Esoteric Picks #28

Tunes

The Mighty Imperials - Thunder Chicken (1996)


Funk out yo face old school with a group that could easily be mistaken for James Brown's old backing band. Complete with wakachaka-wakachaka guitar, bubbling organ, punchy horns and a bopping rhythm section, these kids (and apparently not a single member of the band was over 18 when the record was recorded) sound like a bunch of well-seasoned studio players. Singer Joe Henry brings his gospel background to some soulful vocals on 4 of the albums tracks. The rest of the album is filled with solid on-the-one funk played with joy and a deep respect to the Godfather Of Soul.



Classic English Language Film

House Of Wax (1953)


Andre de Toth's remake of 1933's "Mystery Of The Wax Museum" is another case of a terrificly fun Sunday afternoon type movie that is also crafted exceptionally well - with a strong visual sense as well as solid (enough) acting and a good story. I'd love to see this in its original 3-D - if only for the scene where a barker is playing with one of those paddleball thingies and bouncing it straight at the camera (you would be forgiven if you suddenly thought of Dr. Tongue at this point...). Vincent Price is the star here and he may very well be having more fun than the viewer. OK, so the story doesn't quite hang together perfectly, but the concept of using dead bodies for the wax sculptures and then needing to kill for more models is just too good not to work on some level. You can even see a young Charles Bronson as the assistant Igor. If you haven't seen it, you couldn't possibly need more convincing than that.

And if you have some 3-D glasses, here's part of the paddleball scene:





Recent English Language Film

The Ten (2007)


A bit of a dicey pick here - not just because the quality of the 10 different sketches varies minute to minute, but because it's obviously trying to offend across a wide swath. Of course if you're easily offended, you really shouldn't be watching comedic riffs based around the Ten Commandments...Each story has a different cast of characters played by the likes of Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba and Ron Silver, but as the film goes on the characters start crossing over to the different stories. Even nominal host Paul Rudd (who isn't that great here) gets into one of the stories. It's during these meshing of storylines and interesting little tweaks (like how each story opens up) that the film wins extra points. It's also always welcomed to be reminded how incredibly lovely Gretchen Mol is.



Foreign Film

Pitfall (1962)


A young man and his son reach a deserted ghost town after drifting from mining job to mining job. They've been managing a meager existence doing what they have to in order to survive, but now a man in a white suit is following them and taking their picture. Hiroshi Teshigahara builds a fascinating debut film from this by using a number of different tools - cinematography (Criterion's crisp transfer really showcases the beautiful and striking Black and White photography), brillant use of the sound field, numerous themes (voyeurism, man vs. nature, etc.) and a range of genre and stylistic conventions. The movie is not only an unsettling ghost story, but also a murder mystery, a tragic tale of human desperation and what seems to be a criticism of authority (in general, but also specifically the mining industry of the times). The outlook of the film is bleak, but if you want a terrific example of the craft and artistry of film making then look no further.

Here's the Japanese trailer (without subtitles, but should still give you an idea):





WTF?

The Great Happiness Space (2006)


Thinking of writing a futuristic tale of how our modern day relationships have failed so badly that the beautiful young people who sell their time for companionship to others, must in turn buy their own? You'd be hard pressed to write something better than this documentary about young Japanese men who sell themselves as dates in specially created clubs. In an odd circular twist, the majority of their clientele is made up of prostitutes - women who are so desperately in need of some kind of companionship after selling their bodies that they end up buying it from these pretty young men. It's fascinating, yet terribly sad...

Esoteric Picks #27

Adam Ross over at DVD Panache was kind enough to mention my previous Esoteric picks when he did my recent Friday Screen Test. Considering I haven't done one in about 4 months, I should probably get back on track...



Tunes

Horslips - The Tain (1974)


Though mostly known for their minor FM hit in the late 70's "The Man Who Built America" (at least in North America anyway), Horslips have a fine back catalog of strong Celtic influenced rock that covers a wide swath of territory. Progressive rock fans will enjoy the mixing of folk and rock instrumentation amidst the occasional jig or reel (not to mention the oft-compared to Jethro Tull flute playing - which in my mind is better than Ian Anderson's) and perhaps even their penchant for concept albums which tend to deal with very specific Irish subjects like local mythology or even the plight of immigrants to North America. The band is in terrific form here showing great instrumental work that never overshadows some truly lovely songs.



