July 7, 1997
A Chinese Midnight Express (1997) **
A reporter exposes police corruption, is framed and goes to prison.
Le Chien du jardinier (1997) **
If the English can dust off their old Shakespearan plays and turn them into hits, why wouldn't the Spaniards try to do the same ? If you like those old farces where a countess loves a commoner (but can't marry him until it turns out he's really a duke's long-lost son), you might give it a try.
Celestial Clockwork (1997) **
Spanish film about a Venezuelan girl searching for fame and love in Paris. Directed by Fina Torres, it's a wacky comedy in the spirit of the early Almodovars.
Guantanamera (1997) **
Tomas Gutierrez Alea's last film is quite similar to his early masterpiece "Death Of A Bureaucrat".
Un Ete a la Goulette (1997) **
This film is set on the eve of the Israeli-Arab war of 1967 in a peaceful Tunisian resort town of La Goulette. But three 17-year-old girls, one Muslim, one Christian and one Jewish, have bigger problems than politics - they want to lose their virginity. The project seems to please the local boys, but the girls' fathers are far less enthusiastic.
Kichiku (1997) *
Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri. All gore all the time. Gore for gore sake. Gore-O-Rama. Inner-gang power struggles, brutal fights, tortures and other atrocities.
Destiny (1997) **
Muslim fundamentalism is denounced in this Egyptian film set in 12th century Andalousia.
Cure (1997) **
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. With Yakusho Koji. A Japanese film about a hypnotist who induces people to commit murders.
My Secret Cache (1997) **
Weird Japanese comedy about a greedy girl trying to find recover a suitcase full of money.
Junk Mail (1997) **
Memorable black comedy from Norway, about a dishonest mailman saving the life of a suicidal woman he happens to be stalking. Clearly inspired by Kieslowski's Short Film About Love (1988), but much more creepy, misantropic, hard-edged and grotesque.
Mother And Son (1997) **
A man takes care of his ailing mother. He carries her outside, and they sit together on a bench until she dies. With a plot like that, this Russian drama has to either be a great masterpiece or a monumental bore. It's both, actually, getting five stars for style and zero for entertainment value.
Karakter (1997) *
A Dutch film about a young man and his hatred for his biological father. It's a very well made, but quite unpleasant to watch, because the main protagonists are extremely unsympathetic. Another problem is a slow pace. It won this year's Academy Award for best foreign pic, but didn't really deserve it.
Let There Be Light (1997) *
This Turkish film about the civil war in Kurdistan tries to whitewash both sides. If both the Turkish military and the Kurdish rebels were such saints, why on Earth would they be fighting each other in the first place ? A political film should have the courage to offend at least one side in the conflict (and preferably both). This film tries to say that War (as an abstract concept) is bad, but the people who fight it are all good. Nice try.
Trop tard (1997) *
Flawed, but interesting Romanian film about a serial killer haunting an old coal mine. It's an allegory about the horrible legacy of Communism in Eastern Europe - rusting vestiges of industrial complexes, corruption in high places, human misery, despair, madness ... The film doesn't quite pull it all off; for a better treatment of similar themes, see Tarkovsky's "Stalker".
Too Many Ways To Be Number One (1997) **
A Hong Kong gangster (Lau Ching-Wan) has a choice of two assignments: one in Mainland China, another on Taiwan. Fairly confusing, but interesting film.
In The Name Of Innocence (1997) **
Gloomy, but very intriguing German film about a murder and its effects on people involved.
Marcello Mastroianni, je me souviens (1997) **
The legendary actor, the star of La Dolce Vita, talks about his life. A witty and charming film, presenting a slice of film history in a very subjective and intimate way. A must for lovers of Italian cinema.
Homere, la derniere odyssee (1997) **
Beautiful, melancholic film about a fragile love triangle involving an aging and blind writer (hence the title), his younger mistress and a handsome matador. Winner of three awards at last year's WFF (Jury Prize, script and FIPRESCI), it's a quiet, subtle little gem.
