Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DVD. Show all posts

Thursday, February 19, 2009

WISH LIST FOR DECEMBER 2008 PART 2

B. DVD WISH LIST

DVDs of four films by Joseph Morder with English subtitles
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3293047340_4ab18509b3_o.jpg

You can buy them here:
http://www.expcinema.com/

I knew about them from Acquarello's website, which compares L'ARBRE MORT (1987, Joseph Morder) with INDIA SONG (Marguerite Duras) and Jonas Mekas' films.
http://filmref.com/notes/archives/2008/11/larbre_mort_1987.html



C.Tribute wish list

A tribute to Geraldine Chaplin, who stars in these films:

1.STRANGER IN THE HOUSE (1967, Pierre Rouve, USA) from George Simenon's novel

2.PEPPERMINT FRAPPE (1967, Carlos Saura)
http://www.filmref.com/directors/dirpages/saura.html#peppermint

3.STRESS IS THREE (1968, Carlos Saura)

4.HONEYCOMB (1969, Carlos Saura)

5.CARLOS (1971, Hans W. Geissendoerfer, West Germany)

6.ANNA AND THE WOLVES (1973, Carlos Saura)

7.ELISA, MY LOVE (1977, Carlos Saura)
http://filmref.com/journal/archives/2007/04/elisa_my_love_1977.html

8.ROSELAND (1977, James Ivory, USA)

9.BLINDFOLDED EYES (1978, Carlos Saura)

10.SHORT LETTER TO THE LONG GOODBYE (1978, Herbert Vesely, West Germany)

11.MAMA TURNS 100 (1979, Carlos Saura)
http://filmref.com/journal/archives/2007/04/mama_turns_100_years_old_1979.html

12.THE WIDOW MONTIEL (1979, Miguel Littin, Mexico) from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel

13.SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY (1980, Michel Deville, France)

14.ZWISCHENSAISON (1992, Daniel Schmid, Germany)

15.THE EYES OF ASIA (1996, Joao Mario Grilo, Portugal)

16.BERESINA OR THE LAST DAYS OF SWITZERLAND (1999, Daniel Schmid, Switzerland)

17.THE HIDDEN (2005, Antonio Hernandez, Spain)

18.RAMIREZ (2008, Albert Arizza, Spain)



D.ART EXHIBITION WISH LIST

ANNEE OLOFSSON, A SWEDISH ARTIST
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3664/3293047348_22ce32ce63_o.jpg

Actually Art Centre Chula held a group exhibition including Olofsson a few years ago, but I didn't go to see it.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0425/is_3_61/ai_92026833
http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/annee_olofsson
http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2003/07/07/31189.html
http://www.marvelligallery.com/Olofsson1.html


Some of her works:

DEMONS (1999)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3397/3293047352_5d498cf04d_o.jpg

EVIL EYE (2004)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3293047354_816d94cb0a_o.jpg

I CAUGHT A GLIMPSE NOW IT HAUNTS ME (2006)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/3293047356_44fb6091d2_o.jpg

LOST (2006)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3125/3293047360_a0b9c43a5d_o.jpg

THE MOURNERS – MY LAST FAMILY PHOTO (1995)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3405/3293048900_efb3a9d4d9_o.jpg

SKINNED (2002)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/3293048904_cd24b1e668_o.jpg

THIN LINE
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3475/3293048910_070e80777b_o.jpg

UNFAMILIAR (2001)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3322/3293048916_196c696438_o.jpg

-------------------------------------------

Wish list for Dec 2008 part 1
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2009/02/wish-list-for-december-2008-part-1.html

Wish list for Nov 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2009/02/wish-list-for-november-2008.html

Wish list for October 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/11/wish-list-for-october-2008.html
Wish list for Sep 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/10/wish-list-for-sep-2008.html
WISH LIST FOR AUGUST 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/09/wish-list-for-august-2008.html
WISH LIST FOR JULY 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/08/wish-list-for-july-2008.html
WISH LIST FOR JUNE 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/07/wish-list-for-june-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR MAY 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/06/film-wish-list-for-may-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR APRIL 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/05/film-wish-list-for-april-2008.html
Film wish list for March 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/04/film-wish-list-for-march-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR FEB 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/03/film-wish-list-for-february-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR JAN 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/02/film-wish-list-for-jan-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST IN 2007
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/02/film-wish-list-for-jan-2008.html
















































Friday, January 02, 2009

CONVERSATIONS WITH DIRECTORS

I just got contacted by Royal S. Brown, who wrote some articles on Alain Robbe-Grillet, and learn about two things which I would like to buy very much.

1.The book CONVERSATIONS WITH DIRECTORS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF INTERVIEWS FROM LITERATURE/FILM QUARTERLY

This book has interviews of Robbe-Grillet, Terence Davies, Jonas Mekas, Richard Leacock, Marcel Ophuls, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Directors-Anthology-Interviews-Literature/dp/0810861224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230825696&sr=8-1


2.The DVD of GRADIVA (Alain Robbe-Grillet), though the film is in French with only Italian subtitles
http://www.amazon.de/Gradiva-Cest-qui-vous-appelle/dp/B001I3KPLW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1230827252&sr=1-1


Thanks very much to Royal S. Brown who told me about them.



