Monthly Archives: February 2015

Blu-ray review: “My Winnipeg” shows Guy Maddin can go home again

mywinnipeg

At the Sundance Film Festival last month, I marvelled at the daffy brilliance of Guy Maddin’s “The Forbidden Room,” a cavalcade of interlocking stories based on supposedly lost films where banana vampires terrified damsels, trapped submariners ate flapjacks so they could suck on the air bubbles in the batter, and there was no situation so dire that it couldn’t be solved by a nice hot bath.

And yet, while “Forbidden Room” is wonderful, I think I’ll always consider his “docufantasia” “My Winnipeg” to be my favorite. Maddin’s delightful weird and achingly personal ode to his Canadian hometown mixes truth and fiction  like no other film I’ve seen. The Criterion Collection just released the film on DVD and Blu-ray last month, loaded with great features.

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Blu-ray review: “La Cienaga: The Criterion Collection”

lacienaga

The first image is leisure as nightmare. The camera stays uncomfortably close to the middle-aged bodies of a group of unidentified sunbathers, lounging around a fetid pool. We don’t see faces, just their protruding bellies, gray chest hair, sagging skin. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and the bathers begin dragging their metal lounge chairs across the concrete tiles. The noise is hideous, like a banshee.

This unsettling opening marks the beginning of 2001’s “La Cienaga,” and the beginning of the film career of Argentine director Lucrecia Martel. Much of what viewers find fascinating about Martel’s films can be found in that beginning — elliptical narratives, an emphasis on sound, and subtle explorations of class divisions deeply embedded in character. The film is just out in a new edition on Blu-ray and DVD from the Criterion Collection.

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“Two Days, One Night”: High drama in the break room

twodaysonenight

“Two Days One Night” opens Friday at Sundance Cinemas. PG-13, 1:35, three and a half stars out of four.

How far would you go to fight for your job? In the Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes’ powerful and understated drama, Marion Cotillard plays a factory worker who faces a choice that seems almost medieval, but couched by her bosses in the jargon of officespeak.

Just released from the hospital after a workplace accident (and a bout of depression), Sandra (Cotillard) finds she no longer has a job. Her boss told the employees that they could either keep her on staff or keep their 1,000-Euro bonuses. Most voted for the bonuses, but it later appears the foreman was spreading rumors that if Sandra wasn’t laid off, somebody else would be.

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Instant Gratification: “Chef” and four other good movies to watch on Netflix Instant

CHEF

Pick of the week: “Chef“ — My full review is here. While some elements of Jon Favreau’s indie hit strain credulity (I can’t imagine Scarlett Johansson really getting that worked up over someone making spaghetti), this is an amiable film about pursuing what you love, and a celebration of American cuisine. And it will teach you how to make a great grilled-cheese sandwich.

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