there are interviews with Wenders and most of his cast (Franco is the exception). These are quite interesting and offer additional worth to the overall experience.