Wednesday, August 20, 2008

WISH LIST FOR JULY 2008

WISH LIST FOR JULY 2008

A.FILM

1.BEHIND THE GLASS (2008, Zrinko Ogresta, Croatia, 80 min)
I love the faces of the characters in the trailer of this film. You can watch its trailer from the link below:
http://www.kviff.com/en/film-detail/2275-behind-the-glass/

Synopsis from the link above:

“Problems which have been brewing for years for successful 35-year-old architect Nikola Jeren come to a head in the space of five days. A life of lies and emotional turmoil has taken its toll on the man, he has no self-respect and doesn’t know what he really wants. His long-term mistress Ana, a work colleague, is weary from all the years they’ve had to conceal their relationship; she wants him to get a divorce. His wife Maja, the mother of Nikola’s 8-year-old daughter, is also pressing him to finally come to a decision. Nikola is imprisoned in a situation which cannot be resolved: whatever he does, he’ll only hurt everyone he ever loved even more. Can something decide for us, something we’re no longer used to expecting in life – a tragic coincidence? Director Zrinko Ogresta doesn’t judge the characters in his intimate psychological drama, but he presents a sensitive yet harsh view of their weaknesses. At the same time, however, he poses a vital question: to what extent are we responsible masters of our own destiny and thus also architects of the world we inhabit?”


2.HALF-LIFE (2008, Jennifer Phang, USA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9USokNB4mw
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/summer2008/25faces_2.php


3.HOW TO BECOME MYSELF (2007, Jun Ichikawa, Japan, 97 min)
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20070511a1.html
http://watatsuku.goo.ne.jp/index_f.html


4.JAY (2008, Francis Xavier Pasion, Philippines)
Oggs Cruz wrote about this film here:
http://oggsmoggs.blogspot.com/2008/07/jay-2008.html


5.MEADOWLARK (2008, Taylor Greeson, USA, documentary, 77 min)
http://www.taylorgreeson.com/meadowlark/extended_about.html

Synopsis of the film from the link above:
“When I was twelve years old, my brother Charlie was murdered by a man named Frank Fuhrmann, I lost my virginity to a 20 year old man, and I was ordained with the priesthood in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My graduate thesis film for the California Institute of the Arts is an autobiographical documentary that explores these events and their aftermath. The film will share with others my unique journey into manhood and, I hope, resonate with audiences living in an era of continuous cycles of violence.

Meadowlark will comprise volumes of family photos, newspaper articles and legal documents regarding my brother’s death, and 16mm film shot in various locations in Montana and at my mom’s home in New Mexico. I am talking with people involved in my brother’s homicide case and subsequent trial, families that now inhabit homes where I used to live, my own family, and I am eventually speaking to the man responsible for my brother’s death. This is a very personal endeavor; at times the subject material is difficult and painful to engage, but I am guided by a belief that confronting and talking about the horrible events that we experience is a way to help all of us understand those events more profoundly.

The breathtaking landscapes of my youth keep a multitude of secrets. Meadowlark exposes them. My hope is that an audience will see this film and leave the theater feeling as though they were invited into an intimate, personal story--a story that is remarkable, but not altogether foreign to the social landscape of America.”


6.NOWHERE PROMISED LAND (2008, Emmanuel Finkiel, France)


7.SHULTES (2008, Bakur Bakuradze, Russia)
David Bordwell wrote about this film here:
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=2574


8.TO SEE IF I’M SMILING (2008, Tamar Yarom, Israel, documentary, 59 min)


9.TWO MOTHERS – THE SEARCH BEGAN IN RIGA (2007, Rosa von Praunheim, Germany, 87 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30akjE_AOhs
http://www.german-films.de/app/filmarchive/film_view.php?film_id=1794

Synopsis from the link above:

“Tracing my two mothers in Riga is my personal history.

I was born Holger Mischwitzky in Riga/Latvia, on November 25th, 1942. In 2000, my then 94-year-old mother told me I was not her son and that she had found me in a children’s home in Riga during the German occupation. That was all she was prepared to say. She died in 2003.
Initially I didn’t want to start searching, she had been a loving mother to me. Two years later I did become curious, but not knowing my real family name, I thought searching would be futile. With the help of a Latvian journalist I met Agnese who discovered intriguing things in the national archive.

Amazingly enough, I eventually found my real birth certificate in Berlin which stated that I had been born in Riga in the central prison in 1942.

I start searching for my mother. Will I find her or her family? Will I be able to find out something about my father?After 63 years, I decide to fly to Riga and start searching for my two mothers’ traces.



10.YEAR OF THE NAIL (2007, Jonas Cuaron, Mexico)


B. TRIBUTE WISH LIST
Films starring Federico Luppi (born 1936, Argentina)

1.THE ROMANCE OF ANICETO AND THE FRANCISCA (1967, Leonardo Favio)

2.CHRONICLE OF A LADY (1971, directed by Raul de la Torre, written by Maria Luisa Bemberg)

3.REBELLION IN PATAGONIA (1974, Hector Olivera)
This film won Silver Berlin Bear.

