Movie-Movie! Peter Hanson's royally entertaining TALES FROM THE SCRIPT

If, as a movie-lover, you're not hooked by the very first anecdote (from screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, about his Oscar-winner Ghost) in TALES FROM THE SCRIPT, I'll be more than surprised. This documentary, in which screen-writers regale us with their woes, is so full of funny, bitchy, nasty, sad stories -- most of which, if you have any acquaintance with the task of writing for the movies, will have you in stitches -- that it becomes an instant classic. If you've ever considered going into this occupation, "Tales" will give you second thoughts aplenty -- about both the writing process & working with directors, stars, Hollywood "suits" and -- ah, yes -- agents.

Directed by Peter Hanson (shown, left) and co-written/co-produced by Hanson and Paul Robert Herman, from an idea by Mr. Herman, the documentary is little more than a parade of talking heads, intercut with some of the juicier and more memorable snippets from movies that deal with Hollywood and its treatment of writers and scripts. Yet that's all it really needs to royally entertain anyone interested in screenwriting and/or Hollywood gossip.

Those talking heads includes some of the better writers around, and even if you don't agree with that assessment going in (David Hayter, shown above, who did the ill-fated Watchmen), you may coming out, because these guys (and gals: Allison Anders, Guinevere Turner, shown below, Naomi Foner, Kriss Turner) are extremely well-spoken, thoughtful, intelligent and funny. Even Peter Hyams, whose work I often loathe, speaks smartly and well.

It's tempting to simply quote one after another of these great anecdotes and interesting ideas, but I won't -- since that would be the equivalent of giving away the plot to a narrative film. Instead, I'll just say that if you want to listen to one of Hollywood's best B-moviemakers, Larry Cohen, you can do it here. You'll also learn (from Kris Young) why those soldiers in the initial scene of Saving Private Ryan make good stand-ins for screenwriters; from Andrew W. Marlowe, who insists that there are no breakthrough moments for the writer, only a series of small breaks; from Dennis Palumbo who tells us why "no" is such a well-loved word in Hollywood; from Justin Zackham on how The Bucket List came into being; hints on how to negotiate the shoals of the "meeting" from Steven E. de Souza (shown below: this guy seems a font of good information!); and my favorite "funny": Ronald Shusett telling a great story about Dino Di Laurentis and King Kong Lives.

They're all here and all worth hearing: Paul Schrader, Frank Darabont (shown below) Shane Black, William Goldman (of course!), David S. Ward, Michael Wolk, the actual Antwone Fisher, the late Melville Shavelson (shown at bottom, who died the day after Hanson's interview with him) and more. While the movie is organized in a seemingly scatter-shot manner, it makes little difference because the stories are so good, the editing (by J.D. Funari) smart and swift, and the cumulative effect bracing. Oddly enough, the film doesn't go into the possibilities of the writer's best revenge: becoming a writer/director, or even better, a writer/director/producer. Maybe Messieurs Hanson and Herman assumed we'd know that already.

One of the more surprising reactions I had to this documentary was that it did not matter whether the films under discussion were ones I'd loved or hated: The anecdotes about them and their "making" proved equally interesting and on-point. There is so little to see about screenwriters/screenwriting in general (Russell Brown's The Blue Tooth Virgin is the best and most original narrative feature on this subject to appear in some time), so this new documentary is to be welcomed on several fronts.

Tales From the Script, from First Run Features, open Friday, March 12 in New York at the Quad Cinema and on March 19 in L.A. at the Laemmle Music Hall.  Knowing FRF, a DVD release is probably in the offing soon.

(The photos in this post, including that 

of the director -- good ones all -- 

were taken by the director himself: Peter Hanson.)

DELTA, Kornél Mundruczó's movie-made-twice, debuts; screenwriter Q&A

Woody Allen did it once. But that was intentional on the part of the filmmaker.  When Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó (shown below) was nearly finished filming DELTA, which finally opens in New York this week, his leading actor suddenly died. The film-
maker had to begin again and -- given the chemistry that exists between actors -- an almost entirely new cast was recruited, and the entire film was shot a second time.

While TrustMovies finds some worthwhile things about this second attempt, he wishes he might have seen the first one, in which, according to its screenwriter Yvette Biro (see the Q&A that follows), changes occurred in this second filming that, to TM's mind, renders the finished movie heavy-handed.  It almost appears that the story's ending was where the moviemakers started, working backwards and piecing together a plot that would ensure their planned finale.

A young man returns to his "home" in a Hungarian town located along the Danube.  There, his father has died, his mother taken up with a new man, while his sister, with whom he appears to have had little previous acquaintance, works in the family's bar.  The young man clearly is not welcomed, except by the sister, but he sets up living quarters in an old family shack by the river.  As sis and bro grow closer, they are warned repeatedly yet pay no mind. Literally everyone we meet in this movie -- except brother, sister and an uncle -- is downright unpleasant, and when complications ensue (don't they always?), there is little question what will happen.