Classic English Language Film

Dracula (1958)


My knowledge of Hammer Horror cinema is unfortunately quite slim, but after seeing this almost perfect combination of story, acting, colour and fun I really hope to change that. Also known as "Horror Of Dracula" in North America, it covers the basic tale of Dracula and Dr. Van Helsing, but somehow finds the perfect ground between the slightly scary, the melodramatic and the good cheesy fun. Throw in both Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing - who seem to relish their roles and the grand sets they get to prowl around - and it's hard to imagine not having buckets and buckets full of ooey gooey bloody red entertainment.

I was lucky enough to see the recently restored version on the big screen. Here's the trailer for it (doesn't it look great?):




Recent English Language Film

Jane Austen Book Club (2007)


Several women (and one man) fall into a book club devoted to covering off all of Jane Austen's novels. Each month they meet to discuss the next book on the list and slowly begin to work through their own messy lives and romances. Though the film occasionally borders on getting too silly with a few characters and their situations, it holds together quite well and weaves in various Austen plots and character traits across all the club members without having to match them up specifically with the books. The dialog is sharp and natural and the acting is almost uniformly excellent (particularly by Maria Bello). It ended up far exceeding my expectations.



Foreign Film

Bay Of Angels (1963)



"Bay Of Angels" may very well be the perfect realization of the bittersweet world of director Jacques Demy. A young man falls into the world of gambling at ritzy French casinos and hooks up with the impossibly blonde Jackie. She's completely addicted to the highs of winning and (as played by the remarkable Jeanne Moreau) you feel like she can actually command that roulette ball to stop wherever she demands. Of course she can't, so the bulk of the film is the ups and downs the couple face together. You're left trying to decide whether the outcome of the film is a good thing for the two of them or not..."Umbrellas Of Cherbourg" and "Young Girls Of Rochefort" are more famous and beloved (by me as well), but this film truly captures a mix of happiness, regret, hope and sadness all at once.

Here's a great trailer for "The Fantasy World Of Jacques Demy" which includes clips from "Bay Of Angels" and several other great films by the man:





WTF?

Isolation (2005)


Billy O'Brien's 2005 film "Isolation" is a straight up horror film for the most part, but being set almost entirely on a remote Irish farm with few characters (only 5 main people on the farm) allows it to build a great deal of tension over long stretches. And since the driving force of the story begins with a genetic mutation in a not-born-yet calf gone wrong, the unease you feel as the story moves forward is heightened by the fact you don't know what the hell the creature will suddenly be able to do. The lack of CGI and the run down, muddy nature of the farm create a very realistic environment for this science experiment gone wrong tale. Which is important when early on a vet gets bitten by the calf while it is still in it's mother's womb.

Esoteric Picks #26

Geez, you take a few days off from posting and your hit count goes straight down the tubes. It's like people are expecting regular intervals of...what do ya call it...content.


Tunes

R.L. Burnside - A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey (1996)


Cranky gut bucket blues is R.L. Burnside's forte and when combined with the raw electric attack of Jon Spencer (and his Blues Explosion), you end up with an amped up shambling walk through the juke joints of the Southern States. I'm not a huge fan of Spencer's music (or his singing style), but Burnside manages to keep him in check and pulls out his strengths. Burnside himself gives an appropriate summation of the album in "The Criminal Inside Me" when he says If you don't get outta my face quick/I'm goin' kick your ass, you son of a bitch. And dammit he means it.



Classic English Language Film

Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)


Two men at different stages of their marriages (one trying to end an affair and the other considering starting one) are the focal points of the crimes and misdemeanors taking place in one of Woody Allen's best post 80s films. Martin Landau is terrific as the medical professional who kills his girlfriend just as she is ready to spill the beans about their long term relationship and then has to live with what he has done. Allen's character (a documentary filmmaker) also faces his own moral quandries - though smaller in scope. In order to earn some money, he takes on the job of filming his slimy TV producer brother-in-law and this necessitates the shelving of his dream project. With the job comes production assistant Halley (Mia Farrow) who becomes the object of his desire since his own marriage has become quite stale. The sharp, funny and occasionally sad script is solid from start to finish.