4.TIME FOR REVENGE (1981, Adolfo Aristarain)

5.LAST DAYS OF THE VICTIM (1982, Adolfo Aristarain)

6.SWEET CASH (1982, Fernando Ayala + Juan Jose Jusid)

7.MY DEAR TOM MIX (1991, Carlos Garcia Agraz, Mexico)

8.A PLACE IN THE WORLD (1992, Adolfo Aristarain)

9.LA LEY DE LA FRONTERA (1995, Adolfo Aristarain)

10.AUTUMN SUN (1996, Eduardo Mignogna, DVD available)

11.MARTIN (HACHE) (1997, Adolfo Aristarain, DVD available)

12.GANGS FROM ROSARIO (2001, Rodrigo Grande)

13.THE LAST TRAIN (2002, Diego Arsuaga, DVD available)

14.COMMON GROUND (2002, Adolfo Aristarain, DVD available)

15.PASOS (2005, Federico Luppi, Spain)


C. EXHIBITION WISH LIST
UTA BARTH’S EXHIBITION

You can read Uta Barth’s interview here:
http://www.jca-online.com/barth.html

Excerpt from the interview:

“On the most obvious level, we all expect photographs to be pictures of something. We assume that the photographer observed a place, a person, an event in the world and wanted to record it, point at it. There is always something that motivated the taking of a photograph. The problem with my work is that these images are really not of anything in that sense, they register only that which is incidental and peripheral implied. Instead, there are some clues to indicate that what we are looking at is the surrounding information. (The images lack focus because the camera's attention is somewhere else. Many of the compositions, while clearly deliberate and carefully arranged in relation to the picture's edge, are awkward, off balance and formally suggest a missing element.) Slowly it becomes clear that what we are presented with is a sort of empty container and it is at that point that people begin to "project" into this space. It begins to read as an empty screen. A second aspect might be that many people relate to the pictures in terms of memory. They are pretty saturated with the formal conventions of portraiture and one has a sense of inescapable familiarity when looking at them. What comes to mind is an entire inventory of other pictures seen. The point of engagement that perhaps interests me the most, though, has to do with one's perceptual reorientation in relation to the pictures when trying to decode the space described. If the "subject" is not fixed within the image on the wall, but instead is indicated to be in front of that, then the "location" of the work hangs somewhere between the viewer and the wall, in that empty space we are looking through.”

Some images by Uta Barth:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2780808487_08500ccbb6_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3137/2780808485_07041da5c6_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2780808481_92eb52fbb0_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2780808477_508212beed_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/2780808473_fc7c93234a_o.jpg


D. DVD WISH LIST

1.JON JOST’S DVD
You can buy some DVDs of Jon Jost for 33 dollars each by contacting Jon Jost.
http://www.jon-jost.com/sales.html

I just knew about it from Unspoken Cinema’s blog:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2008/02/ccc-auteurs-directory.html


2.Bill Mousoulis’ DVD

You can buy his DVDs from the link below:
http://www.innersense.com.au/productions/mousoulis/dvds.html

--------------------------------

WISH LIST FOR JUNE 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/07/wish-list-for-june-2008.html

FILM WISH LIST FOR MAY 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/06/film-wish-list-for-may-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR APRIL 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/05/film-wish-list-for-april-2008.html
Film wish list for March 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/04/film-wish-list-for-march-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR FEB 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/03/film-wish-list-for-february-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST FOR JAN 2008
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/02/film-wish-list-for-jan-2008.html
FILM WISH LIST IN 2007
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2008/02/film-wish-list-for-jan-2008.html








Thursday, June 05, 2008

RUDE AWAKENING (1980, A+++++)

This is my comment in Girish Shambu’s blog:
http://www.girishshambu.com/blog/2008/06/cinema-revulsion.html

As for Hammer Studio, I highly recommend RUDE AWAKENING, starring Denholm Elliot. It is an episode in a tv series called HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR (1980), which is available as a four-disc dvd box set. RUDE AWAKENING is included in disc one. I watched RUDE AWAKENING when I was a little child, and haven’t forgotten it for the past 25 years or so. I love the storytelling structure of this TV episode very much. I’m not sure how I will feel if I watch it again. But judging from my first impression, it is totally great.



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

"RAISED FROM DUST"' AS DVD

I just heard from Kevin Lee’s blog that RAISED FROM DUST will be released as a DVD. I haven’t seen this film, but Filmsick who saw it praised it a lot.

You can read the details about this DVD release at Kevin’s blog:
http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/


This is what Filmsick wrote about this film:

“This film is about a poor woman who has a sick husband staying in a hospital and a daughter who can’t pay tuition fees. What’s surprising is that the film contains no melodramatic scene. This is a low-budget film, full of static shots and stillness. The images seem to be transfixed by the empty atmosphere of rural China. Every scene is so natural, so life-like and so long that it can be a torture. The film is like a documentary without an ounce of sentimentality. We rarely see a close-up scene of the heroine. The story doesn’t seem to move forward. There is no music. Even in the climactic scene, we can only hear a sound of the wheels from her vehicle. This is not a kind of slow-but-deep films as Hou Hsiao-hsien’s, nor a kind of slow-bittter-humorous films as Tsai Ming-liang’s. But this is a film of stillness and silence which is extremely hurtful and powerful.”