The views of the Danube are lovely indeed, but the humanity we wallow with quickly grow tiresome.  All of its activities are joyless and bleak. Not one speaks much, so there is little dialog in the film, and this is probably just as well.  The film's slow pace allows us to consider the society of eastern Europe, under the thumbs of feudal lords, the aristocracy, Communist dictatorships and finally -- oh god, no -- some bastardized form of Capitalism, reducing the populace to a bunch of petty, nasty, small-minded hypocrites.

Delta is full of interesting shots: silhouettes and bodily extremities; only after some time has passed does the director allow us many close-ups of his characters.  The "hero" in particular (he's played by Felix Lajko, above right) remains a mystery.  Laconic in the extreme, he finally turns from low-key passive into someone hot and fraught.  Sister, too (the actress is Orsolya Toth, shown above and below), is a girl of few words, yet both performers are attractive and interesting enough to hold our attention.  You could call the movie "primal," though in modern times, backward seems more appopriate.  Facets is releasing Delta, which opens this Friday, March 12 at the Cinema Village in New York City.

************

After viewing Delta and learning that its screenwriter Yvette Biro was here in the U.S., we arranged for a very short Q&A via email. In the correspondence that follows, TrustMovies appears in boldface, while Yvette's response is shown in standard type. (There are spoilers aplenty below, so if you intend to see the movie, come back to the Q&A afterward.)

Were you always connected with the movie in both versions, the earlier one featuring the actor who died suddenly, and the current version? If so, how was it to work with a different cast on the same material? Did you have to make a number of scripts changes to accommodate the new cast? Finally, do you feel that the movie might be better in this later version?

The first version was truly different because we were closer to the original-classical Electra story. In this one, the murder of the father (though only as the basic situation and departure point,) defined the Electra's motivations and later the brother’s actions. It was their passion of taking revenge on the mother and her new accomplice-lover. Also, Electra was on the side of the people, against the rudeness of the new “governing power.” In a bit more hopeful ending, only the brother could escape, Electra became a victim, perishing in the fight.

With the tragic death of the original actor who played the brother we had to simplify the story, focusing more on the relationship of the siblings. They became naturally close to each other in this hostile environment, having in the background the denied crime. The restrained incest was always there.

The film is considered Hungarian, I believe, yet it is set in Romania, in what looks like a small town, amongst people who have what we would call here in the USA, a very “small-town” mentality: unpleasant, small-minded, hypocritical, nasty, angry, jealous, murderous, in fact. Is Romania the country of choice for folk who mirror these adjectives, or might the same thing be found in the small towns of Hungary (or Germany, where, I believe, some of the production money came from)?

Right, the film is Hungarian but the physical environment had its inspiring function with its natural beauty and peacefulness. It was the landscape that had its primordial force in the articulation of the story: maintaining the remoteness, without the overemphasized social or ethnic background.

Did you or the director ever envision any other outcome for these characters? Could the story have taken any path that might have proven more hopeful?

We found that the wonderful idea to build a house, to work together, is simple and by principle, great, showing hope and looking for a better future. This common understanding and closeness are more significant than the guarded incest. Their love becomes natural, though timid, and not a scandalous, erotic sin.

The film is odd and interesting because it sets up a taboo (incest) and then breaks it -- partially because the possible mates that these two characters have to choose from seems a pretty puny bunch: They can either choose each other, which is, in most societies, a no-no, or pick someone from the gallery of creeps on display. Only the girl’s uncle seems remotely like a decent guy. Whoops -- that would be semi-incestuous, too. Any thoughts on this, which actually plays into question #3, above.

Yes. Thus the solution that they are not only excommunicated but punished to death became an unfortunately undeniable truth today: “Otherness” and having different habits, ways of living, is rarely accepted, and intolerance and hatred can often be regrettably violent.

With this sorrowful recognition we got closer to our everyday experience.

FSLC's annual Rendez-vous with French Cinema: The (Relatively) Quick Checklist

Each March the Film Society of Lincoln Center, together with Unifrance, offers movie lovers the chance to steep themselves in current French culture via 15-20 recent films in a series the FSLC calls Rendez-vous With French Cinema whose subjects and styles run the gamut.  This year is no exception and in fact houses one of the better Rendez-vous groups in the series' 15 years.

Having seen all the films in this year's bunch (except the program of shorts, which I'll view during the festival and report on at that time), I can vouch that there is not a ringer in the bunch, although The French Kissers, a Gallic equivalent of our own American Pie, comes closest. The don't-miss movies, on the other hand, number maybe half a dozen (including In the Beginning -- a still from which is shown above -- the most progressive film I've seen since Human Resources).  The very-good films account for another six, and the worth-seeing batch six more. This, I maintain, is a high standard -- better than most festivals/series can offer.

