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yepmatt
Reviews
Chigger Ale (2013)
Formerly called "Chigger Ale" and a special feature on the CRUMBS DVD
This short film preceded CRUMBS but has some of the same elements. It's a surreal short film about a misshapen Nazi who loses his mustache. It's well done and can be found as an extra on the CRUMBS DVD. The director (same as Crumbs) has a very unique sensibility and eye for envelope-pushing images that are ultimately very surreal and dreamlike. You can trace a lot of CRUMBS back to this short film. Watch for the Nazi goat. A quite interesting blend of Ethiopian culture, Nazism, and surrealism. There is also another short film as an extra on the CRUMBS DVD that is worth watching. The CRUMBS DVD also comes with a temporary tattoo you can put on a body part of your choosing. This is definitely a filmmaker to watch. He has a Spanish name but has lived in Ethiopia.
Arlit, deuxième Paris (2005)
beautiful desolation, quiet tragedy
This well-made documentary remains fairly neutral on its subject, while allowing denizens of Arlit, Niger to tell their own stories. A post-boomtown in a uranium-rich region, the film shows how places change over time, and the human toll involved in these changes. While capturing the beauty of desert isolation and the resigned discomfort of continual ennui, the consequences of exploitation and colonialism are also vividly illuminated. There are amazing, subtle moments captured in this documentary, and the tone never becomes preachy or overly emotional. It's a fascinating study in economics, legal and illegal immigration, and sociology. The horror of desperation, of fatal illness, of disillusionment, juxtaposes with the compelling loveliness of decay, post-apocalypse, survival, and a compassionate sense of humanity despite the rise and fall of this "second Paris." Arlit, 2nd Paris feels at times like a transmission from some burnt-out future, a report sent back from a scrap heap desert planet. The sad thing is that it's probably only one of a disturbing many places that have experienced the boom-bust cycle.
Divine carcasse (1998)
strange, anachronistic, mesmerizing film
This strange little film comes out of French-speaking Benin in Africa. Too long for a short film but too short for a feature, it clocks in at a somewhat awkward 60 minutes. Despite having a release date of 1998, it resonates with a grainy anachronisticness -- while viewing, I was constantly trying to figure out when it was made and supposed to be set. In this respect it's an interesting film, showing how "third world" countries frequently remain pleasantly and frustratingly lodged in the past. Beginning from a white French philosophy teacher's perspective, the narrative beautifully shifts to a more indigenous perspective with the (relatively) simple act of the giving away of a car (carcasse). Minimal in dialogue, the film eventually gives way to a beautiful near-silence with mesmerizing, long, simple shots. However, though this is a stick-to-the-ribs little film, it is hard as a viewer to connect with any main character or characters, as the philosophy teacher fades out and the rest of the film focuses not on individuals but on the tribe. Also, the film is so subtle in its execution that it lacks narrative drama/tension/action and fails to go into much depth. There are some intriguing things to be gleaned from this film from a cultural anthropology view, but it sadly fell short of its potential. Blurring the line between documentary and fiction, it toyed with Herzogian themes without the haunting power of a Herzog film. Nonetheless worthwhile and a good movie to discuss and learn from and think about.
Haute tension (2003)
stupid, unscary movie
I am not surprised to see all the positive reviews of this movie, as a little bit of style, naked breasts, and over-the-top, intentional gore can make people think "High Tension" is a good movie. I found it extremely non-scary, overly stylized, and ultimately unwatchable. (I never finished it.) What was the masturbation scene all about? Unnecessary. Can a person be decapitated with a piano or piece of furniture (I forget which it was)? No. Unrealistic. The killer was like Jacques Pepin -- or Jacques Derrida, for that matter -- going on a killing spree. He was laughable and not at all frightening. An overweight French bastard in a car repair uniform. How many times has someone witnessed a crime from behind closet doors? Come on, High Tension filmmakers, do something original. The voice-overs of the original French language detracted from the enjoyment of this movie. Don't be fooled, folks -- this movie sucks. Which means they will make a sequel, and folks will love it.