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

TEN RECOMMENDED DVDS

FAVORITE SONG

YOUR MIND IS TWISTED (THE CUBEGUYS REMIX) – Greg, Jeroenski & Roog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT4k_44Oikk

Thanks to Parichaba who recommends me this song.


-------------------------------------

This is my comment in Girish Shambu’s blog:
http://www.girishshambu.com/blog/2008/04/dvds.html

I’m sorry that some of the following DVDs are not region-1.

I just knew from Wise Kwai’s blog about some new interesting Malaysian DVDs. They are:

1.LOVE CONQUERS ALL (2006, Tan Chui Mui)

2.THREE SHORT FILMS BY TAN CHUI MUI

3.VILLAGE PEOPLE RADIO SHOW (2007, Amir Muhammad)

4.BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN (2006, James Lee)

I saw all these films and like them very much. You can buy these DVDs from this website:
http://www.dahuangpictures.com/shop/

Wise Kwai’s blog is here:
http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/

Other DVDs which I highly recommend are Swiss films with English subtitles which can be bought from http://www.artfilm.ch/. I don’t know whether they were released long time ago or just released recently, but I love all of them.

5.NOCTURNE (2003, Riccardo Signorell)
http://www.artfilm.ch/nocturne.php?lang=e
This film shows a few days in the life of a suicidal man. The film is almost plotless. I think this film lacks ‘the intensity of life’ which is something found in some films by Louis Malle (LE FEU FOLLET), Philippe Garrel, Maurice Pialat, or Jean Eustache. However, considering this film comes from an unknown director, I think it is much better than expected.

6.CORN IN PARLIAMENT (2003, Jean Stephane Bron)
http://www.artfilm.ch/jeanstephanebron.php
This superb political documentary is sold together with other two films by Jean Stephan Bron. They are CONNU DE NOS SERVICES (1997) and LA BONNE CONDUITE (1999).

7.A LONG WINTER WITHOUT FIRE (2004, Greg Zglinski)
http://www.artfilm.ch/toutunhiversansfeu.php
Aurelien Recoing (TIME OUT) gives a great performance in this film.


There are also some old DVDs which I would like to recommend:

8.COMING HOME (2003, Andreas Kleinert, Germany)
I just found that amazon.com has this DVD with English subtitles. I haven’t seen this film, but it won a lot of awards, and I love OUT OF TIME (NEBEN DER ZEIT) (1995), which is also directed by Andreas Kleinert.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HBN8QXSEL._SS500_.jpg

9.GETTING MY BROTHER LAID (2001, Sven Taddicken, Germany)
I totally love the ending of this film and EMMA’S BLISS (2006, Sven Taddicken). This DVD with English subtitle is available from amazon.com

10.ABSOLUTE WILSON (2006, Katharina Otto-Bernstein)
Last year I was fascinated by VIDEO 50 (1978, Robert Wilson), and I am glad to know that there is a documentary on Robert Wilson available as DVD from amazon.com. I haven’t seen this documentary, but I’m sure it’s interesting.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YFjVnW84L._SS500_.jpg


These are images of NOCTURNE from outnow.ch:
http://outnow.ch/Media/Img/2003/Nocturne/
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2473810038_deb138d027_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2369/2473810034_560b9570c4_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2473810032_d9a52beb63_b.jpg







Tuesday, April 01, 2008

JOHN'S LIST OF MEXICAN FILMS

John left a comment in my wordpress blog about some interesting Mexican films which I have never heard of. So I think I should try to find some information about the films in John’s list.

http://celinejulie.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/favorite-mexican-films/#comment-2922


1.REED: INSURGENT MEXICO (1973, Paul Leduc)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CTTY8GTAL._SS500_.jpg

This is a comment on REED by Mike in http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/630359400X/imdb-adbox/

“This film is earnest, honest, and quite moving and many of its images tend to linger in the mind. The slow, labored progress of a wagon wheel representing the peasants’ own journey; the dusty desolation of a churchyard cemetery after the chaos of battle; an errant box of dynamite falling off of a wagon but not breaking. True to history and an aesthetic of justice and liberty, Leduc's film makes us understand the power of passionate journalism to change the world for the better.”


2.CANOA (1976, Felipe Cazals)

Somehow the synopsis of this film reminds me of the Bangkok Massacre in 1976. What is sad is that while the true event in CANOA happened in a rural area in Mexico, the true event here happened in the capital of Thailand.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516J9EBEB3L._SS500_.jpg

Synopsis from
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008H2HZ/imdb-adbox/

“Canoa is a compelling story based on the actual event that occurred on September 14th 1968 in the mountainous town of San Miguel de Canoa. A group of employees from Puebla University set out on a hiking excursion to a nearby mountain. Mistaken for radical communist agitators by a domineering local priest, a mob of townspeople are incited to riot, resulting in the brutal murders of several of the young men.”


You can read more about this film from:
http://arbogastonfilm.blogspot.com/2007/11/god-on-high.html


3.THE BRICKLAYERS (1976, Jorge Fons)
http://www.filmforum.org/films/cinemexico.html

“When a worker is found murdered on the construction side, the investigation swiftly turns from things criminal to the political circumstances surrounding the building itself.”