Recent English Language Film

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)


As with the previous "Ocean's Twelve", this most recent entry in the series is not really about the plot or the heist. Don't get me wrong, those elements are great fun and (if you are willing to let reality take a short holiday) have consistent stories whose convoluted threads manage to sort themselves out in the end. But the films are really playgrounds for director Steven Soderbergh - they allow him to experiment with new techniques (ways to introduce characters or impart information), dabble with colours and essentially get his buddies together to have a party with very expensive equipment. Though some may feel it to be a private exclusive party, I always feel quite welcomed.



Foreign Film

I Am Cuba (1964)


The stunning black and white cinematography of this Russian directed film stood out from just about everything else at the time it was made. And so did its propaganda - unflattering portrayals of Americans, the plight of the working class, etc. And though the messages of the four individual stories within the film are far from subtle, you get to see a great deal of the people, places and ideas of Cuba at that point in history. The camera work and visuals are the true stars here though - in particular two separate tracking shots that have influenced many directors (Scorsese and P.T. Anderson to name but two) and remain marvels of technical achievement even today. It also doesn't hurt that the land and the people are so incredibly photogenic...



WTF?

The Ruling Class (1972)


Peter O'Toole plays a young British man who gets pulled into duty in the House Of Lords after his father dies accidentally. Considering that he sometimes thinks he's Jesus Christ and other times believes himself to be Jack The Ripper, you can see how the rest of his family may be somewhat concerned. And so what do you do when insanity is all around you? Well, you break into song! What better way to poke fun at the British class system than to do it through a black comedy murder mystery musical. This is the kind of role tailor made for O'Toole - he clearly relishes playing a character who is obviously bonkers but who may very well be smarter than anyone in the room at any given time.

Esoteric Picks #25

It's about time I got back to doing these...



Tunes

Various - The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto (1986)


The "beat" referenced in the title of this compilation of South African pop music doesn't have a lot to do with what many would consider to be typical African drumming. In fact, the drums are pretty low key throughout most of this collection (which actually kicks off with an a cappella tune). But make no mistake, each tune has a strong and sometimes even urgent beat mixed with the lovely melodies and great vocal work. Most of the pulse of the music stems from circular guitar patterns and insistent bass lines that pull you in and then bore into your skull. There's a feeling of joy that permeates this music and a sense of confidence every line sung. The beat goes on...



Classic English Language Film

And Soon The Darkness (1970)


Two young English girls are on a bicycle tour of France when they have an argument by the side of the road. After splitting up, one of the girls simmers down and tries to find her friend - but she's disappeared. Though this initial section of the film is quite slow and the entire story happens in the daylight of a single afternoon, it's an excellent example of how you can bring tension and dread to simple situations. Throughout the rest of the film other characters get introduced but you never quite feel at ease with any of them and this helps keep the outcome of the film in doubt right up to the end. A fine early 70s suspense film.





Recent English Language Film

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus (2006)


Director Steven Shainberg seems to have an affinity, or at least some empathy, for people whose "tastes" wander outside acceptable social norms. In his previous film "Secretary", Maggie Gyllenhaal's character found happiness in a sadomasochistic relationship. His recent effort, based around a fictional take on photographer Diane Arbus' life, again finds someone who is confined within parameters set by others - and is obviously suffocating. When she meets a boarder who is covered head to toe in hair (Robert Downey Jr.), she begins to allow her true self to come out and discovers a whole wide range of people outside the norms of society. This becomes the springboard to her art and a life led in pursuit of it.



Foreign Film

City Of Violence (2006)


Though a bit slow at the beginning and slightly confusing with the cast of characters, this Korean film evolves into a wild cacophony of flying kicks, sticks and fists. A young detective returns to his hometown after an old friend is found dead. He reconnects with his old buddies to figure out what happened and they find out some surprising secrets about each other. I started getting into the film once we see a second flashback of the murder - this time though it ends a bit differently because of the additional information we have. The film ends with two long set piece fights involving hundreds of people attacking our main heroes and the very last scene has a terrificly simple single last word summation by one of the characters. A great deal of fun.