Historie milosne (1997) **
Cztery opowiadania: milosc ojcowska, milosc masochistyczna, milosc studentki do nauczyciela oraz milosc Rosjanki i Polaka. Zdobywca nagrody FIPRESCI na festiwalu w Wenecji. **
Hana-Bi (1997) **
Somber Japanese gangster film. Very well directed, but hardly entertaining. Winner of the Golden Lion at Venice.
Bag Of Rice (1997) *
This Iranian film is essentially a remake of "The White Balloon". Once again we've got a stubborn little girl, an object to be purchased (rice replacing goldfish), little holes in the ground to lose the money in, nice strangers who can't wait to help a little girl in trouble, etc. etc. It's just too derivative to be taken seriously.
Armageddon (1997) **
The end of the world is near and a Hong Kong billionaire (Andy Lau) fears for his life.
Ambiguous Report About The End Of The World (1997) **
Clearly inspired by Emir Kusturica, this Czech film in set in a mountain village. The opening scene with wolves devouring the villagers is a stunner.
After Divorce (1997) **
Chinese comedy about an unsuccessful writer and his one-of-a-kind relationship with his ex-sister-in-law (i.e. the sister of his former wife). The film moods shift abruptly from pathos to triumphant optimism to bitter regret. An emotional roller-coaster ride, very slow moving, but rewarding.
Actrices (1997) **
Psychological drama about friendships and professional rivalries among three Spanish actresses. This isn't "Citizen Kane", but the narrative structure is exactly the same. A young drama student, researching for a role, interviews each actress to find out the truth about their relationship. Each present a different version of the past. Talky, but occasionally insightful film.
Temps des miracles (1997) *
Communists are persucting religion in Yugoslavia after the end of World War II.
Some Birds Can't Fly (1997) *
A little girl suffering from leukemia goes to live with her grandfather in the mountains.
Leila (1997) **
Iranian film about a young couple whose happiness is destroyed by a mother-in-law who insists on having a grandchild.
Der Platz (1997) *
Foreign workers at a German construction site are reminiscing about their native villages.
The Brother (1997) **
For Russian director Alexei Balabanov, the masculine ideal must be Clint Eastwood - a mythic hero who shoots straight and doesn't talk much. In this film a Russian "Man with No Name" rides into St.Petersburg and kills all the Mafia types. Then, he heads for Moscow.
The Best Man (1997) *
A bride gets cold feet on her wedding day and wants to marry her fiance's best man instead. An Italian film.
Once Upon A Time In China And America (1997) **
Jet Li kicks some serious American butt in the Far West.
Territorio Commanche (1997) **
An interesting film about Spanish journalists in war-torn Sarajevo. It explores the moral and ethical issues facing that profession. Consider a cameraman filming from behind the back of a Serb sniper shooting at Muslim civilians. Or hoping for a bridge to be blown up so that he can capture it on film. It's quite gripping and provocative, but ultimately offers few more insights than a good edition of "Crossfire" on CNN.
The Taste Of Cherries (1997) **
A complex character study about a desperate man who contemplates suicide. He's cruising through the barren outskirts of Teheran in a Range Rover, looking for someone to bury his body. The film won the Palme d'or at Cannes. To say that it isn't one of Kiarostami's finest is more a comment on the exceptional qualities of his previous works, than a criticism of this well-crafted, but very depressing film.
Paljas (1997) **
A circus train accidently stops at a small railway station in the middle of nowhere.
Voleurs de cinema (1997) *
An angry diatribe against Hollywood or a pleasant little comedy about an independent Italian filmmaker ? Actually both.
Whisper (1997) *
This Czech film tries to paint a portrait of that country's young generation, but largely fails.
Wound Of Light (1997) *
Another film about nuns from Jose Luis Garci, but less successful than "Cancion de cuna".
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