Below is a quick checklist of titles, arranged in no particular order, with a short paragraph describing their themes and merits. After that, it's your move. You can find the entire program here, with screening dates and times at the Walter Reade.  (I've also included these, with the IFC screening, as well, in bold at the end of each description.)  TrustMovies is only giving cursory recommendations in his thumbnails below.  Complete reviews will appear on those films that garner some sort of U.S. release (theatrical, On-Demand, streaming or DVD). Several of them have already been picked up for distribution, with, we hope, more to come.

Note: This years' screenings will take place at the FSLC's Walter Reade Theater (two per film), the IFC Center (one per film) and at the BAMCinématek (two programs only), with two personal appearances at FIAF.

FAREWELL,
this year's Opening Night attraction, is sure to prove more popular with the intelligentsia than did last year's Paris 36 (a song from which was actually part of this year's Academy Award  nominations).  It's also one of the most bizarre espionage flicks ever (truth-based, too): genuinely funny, satiric, surprising, moving and (very occasionally) exciting -- with a fine lead performance by Emir Kusturica, a good one from Guillaume Canet and decent direction from Christian Carion. If the $25 Opening Night ticket price is too much (only $20 for FSLC members!), don't despair: a new distribution firm, NeoClassics Films is scheduled to open the movie in the USA this coming June. Thurs. March 11, 7pm – Alice Tully Hall; Fri. March 12, 9:30pm – IFC; director Christian Carion and actor Guillaume Canet will attend both screenings

WELCOME,
a what-to-do-with-those-immigrants saga that was nominated for ten César awards this year, is a smart heart-tugger that does not draw tears as much as make you look at the situation from all angles: foreigners, natives, police and protectors. Vincent Lindon (who will be making a personal appearance for a "Conversation" on March 14, at 6:15), on whom could be bestowed the mantel of Jean Gabin, is wonderful in the lead and Philippe Lioret directs with a fine eye for the beauty of the everyday. Though one of this year's must-sees, if you don't catch it at Rendez-vous, Film Movement will open in in the USA on Bastille Day. Fri. March 12, 1:15pm – WRT; Sat. March 13, 9pm – IFC; Sun. March 14, 3:30pm – WRT; Actor Vincent Lindon will attend screenings on March 13 & 14

THE HEDGEHOG, another must-see, was adapted from the popular Muriel Barbery novel and stars French treasure Josiane Balasko as a dumpy concierge of a building filled with rich twits, one smart little girl, and an exotic new Asian tenant.  Filmed with elegance and savvy by Mona Achache, the movie is a classy, literate, mainstream dream of a film that gives you everything: laughs, tears, charm and -- best of all --  the unexpected.  A shoo-in for arthouse popularity, The Hedgehog as yet has no U.S. distribution (hello: Music Box Films!). Fri. March 12, 3:50pm – WRT; Sat. March 13, 4pm – IFC; Sun. March 14, 8:45pm – WRT; Director Mona Achache will attend all screenings

RAPT,
from Lucas Belvaux who brought us that Trilogy some years back, is much like his earlier work (quiet, thoughtful and alluding rather than spelling out) but with a much grander budget. And why not, as he is dealing here with million-dollar people and high-
rolling corpor-
ations. Even the criminal element (for this is a kidnapping tale) seems a tad classier than usual, though the film is definitely about class distinctions -- the nouveau riche, haute bougeoisie against some smart ruthless have-nots. While there is just about everything here (thrills, suspense, family ties, even a dog!), nothing quite coalesces. And yet you may not mind much, as this may very well be Belvaux's point: Even the richest among us can't have it all.  Yvan Attal stars with Anne Consigny and the still-great Françoise Fabian (remember My Night at Maud's?). Fri. March 12, 6:30pm – WRT; Sat. March 13, 12:30pm – WRT; Sun. March 14, 1:30pm – IFC; Director Lucas Belvaux and actor Yvan Attal will attend all screenings.

THE ARMY 
OF CRIME
As a fan of the work of Robert Guédiguian, I am recommending this movie as very worthwhile on the basis of watching two hours of its two-hour-and-twenty-minute running time. There was a glitch in the DVD screener shown the press (the last 20 minutes never played) and I could not attend the re-scheduled screening. On the basis of what I saw, unless the director missteps terribly toward the finale, this is a riveting, full-bodied exploration of the beginnings of the French Resistance during WWII, with a cast -- including Simon Abkarian, Virginie Ledoyen and Jean-Pierre Darroussin -- that's first-rate. Guédiguian moves back and forth in the time period with speed and grace, easily capturing the look, feel -- and fear -- of 1940s France.  The Army of Crime has been picked up by Lorber Films, with no release date scheduled as yet. Wed. March 17, 6pm – WRT; Thurs. March 18, 9:30pm – IFC; Fri. March 19, 1pm – WRT; Actress Virginie Ledoyen will attend all screenings.