4.THE DEVIL AND THE LADY (1983, Ariel Zuniga)

Synopsis from New York Times’ website:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/157885/El-Diablo-y-la-Dama/overview

“With little dialogue, no specific storyline, and subject matter dealing with murder, hate, sex, and an erotic nightclub act, this film focuses on a performer named America (Catherine Jourdan) who goes "on the road" with her new lover Jimmy (Carlos Castañon), a thief. America is dodging a former lover, so life on the road does not look to be easy, and it is anything but virtuous. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide”

Catherine Jourdan, the leading actress of this film, is also the leading actress of EDEN AND AFTER (1970, Alain Robbe-Grillet, A+).


5.ROMELIA’S SECRET (1988, Busi Cortes)

Synopsis from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096067/

“An elder woman (Romelia), her daughter and her grandchildren take a few days on holidays to visit a small town outside the city. The town makes Romelia melancholy and her daughter wants to find out about the mystery of her unknown father.”


6.BATHROOM INTIMACIES (1989, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GX8SE0CSL._SS500_.jpg

Synopsis from
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000EMYCP/imdb-adbox/

“Gabriela works at a bank and lives with her parents while her husband Roberto gets a grant as a writer. One night, Roberto comes home drunk and Gabriela locks herself in the bathroom. He gets in, they argue, and he abuses her. The next morning, her mother confesses to Gabriela that she has had lovers and advises her not to put up with Roberto as she did with Gabriela’s father. Roberto ends up committing suicide and the mother consoles Gabriela, telling her she has many things to accomplish.”


7.ANGEL OF FIRE (1992, Dana Rotberg)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XVSDW6GML._SS500_.jpg

Synopsis from
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006SFJW/imdb-adbox/

“In a rundown circus on the outskirts of Mexico City, 13 year-old Alma earns a living as a trapeze artist and fire breather. When her fellow performers find out that she is pregnant, Alma is expelled from the circus. She lives on the streets until she meets a troupe of traveling puppeteers that preach the word of god. Alma sees a promise in them, a glimpse of hope. This is the story of a young girls' search for redemption and forgiveness.”


8.LOLO (1993, Francisco Athie)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514ADMQVBZL._SS500_.jpg

Synopsis from
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000633TR/imdb-adbox/

“Dolores Chimal, also known as "Lolo", is an outcast boy who lives in the suburbs of Mexico City. After being assaulted and losing his job, as a result of a week in the hospital, he accidentally kills the local moneylender (an old woman) when trying to rob his mother's golden watch that she had pawned. Lolo is then hunted and blackmailed by everybody but his girlfriend, Sonia, who is forced to sell herself at a men's club to help him. With money in their hands, Sonia and Lolo share the feeling of guilt and shame, and with the events in the neighborhood
that have united them to such degree they decide to flee together.”


9.TWO CRIMES (1995, Roberto Sneider)

Synopsis from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112889/

“After being falsely accused of a murder, Marcos (Alcazar) runs away to the small and quiet town of Cuevano, where he has relatives. There he finds that the family matters are more complicated than his, and that the complexities of small-town life are richer (and more dangerous) than his apparently sophisticated life in the big city.”


10.I FORGOT, I DON’T REMEMBER (1999, Juan Carlos Rulfo)

Synopsis from Docpoint Film Festival:
http://www.docpoint.info/katalogi/index.php?tyyppi=elokuva&elokuva=376&kieli=englanti&katalogi=1...&vuosi=2008

“Juan Carlos Rulfo returns to the scenery of his late father’s, Juan Rulfo’s, youth to the countryside of Western Mexico, the village of San Gabriel.
The search for the father, one of the most famous writers in Mexico (The Burning Plain, Pedro Páramo), turns into a story about the forgotten Mexico and the frailty of memories as the stories of the village’s elderly are a mix of memories and the lapse of them, imagination, myths and reality. According to the director, the result can be described as a docu-fiction. The warm documentary, accompanied by black and white scenic shots and Juan Rulfo’s writings, is a tribute to the writer and the father, as well as to all those who knew him even though they may no longer remember him.”


11.IN THE PIT (2006, Juan Carlos Rulfo)

Synopsis from Docpoint Film Festival:
http://www.docpoint.info/katalogi/index.php?tyyppi=elokuva&elokuva=370&kieli=englanti&katalogi=1...&vuosi=2008

“”The work will never end. We will.” The work in question is a huge bridge construction site snaking through the heart of Mexico City. The bridge, which will become the world’s largest two-storey highway, is being built day and night, unceasingly. During the nights convoys of super heavy trucks bring new gigantic materials over which the herds of workers swarm during the day, carrying on their endless task. The Nights are magical, while the days are hot, wet and dusty. And through the days the men can be heard singing.”


12.THE CITRILLO’S TURNS (2006, Felipe Cazals)
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117928599.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0












Friday, March 14, 2008

EXTREMELY ECSTATIC EXPERIENCE

Merveillesxx just saw SOMBRE (1998, Philippe Grandrieux) and likes it very much. He asked me to recommend other films which may be comparable to SOMBRE, preferably films which are available as DVDs in Bangkok.

