A Personal Story of Dreams in Sao Paulo

Linha de Passe (2008) - dir. Walter Salles & Daniela Thomas - 4 stars

Linha de Passe stays clear of the stylized violence that Fernando Meirelles employed to introduce the favelas of Sao Paulo to a worldwide audience in his 2002 award-winning feature, City of God. Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas' feature, on the other hand, takes the favela violence for granted and instead focuses on the personal journeys of each of the four brothers, Denis, Dario, Dinho and Reginaldo, rendering the film a coming-of-age story with a realistic documentary approach. The uniqueness of this story is that the personal growth of the brothers are shaped immensely by their environment and their connection with each other, while certain political comments are allowed to bubble to the surface.

The brothers have their own obsessions that have allowed them to survive so far, but they each yearn for something more stable, especially in the absence of their father. But Sao Paulo constantly reminds them of the impossibility of change with its 20 million inhabitants who are all dreaming of a better life. In a series of events that allow the brothers to take their best shots, the film is a satisfying and realistic portrait of a family that's questioning life in its many aspects, from justice to faith.

The most powerful aspect of the film is that it doesn't judge or justify any action even though the director slightly nudges the audience towards the expectation that the film itself will speak for justice and change. Neither are easy to achieve in the real world so it's no surprise that the documentary approach of the directors doesn't allow any sweeping reworking of a Hollywood happy ending. This is a film that definitely follows in Salles' auteur footsteps, although it's not as good as the Motorcycle Diaries.

Nolan's Batman is an Allegory of our Times

The Dark Knight (2008) - dir. Christopher Nolan - 5 stars

Christopher Nolan's understanding of the Batman universe proves to be gripping as the second installment, the Dark Knight, is even better than the first, Batman Begins. Its success stems from the fact that Nolan's creation ties the psychological and innate issues in the Batman universe with our times, thus rendering the film more familiar, realistic and thus downright creepy. This is a very good film rather than just a very good comic book hero film.

The ties between our world and the Batman world really surface with the philosophy behind the Joker's attacks. The Joker, played superbly by Heath Ledger, questions our sense of security and order versus chaos with each attack he devises. His conversation with Aaron Eckhart's character, Harvey Dent, proves to be the turning point for the film, as the audience can then fully connect the dots to reveal a picture of our world where the Joker's ideas had already been exploited by even governments. In this post 9/11 world where the threat level is a constant red, people have gotten used to wars, deaths and bombs. The news doesn't scare or surprise us anymore; we still go about our business like nothing happened. As long as it's all according to plan... This deep understanding of the Joker elevates the film from the stale superhero genre to where it really belongs.

Before I end my review of the film, I have to spend a few words on the excellent performances of all the actors involved with Heath Ledger leading the pack. Ledger's Joker is a very realistic villain with a motive that plays on human nature. His first scene in the film establishes him so quickly and successfully as a violent, remorseless and psychotic being that there is no need for another gruesome scene. The first appearance proves Ledger's character is to be scared of and it carries throughout the whole film with no loss of power. Ledger has truly depicted the character as Nolan understood him. It's too sad that we will not be able to see Ledger's Joker once again.

All in all, the Dark Knight is an action, crime thriller with something to say about the world we live in. This is not something that even regular films can accomplish so the fact that Nolan has achieved this with superhero material is even more impressive. I just hope we get to see a third iteration of this Batman universe from Nolan because it looks like he still has a lot to say about our world through the lense of Batman.

Wall-E charms its way to become one of Pixar's best

Wall-E (2008) - dir. Andrew Stanton - 5 stars

The story of a garbage compactor robot left alone on Earth to clean up humanity's mess proves once again that Pixar is the best at what it does. With minimal dialogue due to its main characters, the film must have definitely been a challange over its many stages, especially for the animators as almost all story-telling needs to be done by the visuals. Knowing the reliance on the visuals, Pixar has spent a lot time and development on making the visuals as realistic as possible even including focus levels and depth of field into the visuals. The result is a beautiful film with a solid sci-fi story and adorable characters that grow on the audience. Frankly, I didn't expect anything less from Pixar.

Dutch duo delivers, Viktor & Rolf exhibition is a must-see

It's the first time in the UK that Viktor & Rolf have been the subject of an art exhibition. The Barbican Art Gallery is well set to display the evolution of the duo that never cease to amaze the fashion world with their couture shows that always have a dash of performance art mixed in. Each couture show is exhibited in its own section with a running video of the show projected behind the human-sized dolls carrying the signature pieces of each show. The meticulous detail and attention that obviously went into the dolls become obvious when you realize that the dolls look like replicas of the models on the video (except of course for that Dutch mannequin pudginess). Apparently V&R even requested that the dolls' hair got styled in the same exact manner as that of the models from the original runway.

Having gone through the exhibition, V&R represent more performance art than fashion for me, as their ideas tend to be charged with an ideology, and hence the couture shows tend to be more of a statement than just a display of the finest craftsmanship and latest chic designs. But that's also why none of their couture shows are boring. I found myself watching every single runway video to absorb it all, giggling intermittently at the bravery and creativity of the designers. Words can't explain the work of this duo so do yourself a favor and get a ticket immediately.

A Tribute to Jean Moreau - Part III

This is the final installment of my Jeanne Moreau tribute. I've watched a ton of films over the past few weeks but they've only reaffirmed my respect for Moreau as a versatile actress.

le Temps qui reste (2005) - dir. François Ozon
Ozon delicately handles the subject matter so that the film never gets too sentimental or overly dramatic, which breathes fresh air into the genre. The film spends its energy on the last days of the main character and the way he chooses to say goodbye to everyone and everything around him. Moreau's contribution is unforgettable as the cool grandmother.

The Immortal Story (1968) - dir. Orson Welles
An awkward tale set in Macao in the 19th century centering around a rich tradesman trying to convert a fairy tale into a real story by arranging everything as it is laid out in the story. The small budget production only has four actors, including Welles, and feels very surreal from start to finish.

Le Journal d'une femme de chambre (1964) - dir. Luis Buñuel
Buñuel's fantastic film harvests Moreau's sexual appeal to its full extent as Moreau's character slowly takes over control of the house where she's a maid. The fact that household and the neighbours are quite the characters definitely helps in creating some of the most entertaining moments on the big screen. A definite must-see!

Mademoiselle (1966) - dir. Tony Richardson
A strict school teacher wrecks havoc over a small country village when her lust over an Italian summer lumberjack overcomes her propriety. The animalistic aspects of lust are at the forefront with the visuals and acting. The shot of hands brought together by a snake and Moreau's howling while fooling around with her desire further emphasize the idea of lust being an animalistic instinct. An interesting film that must have been very controversial for its time.