WTF?

Circus Of Horrors (1960)


Aah, that's the stuff...While wading through a few not so great horror films in the middle of October, I came across this old British film - not a scarefest by any means, but just great entertainment in the style of Hammer. A plastic surgeon trying to break new medical ground has to flee England after some botched operations and settles in France as the director of a circus. He continues his practice by helping criminals and the fringe of society by performing reconstructive surgery on them and then having them stay on with the circus. But whenever a member of the troupe decides they want to leave the circus, it seems that yet another horrific accident befalls the show. The authorities suspect something is amiss, but just can't quite prove it...

Esoteric Picks #24

Tunes

Sounds From The Ground - Kin (1996)


I suppose calling electronic music organic sounds a bit silly (and a bit pompous too - what the hell does "organic" mean?), but I keep coming back to it when I think of this album. The shuffling beats and musical fills that appear throughout the main grooves of each tune just feel like a natural part of the music - and not something that may have been programmed. I get a definite feeling that I could watch a real live band pull off the music live. This isn't hard four on the floor style techno, but a more gentle head bobbing music that lets you drift off with it. Maybe that's why I keep coming back to it.



Classic English Language Film

Ball Of Fire (1941)


My Barbara Stanwyck stalking continues...As a gangster's moll named Sugarpuss O'Shea, Stanwyck finds herself cooped up with 8 academics as they are compiling an encyclopedia (somewhat of a Snow White And The Seven Dwarves situation) and creates one of her best characters. Her vast knowledge of "slang" is helpful to Gary Cooper's character's research, but he soon begins to fall in love with her. Meanwhile her boyfriend is plotting to get her out of this temporary hideout and across State lines. Stanwyck sells the character perfectly - her usage of the script's slang ("just java, hold the cattle") fits Sugarpuss and seems so natural. The elderly professors are also quite entertaining and funny in their own right in this sharply written (by Billy Wilder) film.



Sigh...



Recent English Language Film

The Lookout (2006)


Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quickly becoming one of the great young actors around. He was terrific in "Brick" and is equally good here as a young man who must deal with severe memory problems as he recovers from a horrendous car accident which was his fault (and which killed and injured several of his friends). Because of these issues, and his position as an evening bank janitor, he's targeted to be a lookout for a gang planning a late night heist of the bank when it is at its seasonal height for cash on hand. Levitt sells the character's problems and his struggle extremely well and this helps you feel sympathetic for him as he gets pulled deeper and deeper into the crime. The film handles that sense of doom quite well and brings together the thriller elements nicely towards the end.



Foreign Film

The Young Girls Of Rochefort (1967)


Pure entertainment straight through...This carefree musical is set in the French town of Rochefort where Catherine Deneuve and Francois Dorleac play twin sisters seeking greater fame and love outside of the town. They plan to head for Paris, but could their true loves actually be just around the corner? The stories are pretty much throwaways and really just serve to have the truly superb songs choreographed and sung in different parts of the town. With some musicals, you tend to feel a let down in the energy level when one of the characters mopes about something or other (typically in a requisite ballad). Ballads or not, the energy here never sags. Each song is as good as the previous one and they did a great job in carrying over lyrics and melodies from earlier songs into other parts of the movie. Here's a highly entertaining trailer for the film (hopefully the rich colours of the film come through enough via the murky video):





WTF?

The Most Terrible Time Of My Life (1994)


Part homage, part parody, Kaizo Hayashi's "The Most Terrible Time In My Life" brings film noir, Yakuza gangsters and French New Wave together as one. The energy of the film and its main protagonist are straight out of Godard's "Breathless" while the story has rival yakuza gangs in the midst of a war. Meanwhile the style adds some lovely cinematography pulled from Film Noir via the terrific use of Black and White photography and its use of shadows. Not to mention the name of our detective hero - Maiku Hama. Nice. There's even room for some biting social commentary on how foreigners who integrate into Japanese society will always still be considered foreigners...An excellent combination of style and substance, this is apparently the first of a trilogy quadrilogy of films - the others being "The Stairway To The Distant Past", and "The Trap" and "Mike Yokohama: A Forest With No Name".

