“Paris of the North” (Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson/Iceland)
What Is It? A young teacher’s life is turned upside down when his estranged
father moves in with him.
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| Paris of the North |
How Is It? You’ve seen this movie many times before, just not in Iceland.
This tale of small town dysfunction never overtly offends, but it’s never more
than a quaint, dry rehash of familiar themes and tropes. [C]
“The Farewell Party” (Sharon Maymon & Tal Granit/Israel)
What Is It? Several residents of an old age home grapple with the moral
implications of assisted suicide.
How Is It? Like the aging characters in this insipid euthanasia drama, you’ll
be begging for the end to come. The first half of the picture plays like a
strangely jovial “Ocean’s Eleven”-type heist movie, while the second
half attempts something more serious, but equally distasteful. There’s nothing
to suggest anyone involved in this picture has any aptitude for filmmaking.
[D-]
“1001 Grams” (Bent Hamer/Norway)
What Is It? A woman deals with her own feelings of loss and love as she
attends a conference to determine the actual weight of a kilo. No, there were
no typos in that sentence.
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| 1001 Grams |
How Is It? Maybe if you really stop to think about this movie, you’ll find
some vestige of substance or death. Maybe if you can suffer through 90 minutes
of coma-inducing metaphysical bullshit, you will leave the theater an educated
and enlightened person. Maybe if you can look past the horrendous script, with
its never-ending, borderline nonsensical string of platitudes and enigmatic
exchanges, you will discover a great picture. Maybe. Maybe not. [D-]
“Set Fire to the Stars” (Andy Goddard/USA)
What Is It? An American poetry professor (Elijah Wood) chaperones the great
Welsh poet Dylan Thomas on an expansive college tour as they both struggle with
their respective demons. Based on a true story.
How Is It? Borrowing its title from Thomas’ own “Love in the Asylum”, “Set
Fire to the Stars” does not attempt to conform to biopic conventions, and nor
should it. A rich, expressionistic exploration of love, loss, and creativity,
this is essential viewing for fans of Thomas (and everyone else). [A-]
“The Connection” (Cédric Jimenez/France)
What Is It? A big budget crime epic about the 1970’s crime syndicate “La French”
and the magistrate who works tirelessly to take it down. Based on a true story;
stars Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lelouche.
How Is It? For an infinitely better crime epic, check out Jacques Audiard’s
masterful “A Prophet”. Despite an appealing premise and setting, there
is not a single original frame in this film. The characters are so bland they
may as well be called Sleazy Crime Boss #437 and Saintly Cop #757; this tale
will be unfamiliar only to those have never seen a movie before. [C]
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