Reviews – Page 22 – Ruby Hornet

[CIFF Capsule Review] Tanta Agua

_{[Ruby Hornet will be attending the 49th Chicago International Film Festival from 10/10 - 10/24. Be sure to follow along as we bring you coverage from the longest-running competitive international film festival in the country. You can find all of our coverage from this year's CIFF here.]}

Tanta Agua
Directors: Ana Guevara Pose and Leticia Jorge
Countries: Mexico, Netherlands, Uruguay
CIFF Screening: October 13, 2013 (6:00pm)

http://youtu.be/DSFwtbBy5yI

Tanta Agua tells the story of a divorced father, Alberto, taking his young son, Federico, and daughter, Lucia, out on vacation in Uruguay. However, his plans for a fun getaway are thwarted when harsh rainstorms take over the town. His optimism slowly begins to fade as his children are uncaring of his attempts to connect with them. While Alberto attempts to salvage an otherwise ruined trip, Lucia discovers her first taste of adolescent pain when a boy she develops a crush on has eyes for another girl.

Tanta Agua takes the formula of a broken family vacation and spins it with a South American flavor of a bittersweet, coming-of-age dramedy. Lucia's heartache over her crush is compared to Alberto's heartache over his inability to connect with his children. Yet, the film is never emotionally-draining or preachy with its themes. Rather, directors Ana Guevara Pose and Leticia Jorge crafted a film that banks on the subtlety of its themes as the pitter patter of raindrops against the family's vacation house roof.

Score: 6 out of 10

by Geoff Henao

[CIFF Capsule Review] Raze

Raze
Director: Josh C. Waller
Country: United States
CIFF Screening: October 12, 2013 (10:15pm)

[youtube id="6vAs4ZkGGSE" mode="normal" align="center"]

Raze is kind of like the female version of Fight Club minus that film's expository themes of schizophrenia and anti-consumerism. Instead, it attempts to justify rounding up a dozen or so girls together in fights to the death with a cult/secret society obsessed with Greek mythology about strong women.. If the women don't fight in these gladiator-style 1-on-1 fights or lose, their loved ones are killed by secret assassins... or something. Zoe Bell (Death Proof), Quentin Tarantino's go-to girl for female body doubles, stars as Sabrina, a hardened, wiser "older" woman who is captured by the aforementioned cult and must fight for her own survival. If the plot sounds ridiculously shallow, that's because it is. The film's menagerie of characters run the gamut of stereotypical characters, such as the sheepish, shy girl, the girl with the hidden talents, the bloodthirsty girl who embraces the challenge, etc.

However, pulpy, B-movies like Raze never worry too much about plot. Instead, the focus is on how gruesome and entertaining the action can be. Often is the case with films of this nature, the fight scenes are a lot of fun. With Bell's background as a stuntwoman, she's given the spotlight to show off her fighting chops in fights that are similar to MMA matches with a mix of hand-to-hand combat and wrestling techniques. Raze isn't for the faint at heart, though. Since fights are to the death, you'll see women with their faces caved in after a dozen point-blank punches or blood stains against the secluded arena's brick walls.

If you can weather character stereotypes and pointless plots in exchange for brutal, one-on-one female fight scenes, Raze might just be the film for you. It left me wanting more, plot-wise, but once I contextualized the medium of pulp, B-movies, I was able to excuse the otherwise lack of depth. Buy some popcorn, a large Icee, and enjoy the ride.

Score: 6 out of 10

by Geoff Henao

[CIFF Capsule Review] Under the Rainbow

Under the Rainbow (Au bout du conte)
Director: Agnès Jaoui
Country: France
CIFF Screenings: October 15, 2013 (5:00pm), October 21, 2013 (3:30pm)

http://youtu.be/LFuL0jQ-GMQ

Under the Rainbow mixes fantasy-like fairy tales into a modern day love story. Unfortunately, once the allure of deciphering fairy tale tropes (enchanted godmothers, wolves in sheep's clothing, evil stepparents, etc.), the main plot begins to feel thin predictable, and boring.

Laura is a young woman looking for her Prince Charming, her knight in shining armor. When she finds Sandro at a party, cheesily under an angel statue pointing directly at him, it's love at first sight for the two. As their romance begins to blossom, Laura is tempted away from the aspiring musician by Maxime, a well-known musician in his own right. As Maxime both steals Laura away and helps Sandro's career, Laura's aunt, Marianne, and Sandro's father, Pierre, establish a subplot of their own as Marianne attempts to become more independent of her ex-husband's influence while Pierre faces the prospect of his death in a few days (prophesied by a psychic 20 years prior).

I'll admit, the film's clever use of the fairy tale tropes added an interesting gimmick to the film. However, that's all it is: a gimmick. Once the shine begins to fade away, and the warm romance between Sandro and Laura begins to crumble, Under the Rainbow becomes a melancholic romantic comedy/drama. I loved how every primary character had some sort of connection or plot line intersect with another's, yet the culmination of the film felt empty.

Score: 5 out of 10

by Geoff Henao

[CIFF Capsule Review] Blue is the Warmest Color

Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adèle chapitres 1 & 2)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Country: France
CIFF Screening: October 12, 2013 (6:30pm)
Release Date: October 25th, 2013 (limited)

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A lot has been said about Blue is the Warmest Color, and more will continue to be said as more people watch the film primarily known for its lesbian sex scenes. However, the sex scenes, explicit as they are, run the risk of overshadowing such a beautiful film about first love and identity/self-discovery. It's a French film through and through in the way the film has an air of warmth and passion that films from other countries can't necessarily pull off in the same way.

