Monsters (2010) Making of featurette

Monsters (2010), UK, sci-fi romance set after aliens have taken over parts of Mexico.  The thing that makes this film an incredible discussion point is the low budget but the amazing production values that appear on screening.  Check out this featurette on the making of Monsters.



Here's the trailer of the film to get a real sense of the quality of the production values.

#MIFF Day 10: The Robber, Wild Targets, Love in Puff and Rubber

The Robber (2010), Austria/Germany, the journey of Johann Rettenberger, an Austrian armed robber and long distance runner.  The film starts as Rettenberger is close to being released from jail and then moves immediately to after his release where he wastes no time returning to old habits.  He finds success with his running and his armed robberies, but this crimes are not driven by greed but appear to be a more adrenalin driven activity.  Rettenberger starts a relationship with a Erika which does nothing to stem his activities.   A brilliantly made and fantastic ride about a man who lives for survival itself.

Wild Targets (2010), UK, pure popcorn comedy which is completely absurd. Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) is a very proper English hitman who takes a job to kill a young vamp fraudster, Rose (Emily Blunt).  Rose ripped off businessman, Ferguson (Rupert Everett) who isn't the kind of fella you should scam.  Victor initially is committed to the task but soon discovers that he has taken a shining to the young lady and can't go through with the contract.  After much insisting by his mother to finish the job ends up protecting Rose and in the process recruits Tony (Rupert Grint), a homeless lad, to help protect her.  Mad capped and silly but with a lot of laughs but don't expect too much and you'll get good value from it.

Love in Puff (2010), Hong Kong, director Pang Ho-Cheung second film at MIFF is a completely different experience from Dream Home.  This film is more a romantic comedy (ROM-COM) with a group of smokers who gather at their regular smoking spot to socialize and tell stories.  The film centrally revolves around two of the group, Cherie and Jimmy, who's friendship starts to blossoming into something more serious.  Cherie is in a dead relationship and Jimmy has just got out of a relationship.  An amusing and at times funny film that also breaks up the film with interviews with the smokers discussing their smoking habits, relationships and moments in their lives.  Great to have two different style films by the same filmmaker showing a great range in his directing ability in the one festival.

Rubber (2010), USA, a serial killer tyre film sounds completely absurd, actually it sounds like interesting concept.  For the first twenty five minutes of the film it is very funny and a whacky idea that works.  Then the laughs dry up and the film starts to get a little unhinged.  The scenes of the tyre killing people start to get boring and the novelty has well and truly worn off over the next 45 minutes.  This was wonderful fresh and original idea that got stale really quickly and proves that is should have been a good short film that would have been cinema gold.

#MIFF Day 9: Collapse

Collapse (2009), USA, Chris Smith (American Movie, The Yes Men) again returns with another very engaging documentary featuring simply an interviewing Michael Ruppert, an ex-cop and investigative report who has been trying to warn the world of the impending doom with the planets excess consumption of oil and the collapse of the financial markets. Ruppert is a unique character who is passionate, articulate and intelligent who clearly breaks down the issues that are facing the human race in the near future. Smith has constructed a simple, but effective documentary with one man in room talking about his thoughts on world. The tone, feel and editorial choice bring the best out in this very informative documentary.

#MIFF Day 8: Blame, Enter The Void and Dream Home

Today was my first triple billing of the festival which started with the world premiere of Blame (2010), Australia, received some funding from the MIFF Premiere Fund.  While the majority of the film was financed by ScreenWest (WA) and FilmVictoria.  The screening was full of cast/crew, funding representatives, MIFF Board members and even a politician.  Blame had very favourable audience for it's world premiere.

Blame was unfortunately quite dull and predictable as a group of vengeful youths set in motion a murder plan to seek revenge for a friend who took her own life because of relationship with her music teacher several years earlier.  What unfurls is a painfully slow chain of events with a group of despicable characters who executed their ill conceived plan.   The cast delivered honourable performances with this lacklustre script as it struggled to reach any great heights.   Blame felt like it went on way too long, but could be characterised as a serviceable and mildly interesting film.

Enter the Void (2009), France, Gasper Noe's film has been kicking around for over 18 months and has finally landed in Melbourne to a sell out screening which was full of energy/enthusiasm as the amazing credit sequence rolled for the film.  Unfortunately, the enthusiasm amongst the audience dropped as the film slugged along with audible sighs and groans coming from the audience.

It was my second viewing of Enter The Void with the last time I saw it was almost twelve months ago at TIFF.  My opinion remains the same, Gasper Noe should be locked in an editing suite and made to cut the bloody film down by about an hour. Yes he does amazing camera angle/shots, transitions and visual effects but once you've seen them five or ten times they don't seem so special.   

For those not interested in Gasper work but do want to see the credit sequence here it is so turn it up and enjoy.

Dream Home (2010), Hong Kong, was one of the strangest slasher films you could ever imagine straight out of left field.  Cheng dreams of an apartment with harbour view for her family and herself which reveals unhappy journey that her family has taken as she tries to achieve that dream.  The films plays out like a dramatic story about this unrealized dreams which turns into a nightmare.  Our leading lady, does the responsible thing and goes on an outrageous killing spree like something from a splatter film which  makes for some very gruesome but comically scenes. Dream Home was a real surprise but certainly very dark humour.

#MIFF Day 7: The Angel

The Angel (2009), Norway/Sweden, is a one of those very tragic films that makes the audience question the idea of going to the cinema to see such a depressing film.  Lea's life is a serious of tragic events that lead her to giving up her young child because of her addiction to heroin.  The film cross weaves through the significant events in Lea's life that helped shape her tragic existence.  The unthinkable concept of a mother willingly giving away her child is an act of compassionate towards her child's future.  Lea's life is a serious of toxic relationships that destroy an sort of normality and leave her a train wreck in this life.  The film finds some hope as she battles her addiction and enters rehab as we are left with a clean Lea at the crossroads of starting a new chapter in her so far unhappy life.

Margreth Olin tackles the difficult moments of incest, rape and domestic violence with tact and avoids the shock value of such events.  The audience is aware of the abuse that has been inflicted on Lea and her mother.  Maria Bonneive (Lea) harrowing performance should win her plenty of praise and certainly put her on the radar.