THE LAW
This undiscovered sleeper (unless you managed to catch the good DVD release via Image a few years back) from the late Jules Dassin proves to be one of that director's most entertaining and prescient films.  Far ahead of its time regarding sexuality and humanty's foibles, it's got a cast to die for (Yves Montand, Marcello Mastroianni, Gina Lollobrigida, Melina Mercouri and Pierre Brasseur, to name a few), a plot that scintillates, and themes -- love, passion, jealousy, betrayal -- that are never out of date.  For whatever reason (maybe the movie's exceptional quality coupled to a lack of general appreciation), Oscilloscope Laboratories is planning a June 2010 re-release next month. Good idea.  Sun. March 14, 6:45pm – IFC; Thurs. March 18, 1pm – WRT; Sun. March 21, 4pm – WRT.

THE KING OF ESCAPE
Here is this year's example of the outrageous, outré, mash-up movie that Rendez-vous usually includes (last year's was The Joy of Singing, which is just now receiving its On-Demand release).  If the youngsters in French Kissers (below) seem wacked-out, the adults here -- from the police to grandparents, parents and kids -- will knock you for another, dizzier loop, as they engage in inter-generational sex (homo and hetero) various hijinx, organic drug-taking, and more.  If co-writer/director Alain Guiraudie seems as much intent on upending our notions of the possible as entertaining us, he accomplishes both rather well.  And his stars, the cute, corpulent Ludovic Berthillot and the gorgeous, sexy Hafsia Herzi, are great fun to view.  This one has no distributor as yet, but it's hard to believe that Strand, TLA or Wolfe won't come calling -- and soon. Sat. March 13, 9pm – WRT; Mon. March 15, 3:45pm – WRT; Tues. March 16, 9:30pm – IFC; Director Alain Guiraudie will attend all screenings.

FRENCH KISSERS 
This nod to America's American Pie and its many spin-offs, has its moments, but they're too few and far between to keep us going.  Despite the presence of stars like Emmanuelle Devos, Irène Jacob and Noméie Lvovsky (none of whom are shown to much advantage), the movie concentrates on youths who are just at that age at which they seem least intelligent and most obnoxious. While I applaud the movie's sense of verité in capturing these qualities, I still have to wonder why first-time filmmaker Riad Sattouf bothered. In any case, the movie manages to put even this year's lesser Rendez-vous efforts into more pleasing perspective.  No distributor yet.  No wonder. Fri. March 12, 9:25pm – WRT; Sat. March 13, 5:30pm – BAM; Sun. March 14, 4:30pm – IFC; Tues. March 16, 3:45pm – WRT; Director Riad Sattouf will attend all screenings.

OSS 117 -- 
 LOST IN RIO 
If the earlier venture of sexy French funnyman Jean Dujardin didn't sate your satiric longings, here's another opportunity to see the would-be suave & debonair idiot in action.  Since the earlier film trounced the Arabs, this time Agent 117 performs the same on Israelis but the result seems not quite as funny as was the (only-scattershot successful) first attempt.  Still, Dujardin is extremely watchable, as are the locations and babes (this is the 60s, when women were all babes or Miss Moneypenny-type secretaries).  The capture of the time period is quite good, and there is one chase scene in a hospital that is truly hilarious (for awhile).  As with the earlier incarnation, Music Box Films is said to be releasing the sequel this May. Mon. March 15, 1pm – WRT; Tues. March 16, 8:45pm – WRT; Wed. March 17, 7pm – IFC;
Director Michel Hazanavicius and actor Jean Dujardin will attend all screenings.

MAKING PLANS FOR LENA
is writer/director Christophe Honoré's second film with Chiara Mastroianni, but it comes nowhere near the level of his earlier Love Songs. I find myself running warm and luke-warm to the work of this filmmaker; his latest is definitely in the latter category. Beautifully filmed in what I gather is Brittany, the movie -- as well as the Lena character played by Mastroianni -- fairly reeks of entitlement. After a time, it is extremely difficult to watch Lena in action without wanting to haul off and smack the woman.  Her behavior toward everyone around her grows more appalling as the movie progresses.  Could Honoré and Mastroianni be unaware of this?  Embarrassing, if true.  But then that's movie folk for you. On the plus side is a cast filled with fine French actors -- from Marina Foïs to Jean-Marc Barr, Marcial di Fonzo Bo and especially Marie-Christine Barrault. What a pleasure to see this great old actress in a good role again!  IFC Films has picked "Lena" up for U.S. release. Thurs. March 18, 7pm – IFC; Fri. March 19, 8:45pm – WRT; Sat. March 20, 1:30pm at the WRT and again at 5:30pm at BAM; Director Christophe Honoré and actress Chiara Mastroianni will attend screenings on March 18, 19 & 20.