Unfortunately, what makes Blue is the Warmest Color so great is sometimes taken away from the aforementioned sex scenes between stars Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. My problem with sex scenes in any form of media/entertainment is how necessary they are. Do they build upon the film's narrative? Do they actually bring more to a character's arc/personality? Are they shot in good taste? Simply put, the sex scenes in Blue is the Warmest Color are so artificial that the passion they're intended to invoke are laughed away as male voyeurism.You can tell why controversy came up over the actresses' discomfort with the sex scenes and director Abdellatif Kechice's obsession over them. Out of the handful of sex scenes in the film, only maybe two or three of them are actually justified. These scenes were supposed to represent the fulfillment of young love, comfortability in one's self and in another person, and the physical embodiment of love. Instead, they're pornographic and uncomfortable for both audience and actress.

I really hope the sex scenes don't overshadow the otherwise remarkable, amazing film framing them in the minds of general film audiences. Blue is the Warmest Color is lighthearted and contemplative, enlightening and heartbreaking, entertaining and frustrating; the very definition of French film pondering of Self. Overall, Blue is the Warmest Color has been my favorite film of CIFF thus far. There's a reason why it won the Palm d'Or at Cannes; it's just a matter of general audiences' ability to see the film for what it truly is: a magnificent love story that will hopefully be remembered for its remarkable performances from Seydoux and Exarchopoulos and not the handful of sex scenes.

Score: 8 out of 10

by Geoff Henao

[CIFF Capsule Review] Stray Dogs

Stray Dogs (Jiao You)
Director: Tsai Ming-Liang
Country: Taiwan
CIFF Screenings: October 11, 2013 (8:30pm), October 13, 2013 (12:30pm)

[youtube id="_xsQfTkvBwg"]

I wasn't familiar with Tsai Ming-Liang's previous works, but the allure of a film described as "one of his most emotionally powerful films" reeled me in. Unfortunately, the power of these emotions is lost amidst the overuse of long shots and lack of a narrative. Stray Dogs is about a father who makes his living as a human billboard while his two children skip school and make do with what they can to kill time during the day. The family has fallen into this routine of doing nothing, then squatting in abandoned apartments at night. However, Stray Dogs doesn't worry itself or the audience about what it's about. Rather, the focus of the film is on what's seen.

Stray Dogs is mostly made up of long shots consisting of the slightest bits of movement to ensure audiences that the film hasn't become frozen or paused. The camera lingers on as main actor, Lee Kang-sheng, eats his food or smokes a cigarette. There are scenes of actual movement and motion, but the bulk of Stray Dogs prefers to let the audience play voyeur as they examine the family. Much has been said about the film's penultimate scene, a 14-minute long shot where Lee Kang-sheng stands behind a woman as they look off-screen. The gravitas of the scene is displayed on the actors' facial expressions with the occasional sip of liquor or shed tear contextualizing the scene.

Stray Dogs is poetic in its oftentimes silent scenes, yet boring and plodding because of them. On a technical side, it's visually-arresting with every long shot composed and framed to near-perfection. Overall, however, you'll find yourself feeling arrested with nowhere to go because of its two-hour duration with no escape in sight. Even the most ardent fans of avant-garde, art-house films might find Stray Dogs too empty.

by Geoff Henao

Del The Funky Homosapien: Eleventh Hour

Artist: Del The Funky Homosapien

Album: The Eleventh Hour

Label: Def Jux

Since 2000's Both Sides of the Brain, Del The Funky Homosapien has been keeping busy and seen more than his share of problems (check out the 11^th Hour DVD). Using music as a release, Del stayed religiously on the mic. He morphed into Deltron 3030 with Dan The Automator, and then morphed again when he joined The Gorillaz in the early years of the new millennium. Yesterday, March 11^th, Del came back as himself with his first true solo album in 8 years, the appropriately title The Eleventh Hour.

With everything going on in Del's life, and his move to Def Jux, I kind of expected a somewhat dark and futuristic album. However, The Eleventh Hour is a funky LP, filled primarily with braggadocio lyrics that cater to an old school vibe but keep it current. Such a vibe is firmly established with tracks such as "Raw Sewage" and "Footwork" which sound like they could easily land on an album by Del's cousin, Ice Cube, as well as "Bubble Pop" which samples Bob James' "Take Me To Mardi Gras"

Del is Del all day on this LP. There are no big surprises, and no pulled punches. Del's fans should eat this up, as he gives all of himself over 14 tracks. He also proves that he has not lost a step, and the way that his production continues to improve is giving Del a fresh set of legs. Overall, The Eleventh Hour dropped just in time. So if you're having trouble deciding between copping the new Snoop or Fat Joe, switch it up a bit and grab the new Del not a perfect album, but you won't be disappointed.

Hits:

"Slam Dunk"

"Str8 Up & Down"

"I Got You"

"Situations"

Misses:

"Bubble Pop"

"Back In The Chamber"

"I'll Tell You"

- By Alexander Fruchter

by Alexander Fruchter