2009. Dir: Ang Lee. Starring: Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Liev Schreiber and Emile Hirsch. ●●●○○
Taking Woodstock is a pleasant diversion, it allows you to drift back to a past you don't really remember and experience it all over again without investing yourself emotionally. To the characters Woodstock is something that happens around them, a force greater than gravity that they can merely allow to flow over them.
The story follows Elliot Tiber (an excellent Demetri Martin) as he attempts to rescue his parents motel by brokering a deal between the organisers of the Woodstock festival and a local land owner. We meet his emotional mother (Imelda Staunton) and his put upon father (Henry Goodman), his neighbours (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Emile Hirsch and Eugene Levy) and finally the festival organisers and hangers on.
Generally Tiber is in awe of these people, emotionally free and with the confidence to plan such an event, and spend all day in leather waistcoats. It becomes clear that Tiber is an outsider, desperate to forge ahead with his own life but shackeled to the run down motel.
The second act concerns the preparations for the festival from the moment the booking is made to the realisation that this festival will be bigger and more memorable than anyone can imagine. It is hard to believe now that the freeway was effectively closed from Manhattan island all the way to upstate New York, or that this concert changed counterculture forever both being the highlight of the hippie era and marking the first step of it's downfall.
Watching the film you can identify with the first, we are shown repeated scenes of traffic james, however due to the nature of the narrative, from seeing the events unfold from Tiber's largely passive eyes, we can only surmise at the latter. Tiber doesn't even make it to the stage. He spends the first two nights tripping with random hippies and taking pot with his parents. The third day was, of course, a wash out of enormous proportions - we do spend some time sliding in the mud to prove it.
Individual scenes are brilliant. The Earthlight production of Chekhov's Three Sisters is a surreal delight, and the final conversation between Tiber and his father as they skirt around the issues of Elliot's sexuality and his mother's erratic behaviour is artfully written.
I just wish this could have melded with the whole better, or that we left the cinema with a better understanding of how the world changed that summer.
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Taking Woodstock
Friday, 13 November 2009
Out this week (13/11/09)
Oh, the rigors of touring continue with virtually no respite or opportunity to use a computer - except for this evening (night before the 13th, where I shall have to do some catching up. I have amended last weeks scores for the now reviewed films but only in the comments - not that The Men who Stare at Goats remained the recommended film of the week. I did miss 3 (yes that's 3) releases from the sub-continent which I've included this week for the sake of completeness, but none of them are ticking my fancy. This weeks film to watch is a tough question to ask, many of the releases look like high quality product but it's Taking Woodstock by a minor acid trip.
Amelia
The Amelia Earhart story has fascinated filmmakers for over 70 years - the woman who broke conventions to become a pilot and achieve notoriety in her lifetime for a laissez faire attitude and then a tragic final chapter. This latest version has Oscar written all over it, even if it looks like it may have missed it's target.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Cold Souls
Existential and angsty - it's a comedy about taking your soul into storage if it's getting too much for you. Starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Giamatti and with a cracking supporting cast - could be brilliant.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Harry Brown
Would Get Carter by any other name still be as good? Michal Caine is about to find out in this OAP takes on hoodies vigilante picture. I suspect this movie is a damaging as last weeks 1 day, but as it has Sir Maurice in the lead we'll give it some slack.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Heer Ranjha
Oft told Indian legend about 2 lovers destined to meet each other and be together in this lifetime or the next. I know I should be positive as the story isn't even vaguely knocked off Hollywood, however there's so many films out this week and some must do badly on my scores...
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Lala Pipo
Wacky Japanese comedy about the sex lives of a "lotta People" in Tokyo. Director Masayuki Miyano cleverly interweaves stories about the lost, desperate, horny and repressed - PR notes not my words. Reviews aren't damning.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
The Magic Hour
It's clearly a key week for Jaapanese comedies with 2 being released. This second one is set in the seedy world of underground casinos and burlesque dancers, like an Oriental Bugsy Malone but with adults and no splurge guns.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Pyaar Impossible
Unofficially a Hindi remake of Notting Hill. It's like they actually don't want people to go and see it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Taking Woodstock
Compared to some of the other films released this week Ang Lee's latest has not had terribly glowing reviews - in fact since it's Cannes debut earlier this year the movie has been regulary referred to as lightweight. Still it's a gay cominh out story agianst the backdrop of the biggest music festival of the flower power generation. I'm so very there.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Tulpan
Kazakh cinema has had to expand exponentially since 2005's Borat spoof, partly to disprove any notions that he was a real character. Fortunately there is an enormous amount of talent and quality product coming. This comedy about a potential bride groom with big ears won un certain regard at Cannes in 2008.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Tum Mile
It's another Bollywood film about star-crossed lovers. Naturally they haven't been together for 8 years then meet up unexpectedly during the Mumbai floods. Probably ends up well for them, if not so well for hordes of extras.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
2012
Roland Emmerich is back again to destroy major tourist attractions and put lesser known character actors in extreme jeopardy. This time he's destroying all of civilisation, which seems like a pretty big deal.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
The White Ribbon
Director Michael Haneke is a true auteur, one whose films have both a clearly identifiable style as well as a streak of extreme meanness. His latest has passionate support from the Palme D'Or as well as the German entry for this years foreign language Oscar race. The film concerns the seeds of fascism being sown as German slip inexorably towards the first Great war.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
So last week I missed the release of
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani ●●●○○○○○○○, Harishchandra Chi Factory ●●●●○○○○○○ and Jail ●●●○○○○○○○.
I'm feeling kinda sorry for these releases because I missed them out last week, but also because they've actually been reviewed around the net and I'm liking what I read. They are, respectively, a romantic comedy, an account of the birth of the Indian film industry and realistic look at the justice system and the prisons.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Tuesday Trailers - Taking Woodstock
The one remaining October film I'm interested (ish) in still hasn't released a trailer. You have to wonder whether they actually want people to see thier movie. So, I'm starting November. November is great - full of a variety of fantastic looking movies with diverse casts and subject matter. Starting the month off is a biopic (of sorts) about a boy who helped Woodstock happen (sort of). It's directed by the talented and versatile Ang Lee with a lovely supporting cast of supporting actors. Enjoy:
Taking Woodstock opens on 6 November 2009.
Friday, 9 January 2009
Imelda Staunton
Happy Birthday to
Imelda Staunton
53 today
A beautifully comic actress who stormed the awards circuit 3 years ago as the eponymous abortionist in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake. Look out for her in the forthcoming Taking Woodstock.
