SAME OLD WEST: where men are men but aren’t great shots

A scene from Erico Rassi’s SAME OLD WEST. Courtesy of Cinequest.

The contemporary Brazilian western Same Old West begins with two men slugging it out over a woman, before they start hiring gunmen to take out the other. She is the only woman in the film, only on screen for about 45 seconds, and, as one who knows her well observes, she has had bad luck with husbands.

Same Old West takes us into a Brazil that is neither Rio de Janeiro nor the Amazon rainforest. This is a flat and arid land that looks like it could be in Spain, Mexico or the American Southwest.  It’s a remote and backward place where hired killers are still call gunmen instead of hit men. The gunmen don’t own a .44 magnum or a Glock or an AK-47 among them – they use their hunting rifles. This is a place where making an escape on horseback is still absolutely normal.

Literally, the plot of Same Old West sounds male-oriented – a bunch of guys hunting each other with gun violence on their minds. But, it’s really about men who have been rejected by women, and their inability to understand it or to move on. They’re aspiring to toxic masculinity, but they’re too laughably pathetic to achieve it. Female audiences will appreciate the sharp critique of maleness at its most dunderheaded.

Same Old West is being characterized as a drama, which isn’t really wrong because it’s about murderous manhunts. But I see it as a dark comedy that skewers male cluelessness. The very sparse and overly formal dialogue, delivered deadpan, is remarkably droll. If you like your humor as dry as the landscape, Same Old West is downright hilarious. 

Same Old West is the second feature for writer-director Erico Rassi. It’s a visually striking and richly atmospheric film, with hints of Sergio Leone.

Cinequest hosts the world premiere of Same Old West, which I’ve highlighted in my Best of Cinequest.

A scene from Erico Rassi’s SAME OLD WEST. Courtesy of Cinequest.

HUMAN RESOURCES: Iago with a sick sense of humor

Pedro De Tavira (center) in HUMAN RESOURCES. Courtesy of Cinequest.

In the dark, dark Argentinian comedy Human Resources, Gabriel Lynch (Pedro De Tavira) is an alienated office worker, in an absurdly alienating workplace. Gabriel is a low-level supervisor on an anonymous lower floor of a corporate hive with too many layers of management and an oppressive, top-down culture. It’s also oversexed, with a carousel of Inappropriate office liaisons. And, we’ll soon see, is shockingly tolerant of what we would see as the most horrifying workplace violence.

Gabriel, an Iago with a sick sense of humor, begins a ruthless, unhinged campaign against those who offend him. Alienation leaks out in how her treats everyone. Mischievous, mean-spirited and completely unashamed, he’s very fun to watch. And, as venal as Gabriel is, he is matched, step-for-step, by Veronica from Finance (Juana Viale).

Around the 41-minute mark, Gabriel makes his grievance explicit (followed by a great drone shot)

“I’ve lived like the secret son of a king for a long time, waiting for a courtier to rescue me. Of course, nobody rescued me. Nobody rescues anybody.”

Human Resources is the creation of writer-director Jesús Magaña Vázquez. I’ve rarely seen a more cynical comedy.

Cinequest hosts the US premiere of Human Resources, which I highlighted in my Best of Cinequest.

I love the Spanish language trailer, even without English subtitles:

PUDDYSTICKS: scathing satire on the way to self-discovery

Megan Seely in PUDDYSTICKS. Courtesy of Cinequest.

In the good-hearted and original comedy Puddysticks, Liz (Megan Seely) is a puddle of anxiety. She is a workaholic game developer for an enterprise whose company culture, despite its mission statement, could not be more anti-fun.

Liz stumbles on a self-help group, led by the ever blissed-out Sylvester (Dan Bakkedahl of Veep, Sword of Trust), where each participant must reveal their innermost secret. It’s cultlike and filled with psychobabble, but it seems to work for Megan and the others. And then Megan learns someone else’s secret…

Puddysticks is a scathing satire of tech workplace culture and the self-help movement, somehow without a hint of meanness.

Puddysticks is written and directed by Megan Seely (who also stars) in her first feature.  Cinequest hosts the world premiere of Puddysticks.

FALLING INTO PLACE: uncommonly authentic

Aylin Tezel and Chris Fulton in FALLING INTO PLACE. Courtesy of Cinequest.

The absorbing Scottish romantic drama Falling into Place begins on the Isle of Skye when two visiting London creatives meet outside a rowdy pub and flirt.  Kira (Aylin Tezel), a theater set designer, is on holiday.  Ian (Chris Fulton), a musician, has grown up on Skye and intends to shoehorn in an infrequent visit with his family. Kira is trying to get beyond a recent breakup, while Ian’s relationship is in its final throes. 

