Movies
Chacun Son Cinéma
It's been a while since I last watched a Kaurismäki film. I'm not entirely on board with his barren, stark style, but the man has a clear signature and that's worth something. The Match Factory Girl is one of the better films I've seen of him, in part because it's also one of the shortest I've seen of him. There isn't too much emotion here, not in the performances, nor the plot, nor the styling, even so Kaurismäki does manage to insert some humor into his film. I did appreciate his minimalist approach up to a certain point and the ending, though not quite surprising, was well handled. A pretty interesting film.Read all
One of the films that helped Kaursimaki to attain his international status. It's a pretty decent comedy, if you're a fan of Scandinavian humor that is. It's very dry, and very understated, but there are a few nice chuckles along the way. It's not my favored sense of humor, but this wasn't too bad. The performances are stoic, the cinematography is static (but the framing is a tad better than usually the case) and the characters aren't particularly happy, but that's the type of black humor that fares well in the Northern countries. The film is decently paced and sports a nice ending, but I prefer my dark humor a bit edgier and weirder.Read all
60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero
Another micro-shorts anthology. They were relatively popular for a while, but they rarely lived up to their potential. With just a single minute to make an impression, directors were given a tricky challenge. One that proved a bit too daunting for most involved, as too many of the entries failed to make an impact. There are some interesting names here, but few of them stand out. The goals of the project are lofty, but it's all very conceptual and the films themselves never really match or strengthen the project's ideals. It's a good thing that the score is pretty interesting, which at least kept me going. Not all that interesting.Read all
Visions of Europe
I like a good anthology, but when there are too many directors and the project is a little too vague or open-ended, it's difficult to turn it into something coherent (not just a random bunch of shorts bunched together). Visions of Europe is a miss in that regard, but it's still worth checking out. There are some pretty familiar and respected names (Tarr, Boe, Greenaway), but most of the directors are pretty niche and have limited appeal outside of their bubbles. There's a handful of memorable shorts, the rest is pretty forgettable, but it's at least quite varied and the shorts are well short, so it never gets too dull.Read all
Aki Kaurismäki is one of Finland's cinema's most recognizable export products, but I never really saw the appeal. I don't mind a bit of Scandinavian dryness, but not when the presentation of the film suffers because of it. Shadows in Paradise is a rather simple drama about regular Joe's living their lives, and that's all I got from this film. The setting is grim, the characters don't have much going for them and the drama feels pedestrian at best, though the film does become a bit livelier during the second half. The film is short though and it's not the worst spending some time with these people, but it's not my idea of a good time.Read all