The trailer:

Esoteric Picks #23

Tunes

The Link Quartet - Beat It (2002)


There's that Hammond B-3 again...The tastiest sound in music is at the centre of some really snappy, fun tunes by this foursome. The sound is firmly a 60s lounge feel, but not of the laid back variety - kind of like a spy movie soundtrack with lots of chases. The rhythm section doesn't jump out, but stays firmly in control of the groundwork with the organ taking really the bulk of the melody. You just know this would be a fun sweaty live show. Here's their MySpace page that contains songs and even a video.



Classic English Language Film

The Band Wagon (1953)


Say what you will about Michael Jackson, but at the very least he knew where to steal some good ideas...An old video of his called "Smooth Criminal" had a bunch of gangster types with tilting hats and slick dance moves. Spiffy choreography for sure, but inspired directly by the closing dance routine of this mostly terrific musical with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. There are some slow sections, but an early rousing rendition of "That's Entertainment" and the final section where the "whole gang puts on a show" is just crammed full of colour, music and just brillant dancing. If Fred Astaire's entry into the bar in the that final Mystery Girl Hunt number doesn't put a big fat smile on your face, hopefully this beautiful sequence will:






Recent English Language Film

Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer (2006)


After a somewhat slow yet still compelling opening hour, the final half of Tom Tykwer's latest film kept me riveted. That opening portion is relevant to show how the main character's extraordinary sense of smell develops into a dark and overwhelming urge to catch and preserve beauty in a bottle. Though I felt Dustin Hoffman's role was the weak spot of the film, it really doesn't detract. The buildup over that last hour or so is quite remarkable as we move closer to his ultimate goal.



Foreign Film

Vampyr (1932)


This took me completely by surprise...I thought I was going to see a marginally decent vampire story that was critically well thought of because of it's place in history. Well, see what happens when you assume? This was terrifically spooky and conveyed so much with so little dialog. I wish more films made today had the atmosphere that Dreyer created here. Great technique, lighting and beautiful visuals mark this story of a wandering man who stops by a castle and begins to see very odd occurrences. Some of the effects here are extremely well done, in particular the use of shadows.



WTF?

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)


This film by Bela Tarr (the first I've seen by him) is a remarkable work of art. In the 140 minute run time of the film there are less than 40 different camera shots. That's an average of about 3 and a half minutes per shot (with some running over 10 minutes). This technique truly pulls you into that world and gets you attuned to the rhythms. If someone needs to walk down the street to the town square, well, you walk down the street with them to the town square...Meanwhile the beautiful use of black and white film combined with some of the loveliest musical scoring I've ever heard (the music kicks in with about 5 minutes left on the clip below) make this a film to contemplate - you begin to see parallels between the opening scene of men imitating the spinning celestial bodies of our solar system and the ideas regarding musical harmony proposed by Andreas Werckmeister (which is railed against by one of the characters). The town is slowly moving towards chaos after the appearance of a travelling circus and the climatic rampage through a local clinic (all done in a single take) is an amazing sequence. I haven't figured out the whale yet, but give me time...

Esoteric Picks #22

Tunes

The Decemberists - Picaresque (2005)


The few earlier albums I've heard by The Decemberists certainly meet a description I found on amazon.ca --> Pirate folk songs. This 2005 album fits the same mold, but adds a rockier band to the tunes (more electric guitar, organ and increased tempos). There's always a hint of something macabre or perhaps impending doom somewhere in the stories related via the nasally vocals of Colin Meloy. But whether there's violin, accordion or standard rock band instrumentation, the tunes themselves shine through as memorable - not just hummable, but something you actually want bouncing around your cranium.



Classic English Language Film

Baby Face (1933)


The Barbara Stanwyck celebration continues...The original full length version of this film recently screened on TCM (complete with an additional 5 minutes that censors removed back in 1933) and it was a revelation. Not just the lurid events of the film (risque in the early thirties, but this was before the production code came into effect), but because of Stanwyck's performance. She's gorgeous obviously, but her sexiness and feminine charms dominate every single man she meets in the movie - and you absolutely believe each and every one of them would fall under her spell. I know I did...



