By Robin Simmons
NEW TILES NEW FOR THE HOME THEATER
UPSIDE DOWN
Writer-director Juan Solanas woke up with a weird lingering dream about two worlds with their own gravity almost brushing against each other. He had made a weird short film (THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD) that got a lot of attention. It’s about a man shopping for a new head.
Solanas was able to maneuver the solid reputation of his short film for the full funding on his quirky feature. Although UPSIDE DOWN didn’t make much of a dent when it was in theaters (I never even heard of it), but has found a home theater audience in its Blu-ray, 3-D and DVD incarnation. I have never seen anything like it and was mesmerized.
Solidly placed in the realm of magical realism, the story is about Adam (Jim Sturgess) and Eden (Kirsten Dunst) who fall in love as young teens. Only problem is they live on different worlds that are linked but their personal gravity remains bound to their world of origin. Even worse, the pair is separated not only by their differing worlds but also by extreme social conditions and, when it matters most, an unexpected case of amnesia. That’s a lot of hurdles to jump for love.
In the event you have a desire to see this offbeat but recommended title, I can’t think of a way to talk about the visually stunning, playfully romantic adventure without spoiling the experience of the film. We live in a cynical, post ironic age, so this is not for those who can’t surrender their gravity for a little love. Millennium. Blu-ray.
THE GATEKEEPERS
This riveting, raw, honest, disturbing and encouraging documentary gives offers insight into what seems like an impossible conflict: the Israeli-Palestinian statehood issue. Never before have former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret Service, agreed to speak on the record and share their insights about their decisions. To my surprise, the six men individually and as a group reconsidered their former hard-liner positions and failures and now advocate a “conciliatory approach toward their enemies based on a two-sate solution.” This is a rare film that has enormous impact if you have a vested interest in the ethnicity, religion, suffering or land of the disputed region. Excellent special features include commentary and Q&A with director Dror Moreh. Sony. Blu-ray.
JOHN DIES IN THE END
If you liked BUBBA HO-TEP, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BONZAI ACROSS THE 8th DIMENSION, DONNIE DARKO and REPO MAN, well, you’re gonna love JOHN DIES IN THE END. Incoherent and sometimes gory, the story meanders through mind and matter and dimensions not yet confirmed. An instant cult film that already has a following is about a street drug called Soy Sauce that delivers an out-of-body experience that unhinges doorways in time and space that as a bonus includes the inhabitation of entities that may not be fully human. You can argue with me that my description is not totally accurate but my guess is that everyone who sees this crazy flick has a different interpretation when slacker, college dropouts John and David apparently are roped into a reluctant mission to save mankind. The odds are not on their side, but I was weirdly satisfied with their adventure. Chase Williams, Rob Mayes, Clancy Brown and Paul Giamatti share the screen. Don Coscarelli directs from he a screenplay he wrote with David Wong, the titular book’s author. Magnolia. Blu-ray.
QUARTET
I’m not sure what the genre is, but for more than two decades there’s been what I call the “Mature Brits in a Cluster” genre. They could be in a village or in a hotel somewhere or in a bus. Here, they’re in Beecham House, an assisted living residence for retired musicians. When a new resident arrives, it turns out he has relationships with those already in the home. Complications ensue, as does a musical performance. Dustin Hoffman directs with an invisible touch and it all looks nicely sun drenched considering the English weather. The seasoned cast is marvelous but frankly, the material is awfully slight. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood based on his play. The terrific cast includes: Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins and Michael Gambon. No big surprises here, and I am pretty sure I was awake for much of it. Anchor Bay. Blu-ray.
STOKER
Park Chan-wook (OLDBOY) loaded STOKER with extravagant visuals. In fact, this dark tale is top-heavy with atmosphere and mystery. In some ways, that’s what this movie is really about: mood and tone. When mysterious Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) replaces India’s (Mia Wasikowska) dead father, his arrival does nothing to stabilize India’s emotionally fragile mom (Nicole Kidman). Even though Uncle Charlie was previously unknown to India and seems to have a hidden agenda, the lonely, friendless young woman is not horrified but instead drawn to him. The cast is great. Finally, this superb-looking but minor film kept reminding me of Hitchcock’s superior SHADOW OF A DOUBT. 20th Century Fox. Blu-ray.
NORTHFACE
I was gripped by this intense and spectacular true, period film about a Nazi propaganda effort to gain status in the world with the conquering of the dangerous, unconquered, man-killing, Eiger, one of Europe tallest mountains, in 1936.
I have a fear of heights. I also have a fear of being stranded on the side of a sheer cliff called “The Murder Wall” during a blizzard. This unexpected thriller, based on a true story, held me spellbound for it’s two hour running time. I can’t recall a more harrowing mountain adventure.
It’s a short time before the famed (and notorious) Berlin Olympics — which Hitler hoped to use as propaganda to tout the superiority of all things Nazi and Aryan.
The worldwide news of Germans conquering this impossible peak was a hoped-for event before the Olympics and something encouraged by the German press. Two Germans — Toni Kurz and Andreas Hinterstoisser — confront “the last problem of the Alps”: the Eiger’s unclimbed North Face. They are closely followed up the accurately nicknamed “Murder Wall” by a competing Austrian team. But things go terribly wrong. The crowds and the press watch the ensuing, heart-stopping drama through telescopes from the inn and chalets below.
A terrible point of no return is reached. Under unimaginable conditions, the competitors must cooperate in a fight for survival, trying to do what’s right when everything has gone wrong. This extraordinary drama does not relent. It held me in a freezing, visceral grip. I was on the mountain with these men and never once felt that it was anything less than real. If you have a need to climb the Eiger, please make note of the “Hinterstoisser Traverse.” Director Philipp Stoelzl superbly captures the dangers, the daring and the tragedy. Music Box. Blu-ray.
Comments? RobinESimmons@aol.com (Yes, AOL. Get over it.)