REGRETS
is an amor fou film par excellence. Written and directed by Cedric Kahn, it tells the tale of a successful and happily married French architect who comes upon an old flame from his high school years.  What happens at first seems fairly typical but slowly begins to creep out the viewer, who, thanks to Kahn's careful unfurling, has come to care for not only the man (Yvan Attal again, who'll also be doing that Special Evening at FIAF) and woman (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) but also his wife and her husband, not to mention the child in the picture.  And this time, for a nice change, it's the guy who seems even crazier than the gal.  Kahn and his cast take this to very nearly the extreme that film-goers will have yet encountered -- and thankfully more on the emotional level, rather than the typical, get-the-gun-and-go-for-it, American response. Although you may be creeped-out by the behavior on display here, the movie will stick with you in ways you'll probably not expect.  No distributor has as yet come to call. Fri. March 12, 7pm – IFC; Sat. March 13, 6:15pm – WRT; Sun. March 14, 1pm – WRT Director Cédric Kahn will attend all screenings and actor Yvan Attal will attend screenings on March 13 & 14.

MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON  Stéphane Brizé, represented a few years ago at Rendez-vous with the quietly entrancing Not Here to Be Loved,  is back again with an ever better, and just as quietly entrancing film, this time with two of France's best actors at the very top of their form: Vincent Lindon and Sandrine Kiberlain. A movie with minimal dialog, but never obviously so, it relies on the moment-to-moment response of the two actors, who are simply marvelous at expressing their inner selves while appearing to camouflage their feelings. This is a lovely film to look at, filled with widescreen images of nature (including us humans) and commerce, life at home and at school -- all of it quite real.  Brizé drops only the barest hints of any background (the Kiberlain character's family, for instance) but this is quite enough to help create a full character. Mademoiselle Chambon rises above morality and traditional values by honoring them but giving the individual human element priority. Post-press screening, I -- and it seemed, many of my peers -- found this film particularly worthwhile. I think you will, too.  We can all be grateful to Lorber Films for picking this one up for distribution. Mon. March 15, 7pm – IFC; Fri. March 19, 6:15pm – WRT; Sun. March 21, 1:30pm – WRT; Actor Vincent Lindon will attend screening on March 15 and director Stéphane Brizé will attend screenings on March 19 & 21.

THE THORN IN THE HEART  While we've come to expect the unusual from Michel Gondry, I suspect you may not be prepared for this filmmaker in a documentary mode.  But what he does with the form is both expected and not. He looks at his family, particularly at his aunt Suzette and her odd and troubled son Jean-Yves, and the gaze seems loving but distanced.  Gondry is all over the place, back and forth in time, chatting informally, looking through old scrapbooks, talking to the family and friends both close and old acquaintances.  The result is sometimes appealing but also stand-offish, as though Gondry were frightened of getting too close or having to deal directly with the situation, which as we begin to see is, like life, anything but simple This will be a "must" for the moviemaker's completists, perhaps less so for others.  Fortunately, we'll all have a chance to weigh in, as Oscilloscope Laboratories plans a release this April. Mon. March 15, 6:15pm – WRT; Wed. March 17, 9:30pm – IFC; “A Conver-
sation with Michel Gondry” to follow Mon. March 15 screening.

RESTLESS
How fine to have Michel Piccoli still with us, filling out his grand-père roles with such aplomb.  He gets yet another one in this new film by director/co-writer Laurent Perreau (with Christine Carrière and Juliette Soubrier) that also brings a fine young talent to the screen (Pauline Etienne), along with two always-good stand-bys (Eric Caravaca, Johanna ter Steege) and another newcomer and quite a "find" (Clément Roussier).  M. Roussier, in fact, provides the film with its odd heart, as a young man with whom our heroine begin a relationship that will leave one of the parties bereft and enchained, perhaps for good. An almost-coming-of-age film, Restless tracks a season of growing up for the character played by Ms Etienne, and what new it offers has to do with location (a great old family house), and the fact that our young lady has no real money worries.  Her relationship with Piccoli's gramps, with M. Roussier's character, and with her swimming coach (Caravaca) provides the meat of the movie, which is tender and not over-cooked. Episodic and only partially fulfilling, the film is still worth a watch. Tues. March 16, 7pm – IFC; Wed. March 17, 1pm – WRT; Thurs. March 18, 8:45pm – WRT; Director Laurent Perreau will attend all screenings.