When Kira hears that Ian has a girlfriend, she puts in the brakes, but she’s drawn enough to Ian that she accompanies him as he faces some family drama. Then, Kira and Ian return separately to London. The audience soon wants these two to get and stay together, but they’ll need to get past some trauma in Ian’s family, his current romantic entanglement, Kyra’s feelings for her ex, an attractive boss with his eyes on Kira and some bad timing.

Utterly devoid of the tropes in conventional movie romances, Falling into Place is profoundly authentic. This is the first feature for German-born writer/director Aylin Tezel (who also stars as Kira), and it’s a very strong and promising debut. As a director, she paces Falling into Place perfectly, keeping us eagerly engaged as the threads if Kira and Ian meet and part and meet again. She is especially adept directing the scenes in the Isle of Skye bar and the London art gallery opening, with lots of moving bodies and ambient sound. But it’s Tezel’s screenplay, without a single false note, that really soars.

I screened Falling Into Place for its US premiere at Cinequest.

QUIXOTE IN NEW YORK: an artistic master’s bucket list

Carrete in QUIXOTE IN NEW YORK. Courtesy of Cinequest.

The charming documentary Quixote in New York follows the 82-yer-old Spanish flamenco dance master El Carrete, who wants to cap his career by performing in a major NYC theater. It’s not that easy to mount a theater production, and he doesn’t have unlimited time to pull it off.

El Carrete himself is a hoot, funny AF and even makes rehearsals fun for everybody. Director Jorge Peña Martín has the good sense to give us a big dose of El Carrete. It’s a well-crafted film, especially the cinematography.

There’s a Can’t Miss seen where El Carrete watches a projection of Fred Astaire dance, and then dances himself in front of the screen, mirroring Astaire’s moves-flamenco-style.

This is an audience-pleaser. Cinequest hosts the US premiere of Quixote in New York.

Carrete in QUIXOTE IN NEW YORK. Courtesy of Cinequest.

GIANT’S KETTLE: unadulterated art film

Kirsi Paananen and Henri Malkki in GIANT’S KETTLE. Courtesy of Cinequest.

If you’re looking for an unadulterated art film, the stark Finnish drama Giant’s Kettle is your pick. First-time directors Marku Hakala and Mari Kaki make one bold artistic choice after another – no human dialogue, a static camera, shots of very long duration with very little action. Giant’s Kettle is an exploration of alienation, loneliness and yearning in a world hostile to connection.

Where did Hakala and Maki find those stunning locations – those Escher-like stairs, that rock balanced on another rock, that monstrous waffle front building, the hellish playground and that ominous hole on the ground? 

There is no human dialogue in Giant’s Kettle (other than an anguished howl), and the filmmakers suggest that the sound be turned up.  That’s because it isn’t a silent film – the very intentional ambient noises in the soundtrack add to the effect.

Audience patience is required. Two minutes go by before a character begins to appear and two more minutes before anything hints at happening.  The static camera holds on shots of very long duration. We wat.ch a man and woman (and a yo-yo) on a bed…waiting. The filmmakers can get away with this pace because Giant’s Kettle is only 71 minutes long. Nevertheless, it’s not a movie for everyone.

Kirsi Paananen, in what is essentially a silent film performance, is heart-breaking, especially in long shot.

As we watch the man and woman, with her aching longing so apparent, edge together, it seems at times like we’re watching a Finnish motion picture version of Grant Woods’ American Gothic.

Cinequest hosts the US premiere of Giant’s Kettle.

Movies to See Right Now

Photo caption: Emma Stone in POOR THINGS. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

This week on The Movie Gourmet –  I’m busy working on unveiling most of my Cinequest coverage on Tuesday; here’s my festival preview: Get ready for the return of Cinequest.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Anatomy of a Fall: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • American Fiction: this can’t be happening. In theaters and Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube,
  • The Taste of Things: two passions: culinary and romantic. In arthouse theaters.
  • Golden Years: when dreams diverge. In arthouse theaters.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: an epic tale of epic betrayal. AppleTV (subscription), Amazon.
  • The Holdovers: three souls must evolve beyond their losses. In theaters, Amazon.
  • Poor Things: brazen, dazzling, feminist and very funny. In theaters.
  • Dream Scenario: but it can’t be my fault, can it? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Drift: escaping the horrors, but not yet the trauma. In arthouse theaters.
  • The Boys in the Boat: underdogs soar. In theaters and streaming.
  • The Zone of Interest: next door to the unthinkable. In theaters.
  • Driving Madeleine: still spirited at 92. In arthouse theaters.
  • Rustin: greatness, overlooked. Netflix.
  • Maestro: not what she bargained for. Netflix.