This is my comment in Merveillesxx’ blog:
http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=merveillesxx&month=03-2008&date=10&group=1&gblog=123

น้องเมอร์คะ พี่จะเข้าไปตอบคำถามที่น้องถามไว้ในเว็บบอร์ดไบโอสโคป แต่เว็บบอร์ดมันล่มน่ะค่ะ พี่เลยเอาคำตอบมาแปะในนี้แทนนะคะ

Well, I think SOMBRE is actually incomparable. I find it very difficult to think of any other films which may be comparable to SOMBRE. So I think I should just give you some trivia:

--There are at least two bloggers who like Grandrieux or SOMBRE very much. So if you continually read these two blogs, you may get to know some other films which are as great as SOMBRE.

1.Mubarak Ali’s blog:
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2007/03/straight-is-line-from-heart-to-star.html
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2007/02/dance-girl-dance.html
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2006/02/la-vie-nouvelle-philippe-grandrieux.html

2.Mike Dekalb’s blog:
http://esotika.blogspot.com/

3.Mike Dekalb’s website:
http://esotikafilm.com/


--In Unspoken Cinema’s blog, Philippe Grandrieux’s LA VIE NOUVELLE is categorized as being in the sub-group of films called STYLIZED CONTEMPLATION.

You can find the name of Grandrieux and other interesting directors in this chronology list of films:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2006/10/chronology.html

Or in this directory:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2008/02/ccc-auteurs-directory.html

Or in this updated genealogy chart:
http://unspokencinema.blogspot.com/2007/11/updated-genealogy-chart.html


--Well, if you are gonna buy some DVDs, I think I may recommend you some films. I think these films have nothing in common with SOMBRE, except that these films give me an experience as extremely ecstatic as SOMBRE.

1.BEAU TRAVAIL (1999, Claire Denis)

2.THE BLOOD OF A POET (1930, Jean Cocteau)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021331/

3.COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (1968, Sergei Paradjanov)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063555/

4.COME AND SEE (1985, Elem Klimov)

5.THE GARDEN (1990, Derek Jarman)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099634/

6.INAUGURATION OF THE PLEASURE DOME (1954, Kenneth Anger)
This film is in the DVD called THE FILMS OF KENNETH ANGER VOL.1.

7.INSTITUTE BENJAMENTA (1995, The Quay Brothers)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113429/

8.MAHLER (1974, Ken Russell)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071797/


The following films also gave me an experience as extremely ecstatic as SOMBRE, though these films may not be available as DVDs in Bangkok now.

1.AUGUST IN THE WATER (1995, Sogo Ishii, Japan)

2.THE BOY FROM MARS (2003, Philippe Parreno, France, short film)

3.THE DEATH OF MARIA MALIBRAN (1972, Werner Schroeter, West Germany)

4.EDEN AND AFTER (1970, Alain Robbe-Grillet, France)

5.KALYI – AGE OF DARKNESS (1993, Fred Kelemen, Germany)

6.THE LONG DAY CLOSES (1992, Terence Davies, UK)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104753/

7.PAMELA, POUR TOUJOURS (2003, Alain Bourges, France, short film)

8.THE SLEEP OF REASON (1984, Ula Stockl, West Germany)

9.TAKE THE 5:10 TO DREAMLAND (1976, Bruce Conner, USA, short film)

10.VACANCY (1998, Matthias Mueller, Germany, short film)

Saturday, January 05, 2008

DVD WISH LIST: JORDAN BELSON, FRANS ZWARTJES, PETER METTLER, ROBERT FRANK

THIS IS MY COMMENT IN BIOSCOPE WEBBOARD
http://www.bioscopemagazine.com/

ตอบคุณ AMNESIAC

ไม่รู้เหมือนกันค่ะว่าจะหาดูหนังของ Kyle Canterbury ได้ที่ไหน บางทีอาจต้องสวดภาวนาให้เทศกาลหนังทดลองนำหนังของเขาเข้ามาฉาย

อ่านบทวิจารณ์ของ FRED CAMPER แล้วน่าสนใจดี เขาบอกว่าหนังของ Kyle Canterbury ตรงข้ามกับ Stan Brakhage เพราะในขณะที่ Brakhage พยายามนำองค์ประกอบหลายๆอย่างที่แตกต่างกันมาประสานเข้าด้วยกันในหนังอย่างกลมกลืน Canterbury กลับนำองค์ประกอบหลายๆอย่างที่แตกต่างกันมานำเสนอในหนัง โดยจงใจเน้นความแตกต่างและความเข้ากันไม่ได้ขององค์ประกอบเหล่านั้น

ตอนนี้หนังแนวพิสดารที่อยากดูมากคือหนังของ Jordan Belson โดยเฉพาะเรื่อง "สมาธิ" (1967) ซึ่งสามารถหาดูได้ในรูปแบบดีวีดี

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lX3KwHgzL._SS400_.jpg

This information of Jordan Belson's DVD is from http://www.amazon.com/

"New 2007 release by Center for Visual Music. Contains Allures (1961), Samadhi (1967), Light (1973), Fountain of Dreams (1984, never before released), and Epilogue (2005). "Jordan Belson is one of the greatest artists of visual music. Belson creates lush vibrant experiences of exquisite color and dynamic abstract phenomena evoking sacred celestial experiences." -- Film historian William Moritz. Noted film historian Gene Youngblood writes: "These five films by Jordan Belson, representing his early, middle, and later periods, are essential for three reasons: the early classics were breakthrough masterpieces, the previously unreleased "Fountain of Dreams" is a dazzling revelation from the middle period, and the shimmering "Epilogue" from 2005 makes it clear that the master still has the spark of genius, breathing new life into the vocabulary he has developed over more than a half-century of visionary filmmaking." "

The DVD of Jordan Belson is in Top Ten DVD of 2007 lists of many critics. You can see the lists here:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/DVD_of_the_Year_2007.htm

WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? (1978, Narciso Ibanez Serrador, A+) win the most votes for BEST CULT DVD OF 2007.