IN THE BEGINNING  The champion of this year's French fest would have to be Xavier Giannoli's amazing movie about a human being's possibilities for growth and change (and a town's, as well). Based on a true story as unlikely as any you could imagine, the film brings together themes and ideas about a truly progressive society that might actually be possible.  Into a small French town comes a con man ready to bilk whatever he can get out of the residents and their politicians. And he is clearly good enough at his game to do just that.  Then things begin to change -- for him and for the populace.  Not since Laurent Cantet's Human Resources have I encountered a movie as progressive, with this much on its mind: economics, politics, a society's need for work, cooperation as the mode for existence and more.  (And this film is not nearly as didactic as Cantet's good work.)  At the center of the film is an actor who may be as important to cinema as any working today: François Cluzet (whom you'll remember from Tell No One).  This guy nails a role that is first and foremost mysterious, and he makes it believable without undermining its mystery.  What a face he has! (Yes, it's a bit like Dustin Hoffman's but I don't think any observant person would mistake the two.)  He's abetted by Emmanuelle Devos and Gerard Depardieu, as well as by newcomers Vincent Rottiers and a young lady named Soko, who are aces as young lovers with staunch morality, even though he makes ends meet as a petty thief. "Work is a fool's game," declares Depardieu's character (who comes as close as the movie offers to a villain).  Oh, no: This great film is a paean to the wonders and necessity of work.  In the Beginning does not have U.S. distribution as yet.  Would someone please step up to the plate? Sat. March 13, 1:30pm – IFC; Wed. March 17, 9pm – WRT; Thurs. March 18, 3:45pm– WRT.

8 TIMES UP
One of the more original movies in this year's bunch is Xabi Molia's alternately charming, scary and bizarre 8 Times Up, which gives (for my money) one of France's most special actresses, Julie Gayet, along with another unusual talent, Denis Podalydès, the chance to shine. And glow they do -- in their odd way. Ms Gayet, whom I once recommen-
ded to a director for a role of a woman who goes to Africa to live among the natives, only to be told, "Oh, no -- she is all wrong: such a typical French city girl!" Well, I don't know. But I hope that the director sees her work here, and understands that Mlle. Gayet is capable of  more than she's been allowed to so far show us. Molia's movie is about the unemployed, and that particular branch of said unemployed who just may be unemployable. How true this is is is difficult to say, and Molia doesn't insist. The characters played by Gayet and Podalydès have their problems, and though they seem to want to work, they also seem to shoot themselves in the foot with alarming regularity. (Is this psychological, societal, genetic?  We don't really know.)  In any case, the filmmaker blends smart animation (by Jean-Christopher Villain, aka Geronimo), believable performances, family squabbles and workplace nonsense into a mix that is not really comparable to anything else I've come across. 8 Times Up (which is taken from a proverb: If they knock you down seven times, you'd better come up eight) keeps you very nearly as unbalanced as its characters.  I didn't love the film, but I wouldn't have missed it, either. Tues. March 16, 6:15pm – WRT; Wed. March 17, 3:30pm – WRT; Wed. March 17, 8pm – IFC; Actress Julie Gayet and director Xabi Molia will attend all screenings.

I'M GLAD THAT MY MOTHER IS ALIVE
A collaborative first for Claude Miller, who has brought in his son Nathan as co-director/
writer, here's another Miller movie (Class Trip, Alias Betty, La Petite Lili, A Secret) that gets just about every-
thing right and yet seems bereft of any directorial stamp (this is a compliment, by the way).  A based-on-truth tale of an adopted boy who, as a young man, at last reconnects with his birth mom, the Millers give us the facts of the matter, melding past and present to create full characters and a story that is easily followed yet seems rich in possibilities.  Miller and his son tackle these possibilities with the director's brand of tacit skill that end up making us aware that, though the human condition is vast and unknowable, its exploration is always worth the ride.  I find Miller to be a non-judgmental director in the best way:  He lays it all out and lets you make your own judgments, which, by the end of his films, you usually find difficult to manage because Miller always makes it clear that in real life there are many objects for both blame and approbation.  It's all connected, but how difficult it is to untangle!  In the lead role, young Vincent Rottiers (from In the Beginning, above) is incredible: full of quicksilver changes as he searches for some identity; this actor should have a long and full career.  As his birth mother, Sophie Cattani is also excellent -- warm, slutty, selfish and finally as surprising as her son.  In the roles of the adoptive parents, Christine Citti and Yves Verhoeven make us feel their pain as something not just unfortunate but very unfair. I'm Glad My Mother Is Alive has no U.S. distributor yet -- which makes these screenings a don't-miss event. Mon. March 15, 9:30pm – IFC; Fri. March 19, 4pm – WRT; Sat. March 20, 8:45pm – WRT; Director Nathan Miller will attend screenings on March 19 & 20.