WATCH AT HOME

Michael Caine in YOUTH

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.

ON TV

George C. Scott (center) seethes while James Stewart (right) lawyers in ANATOMY OF A MURDER

Turner Classic Movies is broadcasting Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on March 2.  I love this film for its great courtroom scene, for the great performances by James Stewart, George C. Scott, Ben Gazzara and Lee Remick, and for its exquisite pacing by director Otto Preminger. None other than the great Duke Ellington provides one of the very first jazz soundtracks (after Miles Davis’ Elevator to the Gallows and Johnny Mandel’s I Want to Live! in 1958).

Movies to See Right Now

Mon Oncle
Photo caption: Jacques Tati in MON ONCLE

This week on The Movie Gourmet – new reviews of Golden Years and The Taste of Things, plus a festival preview: Get ready for the return of Cinequest.

CURRENT MOVIES

  • Anatomy of a Fall: family history, with life or death stakes. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • American Fiction: this can’t be happening. In theaters and Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube,
  • The Taste of Things: two passions: culinary and romantic. In arthouse theaters.
  • Golden Years: when dreams diverge. In arthouse theaters.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon: an epic tale of epic betrayal. AppleTV (subscription), Amazon.
  • The Holdovers: three souls must evolve beyond their losses. In theaters, Amazon.
  • Poor Things: brazen, dazzling, feminist and very funny. In theaters.
  • Dream Scenario: but it can’t be my fault, can it? Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Drift: escaping the horrors, but not yet the trauma. In arthouse theaters.
  • The Boys in the Boat: underdogs soar. In theaters and streaming.
  • The Zone of Interest: next door to the unthinkable. In theaters.
  • Driving Madeleine: still spirited at 92. In arthouse theaters.
  • Rustin: greatness, overlooked. Netflix.
  • Maestro: not what she bargained for. Netflix.

WATCH AT HOME

Olivia Cooke and Thomas Mann in ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

The most eclectic watch-at-home recommendations you’ll find ANYWHERE:

  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Must See, perched on the knife edge between comedy and tragedy. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Youth: a glorious cinematic meditation on life. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Gift: three people revealed. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, redbox.
  • Inez & Doug & Kira: the tangle of love, friendship and bipolar disorder. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • The Handmaiden: gorgeous, erotic and a helluva plot. Amazon, Vudu.
  • Run & Jump: a romance, a family drama and a promising first feature. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube.
  • Victoria: a thrill ride filmed in one shot. Amazon, AppleTV, Vudu, YouTube, KinoNow.

ON TV

MON ONCLE

On February 27, Turner Classic Movies is presenting what is essentially a survey course in international cinema 1958-1992:

  • Mon Oncle (Jacques Tati, France, 1958)
  • The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1960)
  • 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, Italy, 1963)
  • The Woman in the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan, 1965)
  • Closely Watched Trains (Jiri Menzel, Czechoslovakia, 1966)
  • The Fireman’s Ball (Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia, 1967)
  • The Last Metro (Francois Truffaut, France, 1980)
  • Babette’s Feast (Gabriel Axel, Denmark, 1987)
  • Indochine (Regis Wargnier, France, 1992)

8 1/2 and Mon Oncle are on my fifty or so Greatest Movies of All Time. The Fireman’s Ball and Babette’s Feast are two of my personal favorite films. (On the other hand, The Woman in the Dunes is a two-and-a-half hour slog.)

Of these, I’m highlighting Mon Oncle, Jacques Tati’s masterful fish-out-of-water satire of contemporary consumerism and modernist culture. In its deadpan way, I think it may be the most deeply funny movie of all time. If you have strong feelings (either way) for Mid-century Modern style, be patient and settle in. There’s very little dialogue and lots of sly observational physical humor. Tati’s use of ambient noise/sounds in the very spare soundtrack is pure genius.

MON ONCLE

Get ready for the return of Cinequest

Photo caption: Tim Blake Nelson and Gretchen Mol in THE INVISIBLES. Courtesy of Cinequest.

CinequestSilicon Valley’s own major film festival, returns live and in-person March 7, back in downtown San Jose, with screenings March 7-17 at the California, Theatre and the Hammer Theater. Selected films from the program then move to Cinequest’s virtual platform, Cinejoy from March 21-31.