Recent English Language Film

Kissing Jessica Stein (2002)


An amusing tale of one woman's frustration with the male gender and her experimentation with the world of same sex dating. And though many hang ups show up on all sides (hetero, homo and bi) as her new relationship begins, it turns out that the same basic stuff shows up in just about any relationship. This commonality across all people as well as the extremely likeable performances by the two main female leads makes this a film that's a step up from your basic "turn your brain off" romantic comedy. You care about these recognizable realistic characters and manage to be entertained without having to roll your eyes or be subjected to a montage backed by classic 60s Motown music.



Foreign Film

The Virgin Spring (1960)


Ingmar Bergman passed away today. I'm not well versed in Bergman's oeuvre (my favourite film of his - Smiles On A Summer's Night - is his least representative), but anything I've seen by him leaves a lasting impact. Whether it's the highly erotic telling of a beach encounter by the young nurse in Persona or the family shattering events of The Virgin Spring, you can't easily shake a Bergman film afterwards. He doesn't seem to shy away from questioning things...anything (a common target is religion and its worth). The answers you may find in his films likely will depend highly on your own biases coming in, but likely Bergman will make you think about it from a different perspective.



WTF?

May (2002)


Psychological horror and squeamish toe curling scenes battle it out in this occasionally darkly comedic tale of an awkward young woman named May. Awkward is too kind really - she's almost unable to function in "normal" society. As her relationships don't quite pan out the way she wants, she starts to focus on what she likes best about these people - individual characteristics like hands or ears. And since she can't really find a friend that she can relate to, she decides to make one...Angela Bettis delivers a really creepy yet somehow sympathetic performance as May.

Esoteric Picks #21

Tunes

Jah Wobble And Deep Space - Beach Fervour Spare (2000)


Throbbing bass, booming drums and plenty of atmospherics (mostly improvised instrumental sounds) encompass every inch of this record. It's trance enducing in the best possible way and never dull. Trumpets roll in and out during some of the tracks as do a wide variety of different instrumentation from assorted cultures (Middle Eastern sounds dominate). The three part "As Night Falls" has the biggest groove of the set and rumbles along merrily, but the album is really meant to be listened to all in one go with its ebbs and flows and beats - just allow yourself to get lost in it.



Classic English Language Film

The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers (1946)


July 16th 2007 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of my favourite actresses - Barbara Stanwyck (take a look at the great tribute that appears on the Edward Copeland On Film blog - it steps through her films by decade and also has some equally great comments to it). Not only is she a truly stunning woman (that little sneer she occasionally flashes is just damn sexy), but she has tremendous range. She can hit all her marks while tossing off witty banter, throw herself into a melodramatic part or play the role of femme fatale. Those latter two are represented well in this fine noir film whose story is quite engaging and zips along nicely (even if it does tend to linger a bit long towards the end). Stanwyck doesn't actually show up until about a half hour in, but Van Heflin does a terrific job holding everything together as the young man returning to town after running away as a boy. But it's Stanwyck's show in the latter half. Speaking of Stanwyck...I rarely see mention of one of her best assets - her voice. It's confident and dominates, but it also soothes and tantalizes. OK, I'm getting fanboy-ish now...



Recent English Language Film

The Science Of Sleep (2006)


You can probably tell from this blog's title that I'm somewhat of a fan of Michel Gondry's previous film. Though on initial viewing I was somewhat disappointed by The Science Of Sleep, it seemed to provide more joys upon revisiting. Initially, I was trying to follow within the film what was reality and what was the dream world of main character Stephane. This time around, I found I could concentrate more on the beautiful and wildly inventive dreams as well as not really concern myself with where dreams and reality split. For Stephane, they are so intertwined that in many ways it didn't matter. You simply were able to experience what his world view was like. And in that way, it painted a truly interesting and moving portrait of an emotionally confused young man.