THE REFUGE  Here's François Ozon in "slight" mode, although the tale he's chosen to tell in his latest work could easily lead -- in 15 or 20 years -- to what we've just witnessed in the Millers' "Mother" movie (above).  Yet this popular and sometimes very fine director (the recent Ricky, Time to Leave, 5X2 and other films) glides along the surface of things, showing us character traits and events that lead to a conclusion but don't carry the weight necessary to make that conclusion meaningful or moving.  You buy it, but you want more.  Fortunately the writer/director has assembled a good cast led by the ever-expanding Isabelle Carré (Les Sentiments, French Gigolo), who here plays a drug-addicted good-time girl who suddenly confronts a life-changing situation. The well-off family she has fucked herself into includes a cold mother, distant dad and kind brother, and via one of those too-good-to-be-true situations, she ends up in in a fabulous house by the beach (the seashore is clearly this director's favorite location).  It's all lovely to watch and relax into and the finale provides ample food for thought. And yet, given all that's going on here, the result seems slight. But as it's also Ozon, you probably won't want to miss it.  I certainly wouldn't. Sat. March 13, 7pm – IFC; Sat. March 20, 6:15pm – WRT; Sun. March 21, 8:45pm – WRT; Director François Ozon will attend screenings on March 20 & 21.

THE WOLBERG FAMILY
My personal favorite of the fest is this small gem from writer/director Axelle Ropert -- her first full-length film.  Only 80 minutes long, it's the kind of special, delicate work that, if you love it, you'll want to protect and nuture it. One way to do this would be to not "oversell" it, so I will try to restrain my adjectival usage.  But hell, it is photographed so beautifully (by Céline Bozon, who also shot Restless and Regrets from this fest) and imagined with such an unusual combination of tactful restraint and exploding creativity that characters and events are made unforgettable (the face-down of "the blond," for instance, or Dad's speech at the party). Ms Ropert tells the tale of one odd, funny, sad Jewish family in a small French town, the father of which doubles as the mayor. It seems to me that the Holocaust, barely (if ever) mentioned in the movie, hangs over everything and actually is responsible, at some distance, for how the father feels and what he does to protect his family.  In any case, the filmmaker has cast this movie very well:  As the goofy dad, François Damiens excels, the torn-apart mom is given perfect weight by Valérie Benguigui; and the two children -- played by Valentin Vigourt (the boy in Miller's A Secret) and Léopoldine Serre -- are so beautiful, talented and real that they help ground the film as much as do the adults on view.  These include Jean-Luc Bideau (remember Jonah, Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000?), now playing the grandfather role.  The Family Wolberg does not have any U.S. distribution as yet, so see it now -- or maybe never. Sun. March 14, 9:15pm – IFC; Sat. March 20, 4pm – WRT; Sun. March 21, 6:30pm – WRT; Director Axelle Ropert will attend screenings on March 20 & 21.


That's it, folks.  Hope these notes have been helpful, and that you're able to procure tickets for the films you most want to see.  Don't wait, for Rendez-vous With French Cinema is always the FLSC/Walter Reade Theater's most popular series of the year.  And if you can't manage tickets to the WRT, do try the IFC.

Lucas & Hamm star in Anders Anderson's moving missing-child movie, STOLEN

Threat and danger hover over STOLEN like a curse. Then the deaths start piling up: one, two... The third takes longer to appear, which makes waiting for it all the more difficult to endure (not to worry: there is practically no blood or gore here). Anders Anderson's sorrowful and moving film about parental responsibility, love, sexual need, grief and guilt travels back and forth in time to tell a tale of loss and odd connections that dispenses with much of the "thriller" aspects that might have given it more standard pizzazz and chills -- probably at the expense of the deeper-than-usual feelings that surface from time to time.

Directed by Anderson (shown at left, whose first film this is) and written by Glenn Taranto, Stolen is a quieter movie than most in this genre, and fortunately it has two leading men who can handle the emotional aspects well. Jon Hamm plays the small-town policeman in the present-day plot, and it's good to see this actor in something other than Mad Men (or the uselessly standard role he had in the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still). Even better is Josh Lucas, who has been proving his mettle over the past decade in film after interesting film: The Deep End to Undertow, Poseidon to Death in Love.

Lucas (above) has by far the most layered role, and as usual, he gives it his all, making us feel his loss and guilt, his need for both sex and religion, and his insistence on doing what he imagines is the right thing. Hamm (below) is saddled with the lesser role, in which his grief and guilt overshadow all else, and this does begin to grow tiresome, which is less the actor's fault that that of the director and writer.

Yet the graceful weaving of past and present, with its occasional surprise (not the villain's identity, which is given away midstream) plus the romantic interludes provided by several women (who later appear as their older selves) make this story memorable in unex-
pected ways, leaving the viewer freighted with a deeper under-
standing and appreciation of all that has transpired than is usually achieved in films about kidnapping and murder. (In fact, Stolen manages this better than does a much higher-profile movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, about which I'll have more to say soon.)

Also in the cast is James Van Der Beek (at right, above, whose very square head and sturdy body is put to good use in the past portion and made to age relatively well for the present-day) and Jessica Chastain, Rhona Mitra and Morena Baccarin (the latter shown below) as some of the women in the lives of these two men.

Stolen (formerly known as Stolen Lives), from IFC FIlms, opens Friday, March 12, at the Clearview Chelsea in New York City and at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in L.A. on March 19.  Already available from IFC On-Demand, you can click the previous link to learn if your TV-reception-provider offers it, and if so, how to get it.

On-Demand: Thomas L. Callaway's odd BROKE SKY--American Gothic Texas-style

There are some who refer to the American independent movie BROKE SKY as film noir.  Hardly.  A movie's dark qualities do not automatically make it a noir.  American Gothic by way of Texas is more like it.  But that's plenty good enough.  This odd little "buddy" movie, with its weird cast of characters, is relatively original, especially because it does not look down on its people -- chubby, crazy and cretinous as they sometimes are.  Viewers may grow to appreciate them as much as does their creator: writer/director/cinematographer Thomas L. Callaway, whose first film this is, after a long career as an interesting cinematographer who works a lot.

Callaway creates people, a place (small Texas town), and a time (today, more or less) and shakes it all up into a 97-minute character study/comedy/thriller that works, for the most part.  A good cast led by Will Wallace, shown foreground, as Bucky (the sweet 'n naive one) and Joe Unger, bringing up the rear, as Earl (the smart, cynical good ol' boy who mentors the younger man).  But wait, all it is not as it appears.  Not by a long shot -- and the biggest flaw in the film is that it insists on giving us one surprise too many.

Until that finale, however, the film moves along pleasantly enough, with good work from all the supporting actors who are able to turn what could easily be dross into -- if not gold, at least -- nice, shiny metal.  This is particularly true of Barbara Chisholm as the heavy-set wife and Duane Whittaker as the sheriff with his heart on his sleeve.  They're both quite good.

Good-but-not-great pretty much defines Broke Sky, yet another example of a pleasurable find On-Demand that puts to shame much of what mainstream Hollywood is currently delivering.  It's available from IFC on most major TV reception providers. Click here (& scroll down some) to learn if yours offers it -- and if so, how to get it.

"Awards" Night? Ours goes to Maria Bello and cast of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Because tonight is Hollywood's version of the old fireside chat, it seems appropriate to remark on some performances as good as any we've seen all year: the ensemble cast of Rebecca Miller's THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE, in which each actor nails his or her role like the carpenter of all-time (and I'm not talking about Jesus, though that guy does make his own special appearance on one hunky cast member's chest).

Hollywood and its "Acad-
emy" are still, decades later, deliberately mistaking lead roles for supporting.  They do this because they know certain performances stand not a chance against others that will surely make the Best Actor/Actress category -- and so dub them "supporting."  Mo'Nique, Vera Farmiga and Maggie Gyllenhaal hold down the female fort this year, while Matt Damon and Woody Harrelson do the male honors. What garbage this is. Not that each actor isn't good, but they're about as "supporting" as Cheney was to Bush.  On some level, garbage isn't a bad epithet for the Academy Awards in general.

Back to Pippa Lee.  TrustMovies covered this film when it made its theatrical debut last fall (click here for the full write-up), but as its DVD version appeared only this week, he watched it again and was even more impressed.  Particularly with Maria Bello, shown at top.  While this actress is always wonderful (see her currently in The Yellow Handkerchief), here she brings such scary reality to her "mom" role, such commitment and variation that we feel her pain -- all of it -- even as we begin to despise her.  This is the kind of role (and performance in it) that fully deserves the "supporting" title, especially since there is still no "Oscar" category for ensemble work.

Another reason to see the film is Alan Arkin's terrific performance in a role that offers this fine actor (shown at left) a ten-times more challenging opportunity than did his award-winning but rather two-note turn in Little Miss Sunshine.  A second viewing made Robin Wright Penn's title performance seem even stronger, with exceptionally good work coming in from Winona Ryder (what a comedienne she's turned out to be!), Shirley Knight, Keanu Reeves and Julianne Moore (shown below), among others.

So when you've had enough of another crass and over-
wrought "Oscar" presentation and its jiggering of definition and meaning, pop Pippa into your DVD player and watch the pros have their day. In addition to the fine acting on display, Ms Miller is to be congratulated for filling her film with smart and funny ideas about the way we age and mature (or not), procreate and parent, live and die.  Enjoy!

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, from Screen Media distribu-
tion, is available for sale or rent from your video source of choice.