Miksa76 Reviews

Payday (1973)

Payday hits the paydirt

[9/10 · 28 November 2005]

I saw this about 3 years ago - I got to admit I was slightly inebriated after a lot of alcohol, but still some of the scenes penetrated my mind clearly, with their pull-no-punches cynicism. Maury Dann (played by Rip Torn) was one of the most memorable crooks I've ever seen in film. This sombre character study from the 70's addresses the themes of power and using people, set in the world of country & western music. As Dann's world slowly but surely crumbles, we see glimpses of the past of this cynical singer star trying to hit it big and the bleak relationships around him.

I agree with the previous writer, that the film is (sadly) largely unknown, despite a great script by the writer Don Carpenter and a staggering performance from Rip Torn.

Peyzazh (2003)

Russian reality revisited

[9/10 · 12 January 2005]

I saw this film at DocPoint, a documentary film festival in Helsinki. It begins with slow, 360 grade pans of a camera showing snowy countryside somewhere in Russia. The soundtrack has some natural voices.

The camera then is set at a bus stop in a Russian village. It continues to pan into the same direction, showing people waiting, talking to each other, drinking beer, staring, giving an occasional glance at the camera. The soundtrack is clearly from a different source than the pictures, but similar to the world of images. It has elderly people talking about their hard everyday life: sicknesses, alcoholism, dire poverty, violent drunken husbands, poor hospitals etc. etc. The voices curse, argue...

The people start gradually crowd into a full bus, they get in, and the buses leave.

All in all, even if the subject matter is gloomy and realistic, the film is a beautiful one. The continuous camera movement is hypnotic. The people at the village bus stop are actually beautiful to watch... they remain calm, and the contrast between voices on the soundtrack and the images is fantastic.

Also, the images remind me from some old Brueghel paintings, first with landscapes, empty and snowy, then people crammed up close together. The film is done with a calm, peaceful pace.

Ripa Hits the Skids (1993)

Hilarious stuff - Ripa hits the skids

[7/10 · 21 December 2004]

This is one funny film. It was a cult flick when I was in high school and shown quite a many times in TV, too. It coined some flying phrases and featured the later funk-singer Sam Huber in the main role.

It's about Ripa, a lazy, fat good-for-nothing who during his adventures drifts deeper and deeper into trouble in Helsinki alternative/underworld scene. The main idea slightly reminds Scorsese's "After Hours" but this is more chaotic and off-kilter. I actually don't remember the plot so well. There are scenes where Ripa is almost persuaded into hard-core porn film scene with a guy in leather, and escapes only when butter is started to get swept on his rectum... he also gets amorous with a drunken married woman, who tells Ripa he should shoot his hubby. Which Ripa does in a drunken mayhem, ending the romance brutally.

Black and white, real funny at times, I hope?!! since I haven't seen it in years...

Sign of the Lion (1962)

Nouvelle vague with a difference

[4 October 2004]

I saw this very hilarious film a long time ago. It's about the twists of fate in the life of an American in Paris.

Jess Hahn plays a bohemian musician living in the margins of society. He gets information about a shortcoming heritage and believes he's in for big money. He spends all his savings. However, the money is given to his distant cousin.

This starts a downward spiral in the musician's life, as he loses his flat and turns into a clochard dragging along the hostile streets of Paris, trying to survive. These sharp shots are the best stuff in the film: in the first half it uses some of the typical clichés of the French New Wave. There's a nice cameo from Jean-Luc Godard as a weird party-guest.

This isn't like later Rohmer at all, but it's still an original, funny, and moving film. I remember reading somewhere, that this movie was a critical and economical failure for Rohmer... anyway, I think it was more than a good start!!

Mama Turns 100 (1979)

Grandma is 100 years old

[9/10 · 28 September 2004]

This is one hilarious film. I remember watching it over and over again on our VCR when I was about 12 years old. I recall being fascinated with this fantastic family, which was nothing like our bleak, Scandinavian existence! I saw it about 10 times...

It's about the grandma's centennial birthday, which gathers together all the family, with their marital and family problems. Some have schemes and plots to embezzle the family's money. The themes also deal with generation-gap and cultural environment in Franco's Spain. However, the Grandma is larger-than-life figure, almost akin to the creations of magical realism. She's able to have, for example, a telepathic connection with her granddaughter. Her son Federico is a "mad scientist" and a dreamer.

The whole film is set in the country house and it's surroundings. All the characters are colourful and rich, funny and tragical. The actress playing the Grand old lady does a terrific job!! Besides, the film is well shot, and the music echoes richly in memories of the persons.

Mother and Son (1997)

Mat i syn

[10/10 · 3 September 2004]

This film is about the relationship between a sick mother and her son. (surprise.) Surely, this isn't for the average viewer: narrative is slow, events nonexistent; the film consists mostly of painting-like "still-lives" with very little dialogue. The mother and son walk along the beautiful sceneries (the film is done on the island of Rügen, by the coast of Germany), approach each other, take contact by embracing and hugging.

Nick Cave, the rock singer, said somewhere that this film is the most beautiful he has ever seen. I agree that it is maybe Sokurov's best: the twisted images of the landscapes, great camera work and almost meditative feeling are something I love to see in the cinema - if nothing else, just as an attempt this is a great film, instead of all the run-of-the-mill "narratives" we come across.

Beautiful. Word.

Cremaster 5 (1997)

operatic

[3 September 2004]

I actually liked this one of the Cremaster-cycle best. The Greenawayish, lush baroque settings were fascinating. I liked the weird idea about the guy climbing around the stage during musical performance for the queen.

Of course, I can't explain WHY those images were so appealing: Barney seems to be searching a sort of subliminal, unconscious expressions of sexuality and sensuality, as they appear in pure, non-verbal forms, clothing, gestures, architecture, art... at least his synopsis for the Cremaster-cycle hints to this.

It also seems that during the making of Cremaster 5 Barney has had more money: it's done on film, it has Ursula Andress in the main role, and the camera work, design and details are more lavish than in the former ones. It's great someone's doing films like this.

In den Tag hinein (2001)

A beautiful, slow-pace film

[22 August 2004]

This film takes place in Berlin, which is one of my favourite cities. In Den Tag Hinein succeeds in capturing the essence of loneliness in relationships, and has great performances by the young woman playing lead, Lynn, and the Japanese guy. The love story reminds me a bit of Coppola's Lost in Translation, but this is a bit more poignant. The silence in the scenes emphasis's the overall feeling. I hope Speth makes more films.

Some people don't apparently like the slow story-telling of Speth, but I really loved the atmospheric scenes and the uncertainty of small issues. There's nothing false here. Great camera work.