There are many DVDs in these Top Ten lists that I would like to watch, such as

1.THE GREAT CINEMA MAGICIAN: FRANS ZWARTJES
http://twitchfilm.net/archives/009966.html

You can read a review of Zwartjes' film here:
http://esotika.blogspot.com/2007/10/living-frans-zwartjes-1971.html


2.ME AND MY BROTHER (1968, Robert Frank) (including a book)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BapLGtqtL._SS500_.jpg

Information from http://www.amazon.com/

"Me and My Brother, Robert Frank's first feature-length film, premiered at the 1968 Venice Film Festival. Everything that had defined Frank's art up to that point is packed into this film--the view of America as if from the outside, the placement of the marginal in a central role, the poetic libertinage of the Beats. The story, which takes place during the showing of another film in a rundown movie theater, weaves together opposites, playing the counterfeit against the authentic, pornography against poetry, acting against being, Beat cynicism against hippie romanticism, monochrome against color. Me and My Brother celebrates the poetic essay, affirms the underground and the assemblage form, and packs in some bizarre twists and turns. This book and DVD set includes stills, dialogue and the re-edited 85-minute film. "


3.ECOUTE LE TEMPS (2007, Alante Cavaite)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512Yg+m44aL._SS500_.jpg

information from http://www.amazon.co.uk/

''If walls could talk, what would they say? In the supernatural thriller ECOUTE LE TEMPS, a sound engineer attempts to find out just that. Unhappy with the way the police are investigating her mother's murder, Charlotte (Emilie Dequenne) decides to take matters into her own hands. Using professional recording equipment, she tries to capture paranormal sounds in the house where the murder took place. But what she discovers is enough to shake her entire perception of who her mother was"


4.THOMAS KOERFER'S DVD COLLECTION
http://koerferfilm.com/e/dvd.html


5.HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1972, Carlos Aured Alonso)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g1l1VALEL._SS500_.jpg

"Scotland Yard begins an investigation that is so terrifying in its outcome it nearly brings the venerable organization to its knees. It begins with the inquiry into the murder of a young girl and soon evolves into a case surrounding a long forgotten crime a madman and zombies."


--Apart from the Top Ten lists in DVD Beaver, I also wish I could watch the 4 DVDs of Peter Mettler. I hope they will be available here soon.
http://www.petermettler.com/order.html
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5188Qr3-geL._SS500_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RMM2nLcJL._SS500_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H7p8DP+GL._SS500_.jpg


--หนังเรื่อง THE ANTHEM ของ APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL ติดอันดับของ ROBERT KOEHLER ด้วยค่ะ ดูอันดับของเขาได้ที่
http://filmjourney.weblogger.com/































Wednesday, November 14, 2007

HELKE SANDER'S DVDS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

I just knew that 16 films directed by Helke Sander are now released as DVDs with English subtitles. How great it is! I hope the DVDs of Helke Sander will be available in Bangkok very soon.

http://www.neuevisionen.de/shopping/product_info.php?products_id=169/

Helke Sander’s films which are now released as DVDs with English subtitles include:

1.THE ALL-ROUND REDUCED PERSONALITY – REDUPERS (1977, 98 min, A+)

2.THE SUBJECTIVE FACTOR (1980, 138 min)

3.LOVE IS THE BEGINNING OF ALL TERROR (1983, 117 min)

4.LIBERATORS TAKE LIBERTIES (1992, 192 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0184255/
This is a documentary about the raping of German women by Russian soldiers after World War II.

5.IN THE MIDST OF THE MALESTREAM (2005, 93 min)


For more information about Helke Sander, please read:
http://www.helke-sander.de/


Tuesday, November 13, 2007

SUGGESTIONS FOR TRENDY MERVEILLESXX

This is my funny comment in Bioscope webboard. It’s just a joke. Don’t be serious about it.
http://www.bioscopemagazine.com/smf/index.php?topic=705.0

ตอบน้อง ennisdelmar

ดีใจมากจ้ะที่น้องชอบ SOMBRE ตอนนี้พี่ก็รออยู่ว่าเมื่อไหร่จะมีใครผลิตดีวีดี LA VIE NOUVELLE ในแบบที่มีซับไตเติลภาษาอังกฤษออกมาขายเสียที