Highlights of the 2024 Cinequest include:

  • 217 films, half directed by women, with many, many world premieres, US premieres and directorial debuts.
  • Films from 37 countries, including Germany, Spain, Canada, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Finland, Mexico, India, China, Brazil and Argentina.
  • New movies with Robert De Niro. Abigail Breslin, Ben Stiller, Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Tim Blake Nelson, Gretchen Mol, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Rupert Sewell, Rainn Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg, Olivia Williams, Tovah Feldshuh and Josh Radnor.
  • See it here FIRST: Ezra, Hard Miles, Frida and The Trouble with Jessica are among the movies slated for theatrical release later this year.
  • A personal appearance by film star Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, And the Band Played On), who will receive an award and his latest film Hard Miles.
  • Cinequest’s Silent Cinema Event will present Douglas Fairbank’s The Mark of Zorro and Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality, accompanied by master organist Dennis James on the historic California Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer.
  • And, at Cinequest, it’s easy to meet the filmmakers.

At Cinequest, you can get a festival pass for as little as $199 (a ten-pack for $110), and you can get individual tickets as well. Take a look at the entire program, the schedule and the passes and tickets

As usual, I’ll be covering Cinequest rigorously with features and movie recommendations. I usually screen (and write about) over thirty Cinequest films from around the world. Bookmark my CINEQUEST 2024  page, with links to all my coverage (links on the individual movies will start to go live on Tuesday, March 5.

THE TASTE OF THINGS: two passions – culinary and romantic

Photo caption: Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel in THE TASTE OF THINGS. Courtesy of IFC Films.

The French romantic drama The Taste of Things is the story of a man consumed by two passions – an obsession with gastronomy and a profound love for a woman. It’s also one of the mouthwatering movies in the history of cinema.

The man is Dodin (Benoit Magimel), a famous gourmand in 1884 France, a key moment in the history of the culinary arts, when the master French chef Escoffier was still in his 30s. The woman adored by Dodin is Eugenie (Juliette Binoche), not coincidentally his live-in cook.

The Taste of Things begins with a long scene (15+ minutes) as Eugenie leads a team in producing an elaborate garden to table meal, with every ingredient prepared old school, the long and hard way. Fish quenelles are formed by hand, shrimp shells are boiled into a stock, and the quenelles are pached in the shrimp stock. It takes hours for a rack of veal turned into an OMG marvel. It turns out that this is a multi-course feast prepared for Dodin and his chatty four buddies. The guys all fall SILENT when the consommé appears, and then, as the courses pile up, don’t say anything more that isn’t about the meal itself or the history of gastronomy.

The fruit of Eugenie’s labor, exquisitely photographed, are the height of food porn. One highlight is a spectacular vol-au-vent. When Eugenue shows up with a giant croissant-like thing (a giant bioche?) that she and the four buddies dig into with their hands, there were audible gasps from the audience at the screening.

There’s even a scene with a culinary Holy Grail, now illegal in the US, fabled ortolans devoured as per tradition, with the diners’ heads under their napkins. Of course gastronomy, as any human endeavor, can be taken to silly extremes, which is illustrated by a dinner for Dodin and his friends, hosted by a prince under the mistaken impression that more is always better.

Eugenie prepares masterpiece after masterpiece for Dodin until her health falters, giving him the opportunity to express his love by preparing and serving her an even more formidable dinner.

The Taste of Things is a film by writer-director Anh Hung Tran, who certainly knows his way around movie passion and movie foods (The Scent of Green Papaya).

Benoit Magimel and Juliette Binoche in THE TASTE OF THINGS. Courtesy of IFC Films.

It’s always a pleasure to watch the radiant Juliette Binoche, especially when she’s playing an endearing character like Eugenie, who keeps resisting Dodin’s offers of marriage even as she values his culinary partnership and welcomes him into her bed. Their relationship is perfectly summed up in the epilogue when Eugenie asks Dodin a question and receives his answer with bliss. She feels loved – and on her terms.

The Wife liked The Taste of Things less than I did, in part because she was less entertained by the long scenes of meal preparation, which captivated me. (I am The Movie Gourmet, after all.)

We both, however, thoroughly enjoyed the character of the culinary child prodigy Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), especially her reaction to her first Baked Alaska and her growing into a peer of Dodin’s.

The Taste of Things was France’s submission to the Academy Awards. It’s going on my list of Best Foodie Movies. It’s playing in a few arthouses now; I’ll let you know when it releases on VOD.