Row Three Narcissism: Movies We Watched

From best-of-breed films from Francis Ford Coppola to F.W. Murnau, an adaptation of a true-crime novel not to be confused with the throwaway vehicle for starlet Elisha Cuthbert and a cult-wannabe splatter comedy fresh out of Japan, here are a few of the films that the Row Three contributors have been taking in over the past 10 days or so and had the good sense to write a couple sentences about in our “Movies We Watched” section of the site which can always be accessed by hitting the icon in the sidebar.

The Machine Girl (2008) 3/5

Goofy, gory and always having a laugh at itself, Machine Girl is not as subversive or exotically weird as Takashi Miike, nor as exact in its pacing as early Sam Raimi or Peter Jackson splatter comedies, but it is the winking comedy moments that are both ridiculous and earnest that sell the silliness. -KURT

Sunrise (1927) 4.5/5

Both a film-history film, one of the last great silent pictures, and the state-of-the-art for moving camera-work and a dreamy miasma of comedy, expressionistic photography and melodrama. This is F.W. Murnau at the height of ambition and ability and is often referred to as one of the first truly modern films. Certainly Guy Maddin and David Lynch likely saw this film as a signpost for their own art and even Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did back at the first Oscar Ceremony. A classic in every sense of the word, and a major starting point before Citizen Kane came along. For admirers of form, this is a treasure trove of technical virtuouso. -KURT

The Girl Next Door (2004) 2/5

No, this isn’t the Elisha Cuthbert teenie-bop movie. This is a particularly nasty, true story about two girls who are forced to live with an evil “aunt” after their parents die in a car accident. The girls are unfairly disciplined before being brutally tortured for days in a basement dungeon by the aunt, her sons and other neighborhood children. It made me physically ill and extremely upset. The ending is far from satisfying. - ANDREW

Winter Passing (2005) 4/5

As big fans of the Zooey around here, I was surprised to find that I hadn’t even heard about this little dramedy before randomly walking past it in the store. This is the kind of comedy I like to see from the likes of Farrell. The story itself is somber but fairly powerful. Good performances all around and it really sets a nice mood/atmosphere. Oh yeah, and a killer soundtrack that I will own soon. - ANDREW

The Bow (2005) 3.5/5

Kim Ki Duk offers a combination of sumptuous visuals and sound that aims at moral provocateurism. Images like the elder boatman’s peculiar method of fortune telling, as well as the various uses of the title instrument keep the film fresh and interesting with minimal dialogue and a single location. The climax is ambiguous in just the right way (although anyone willing to explain it to me is most welcome). You may feel icky watching this film, but it forces both an emotional and intellectual response in the same way that Michael Haenke’s films often do. -KURT

P2 (2007) 4/5

Better than expected indeed. Franck Khalfoun’s first feature isn’t exactly groundbreaking but it has loads of good stuff including a great opening that sets the mood for the film to come, great use of light and shadow, some disgusting visuals, better than average acting and a great closing 15 minutes. I particularly loved the western style showdown and the final scene with Angela and Thomas in which she takes action - but not until provoked and pushed over the edge. - MARINA

London to Brighton (2006) 4/5

Sometimes going in blind pays off. I’d heard good things about Paul Andrew Williams but I didn’t know what to expect so when the film kicks off in medias res with two young women running frantically into a grimy women’s washroom, I was taken by surprise. From that fantastic opening scene the film shows the women escaping and, in flashback, what they are escaping from. Fascinating, violent, beautiful and ugly all at once, London to Brighton was a fantastic surprise. - MARINA

My Kid Could Paint That (2007) 3/5

Director Amir Bar-Lev makes it quite clear from early on that he doesn’t believe that four year old Marla is the artist of the paintings in question but Marla stops being the centre of the controversy early on and the question of importance becomes “What is art?” Though that big question is tackled using the story of little Marla are much more far reaching. I didn’t feel the film went far enough in discussing the question of art but it’s pretty clear that the focus of the film shifted part way through which is a bit of a problem. Generally, an interesting though unsatisfactory look at the question of art. - MARINA

The Conversation (1974) 4.5/5

Francis Ford Coppola’s film is a grade A psychological thriller about a professional bugger (Gene Hackman) who becomes fascinated with a conversation that he records for a client. The film starts off well enough but descends into chaos as Hackman tries to figure out the meaning of the conversation. The final 20 minutes are down right horrific. A fantastic film. - MARINA