Reply to Merveillesxx

Oooh! You are so “out”. I pity you so much. Anyway, if you want to be “in trend” and understand what teenagers today are crazy for, you need to see the following DVDs right now. These DVDs are selling like hot cakes at every branch of 7-Eleven. You might have noticed that since the beginning of November, whenever you go to buy something at 7-Eleven, the cashier will ask you, “Would you like to buy a DVD of Alexander Kluge?” That’s one of the reasons why a lot of teenagers have seen Kluge’s films and are totally crazy for Kluge’s films now. So, Merveillesxx, if you want to be trendy and understand what all your friends have seen, you must see all these popular DVDs right now:


1.CLASS RELATIONS (1984, Jean-Marie Straub + Daniele Huillet, 122 mins)

This DVD with English subtitles was released in October 2007.
http://www.edition-filmmuseum.com/product_info.php/info/p30_Klassen-verh-auml-ltnisse.html/XTCsid/25180782d0dbd67f5a74ab57830df9fd

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2313/2001634693_59adcb4c5b_o.jpg



2.50 FILMS BY ALEXANDER KLUGE

This DVD collection contains 16 DVDs with English subtitles.
http://www.edition-filmmuseum.com/product_info.php/info/p10_Alexander-Kluge---The-films-for-cinema.html

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2137/2001634669_4e7d2c427b_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2018/2001634641_03c4ba7848_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2061/2001634589_c54f0ea0b7_o.jpg



3.LOOKING FOR LANGSTON (1989, Isaac Julien)

This DVD was released at 31 July 2007.

Synopsis from http://www.amazon.com/

“Award-winning British filmmaker Isaac Julien`s LOOKING FOR LANGSTON is both critically acclaimed and controversial. The film is a lyrical and poetic consideration of the life of revered Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. Isaac Julien invokes Hughes as a black gay cultural icon, against an impressionistic, atmospheric setting that parallels a Harlem speakeasy of the 1920s with a 1980s London underground nightclub. Extracts from Hughes poetry are interwoven with the work of cultural figures from the 1920s and beyond, including Essex Humphill, Bruce Nugent, and Robert Mapplethorpe, constructing a lyrical and multilayered narrative. Julien explores the ambiguous sexual subtexts of the period of rich artistic expression, and the enduring cultural significance of the pioneer s work. Shot in sumptuous monochrome, the film combines archival footage with the newly staged set pieces, fantasy sequences, and an imagined love story. The result is a beautiful and ultimately celebratory piece about artistic expression and the nature of desire.”

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41+8+u6m9tL._SS500_.jpg



4.MARGARET TAIT, SELECTED FILMS 1952-1976

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q+EUhQfEL._SS400_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vGoNZo7OL._SS400_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4145axryhhL._SS400_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416CjtiDT7L._SS400_.jpg

Synopsis from http://www.amazon.co.uk/

“LUX is pleased to announce the release of a new DVD collection of key films by Orcadian poet and filmmaker Margaret Tait, produced from newly restored prints and available for the first time on DVD. Margaret Tait was one of Britain's most unique and individual artist filmmakers. Over the course of 46 years she produced over 30 films including one feature, Blue Black Permanent (1992) and published five books of poetry and short stories, while living between the Island of Orkney and Edinburgh. Margaret described her life's work as consisting of making film-poems. She often quoted Lorca's phrase of 'stalking the image' to define her philosophy and method, the idea that if you look at an object closely enough it will speak its nature. This clarity of vision and purpose with an attention to simple commonplace subjects combined with a rare sense of inner rhythm and pattern give her films a transcendental quality, while still remaining firmly rooted within the everyday. Margaret once said of her films, with characteristic modesty, that they are born of 'of sheer wonder and astonishment at how much can be seen in any place that you choose...if you really look'. DVD contains the following films: Portrait of Ga (1952), Aerial (1974), Hugh MacDiarmid: A Portrait (1964), Colour Poems (1974), Where I am is Here (1964), Place of Work (1976), Tailpiece (1976), John Macfadyen (1970).”



5.WORKING GIRLS (1986, Lizzie Borden)

The DVD is released on August 21, 2007.

Synopsis from http://www.amazon.com/

“Molly is a lesbian with an Ivy League degree. Gina plans on opening her own beauty salon. Dawn is a law student. Mary answered an ad to be a hostess and decided to try it. Welcome to a typical day in the life of a group of New York City prostitutes. Plying their trade in an expensive, immaculately maintained Manhattan bordello, they deal with everything from the mundane to the profane while servicing men of all shapes, sizes and fetishes. For these working girls, every job may have its price, but every day has its cost. Award winning femininst director Lizzie Borden (Born In Flames) spent six months interviewing real prostitutes for this acclaimed drama, delivering an unflinching look at The World's Oldest Profession filled with rare humor, insight and honesty.”

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y2cmQpooL._SS500_.jpg


So, Merveillesxx, if you want to be “in trend”, go to the nearest 7-Eleven and buy all these DVDs right now!


















































Sunday, October 28, 2007

PALMS (1993, ARTUR ARISTAKISYAN, A+++++)

I'm very glad that PALMS has been released as a DVD, because I love A PLACE ON EARTH (2001, Artur Aristakisyan, A++++++++++) very much and A PLACE ON EARTH is one of my most favorite films I saw in 2003. After I saw PALMS, I think it is like a documentary counterpart to 4 (2004, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, A+).


Some images below are from http://www.dvdbeaver.com/