Foreign Film

Lovers Of The Arctic Circle (1998)


The love story between two Spaniards is shown through a series of flashbacks, coincidences, occurrences of foreshadowing and a great deal of mirroring of events between time periods (even the main characters' names are palindromes). It's quite fascinating to see the level of detail brought to this wholly different approach to documenting the lives of these two young lovers. It's also a great way to set part of your film in the Land Of The Midnight Sun and capture the gorgeous surroundings while continuing the thematic line of the story.



WTF?

The Taste Of Tea (2004)


As early as the two and a half minute mark, I knew I was going to like this film. And within the first 5 minutes we see: a train coming from a young boy's forehead, a stunning view of a huge white tree and a young girl who is constantly being watched by her own huge head. It's all part of a lovely story of an odd and at times eccentric family whose members each have slightly askew views of the world. Not only is the journey through the film fun and constantly surprising, but it comes together beautifully towards the end with a simple message that essentially teaches the characters to occasionally stop, appreciate the little things and just enjoy the taste of tea.

Even without subtitles, the trailer should entice:




And be careful of the following...It will indeed melt your brain...

Esoteric Picks #20 - Special Canada Day Edition

Tunes

King Cobb Steelie - Project Twinkle (1994)


Producer Bill Laswell definitely applies his bass heavy dub sound over much of this Guelph band's second album, but he allows them to retain their range of sounds and their sense of groove. They have a fine sense of combining different styles (from funk to punk to dance beats to jazz). Their chiming guitar riffs dominate tunes like the opening "Slump" while others are more atmospheric. Though their following three albums are somewhat more consistent in style, they all have their surprises.



Classic English Language Film

Goin' Down The Road (1970)


A classic piece of Canadian cinema depicts 2 buddies from the East Coast who make their way to the big city of Toronto. They shuffle from job to job living a rather meager existence, occasionally getting drunk or meeting women. Though there's humour in the film, it's not exactly uplifting stuff - you know exactly where these guys are headed. As things go from bad to worse, it's apparent the big city didn't quite deliver on its promise. It defines for me "gritty low budget" filmmaking and of course those elements only add to the feeling of the film. I've heard people complain about the acting, but I thought both the lead actors delivered real and sympathetic characters - people you truly want to see achieve some happiness in their lives.



Recent English Language Film

waydowntown (2000)


A young group of downtown office workers bet each other to see who can avoid going outside the longest. In the catacomb of interconnecting passageways between apartment and office buildings, the task is physically possible. But the strain on the mental states of all the participants begins to grow...Director Gary Burns manages to keep the setting realistic (filmed in downtown Calgary) and yet still bring a sense of dreaminess to it all. The main characters aren't exactly likeable, but the movie is quite funny at times and makes some sharp points regarding our modern day habits.



Quebec Film

La Grande Seduction (Seducing Dr. Lewis) (2003)


On Canada Day, I can hardly call a French language film from my home province of Quebec a "Foreign Language" film...This 2003 film is very much in the same gentle comedic vein as Local Hero and Waking Ned Devine, except for being set in a small Quebec fishing village. The fishing has dried up and the village is down on its luck with most of the men receiving welfare from the government. When the promise of a new factory is dangled to the town on the condition they find a full time doctor, they begin fabricating traditions to convince young Dr. Lewis (who happens to find himself stranded briefly in the town) to stay. They tap his phone, discover his weaknesses and then use that to their advantage - creating an annual festival of Beef Stroganoff and pulling together a cricket team. It may not be the most original film, but it's lovely, warm and genuinely funny.



WTF?

Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary (2002)


Guy Maddin is a unique filmmaker. Even if you dislike his very deliberate style and overall odd films (I admit to really disliking both his early Tales From The Gimli Hospital and his wider known Saddest Music In The World), you can't deny he has a distinctive view of his medium. With his re-telling of the dracula myth, he creates an absolutely beautiful piece of art. He manages to bring additional style to what is essentailly an old fashioned silent film by using lots of tints, irises, little splashes of specific colour and intertitles. Combined with music from Mahler and dancers from the Winnipeg Ballet, it's almost overwhelming at times. But what a way to be overwhelmed as shown in the trailer below: