Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with Grib's opinion on the documentary Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, which he really loved. There's also another review of STEEL CITY... an extremely glowing review. Enjoy!
Grib here with a review of the documentary "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" and a response to a scathing comment on my review of "Allegro." First, the response. Of course "Allegro" isn't literally a Dogme 95 film. I never said it was. I did say I don't like Dogme 95. And Christoffer Boe undeniably is heavily influenced by Dogme. He studied at the Danish National Academy of Film and "Allegro" shares some key elements of the Dogme movement; it is shot in grainy DV and it eschews many conventional filmic elements, such as complete character development. Yes, it is a visually stunning sci-fi film. I noted its visual attractiveness. That just wasn't enough for me. And Boe is one of the new school of Danish filmmakers. He will tell you so himself. We are all entitled to our own opinions. I expressed mine and the commenter expressed his. That's what is wonderful about movies. Just don't mischaracterize others' opinions.
On to a more pleasant topic: Lian Lunson's wonderful documentary about Leonard Cohen. Lunson met Cohen and developed a good rapport with him before she ever turned on a camera or tape recorder. This allows the film to have a conversational feel free from the usual question-and-answer format; Cohen speaks unguardedly about a wide range of topics, including writing, love and his time as a monk at a monastery on Mount Baldy outside L.A. It is wonderful indeed to hear the inner thoughts of this extremely important and influential poet and songwriter. But that is only half of the treat of the film: the other half is thirteen performances from a 2005 tribute concert in Sydney, Australia by the likes of Rufus and Martha Wainwright and Nick Cave. Rufus Wainwright's renditions of "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" and "Hallelujah" are showstoppers. Musicians such as Cave, the Edge and Bono discuss how Cohen has influenced them in a series of candid interviews interspersed with the Cohen bits and the concert footage. After the screening, Lunson hinted that the DVD will contain many more excerpts from the Sydney concert. There is a surprise ending to the film which I will not reveal, but it is worth the price of admission. This is a wonderful film, and a fitting testament to a wonderful and important artist.
And here's the 2nd review, one that comes from a place of passion. This reviewer really loved this movie.
I saw 4 films at Sundance last week, but the one I want to bring to your attention is this small film called Steel City. Not much has been written about this film-- it seems pretty off the radar in terms of the films playing here at sundance. I was going in not expecting much of anything... not knowing that I would be crying into my hat by the end of it.
This is a tough film to describe. Set in rural Illinois, at the outset, it's got such a simple plot he's too busy having an affair on his wife with the floozy at the local bar. And so he lives with Vic, his uncle, who we learn used to date PJ's mother.
Based off this synopsis, it doesn't sound like much everyone is flawed, no one is perfect, and it's how life really is. And it's incredibly gripping.
The performances all across the board are fantastic. There's not one false moment. One person who came out of the blue is Clayne Crawford. It's very rare in any film that you see a character who has cheated on his wife and gotten into a fight with his brother but he's definitely someone to watch.
Tom Guiry, who I've only seen in smaller roles, completely carries this film. He's in just about every scene, and from the beginning to the end keeps getting more and more beaten down; it never feels repetitious, and you just can't wait until something will go right for him. Or if he himself will turn things around for himself.
But the biggest surprise is John Heard. Yes, the dad from Home Alone is in this film, and has the toughest job of keeping his family under control from behind the bars of a jail cell. Even though his scenes are played upbeat-- there's this incredible sadness under the surface. It's a brilliant performance, and one that I hope causes him to be seen a lot more.
And all these performances were well direct ed by first timer Brian Jun. When Brian came on stage to introduce the film, I first noticed how young he was. Maybe mid-20's. How someone that young could direct a film that has such complex and sincere emotions is beyond me.
The camera work is also very simple and restrained. It's the work of a director that seems more interested in letting the actors breathe in telling the story, than using fancy editing or camera work. Sundance is known for breaking new hip directors it's a tight 95 minutes. I really can not wait to see what this director will do next.
By the way, there's a twist towards the end of this film that is so subtle, it might pass you by. In the Q+A after the film, when asked about it it makes the entire film that much more emotional.
All in all, I can only hope that Steel City will play in the smaller blue-collar towns across the US. It's not the next Hustle and Flow, it's not the next Napeleon Dynamite, but perhaps it's the next Last Picture Show. It's a film that I hope I'll be able to take my father to see.
Thanks,
Kelly
