Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

(Image: http://www.ifc.com/)

Interesting political analogue to the North Atlantic slave trade, endemic White supremacism and apartheid that pushes all the right Spartacist emotional buttons.

Although slavery in a modern technological culture makes little sense since it deprives non-slaves of work opportunities, the movie is clever enough to make this an issue of the very folly of slavery and White supremacism itself. in particular the desire of Whites to dominate other human beings and other species is well presented by don Murray's view that White supremacism is justified to control the very resentment among simians caused by White supremacism. His character's solution is more of the same violent treatment causing his fear of the backlash; making the backlash more inevitable. Fear and bad treatment of apes is thus a self-destructive self-fulfilling prophecy that reveals a White culture at war with its own foundational premises - a belief in its on superiority refuted by a dependency on proving such a belief without the slightest evidence. Why would anyone fear someone inferior, if they really were inferior? The revolt of the apes is reminiscent of the civil war that erupted in South Africa in the 1980s and revolt of the slaves led by Toussaint Louverture in San Domingo in 1791 and 9/11.

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For once Black people are shown as more intelligent and more empathetic than Whites; while occupying positions of authority over them. It is highly unusual for a political satire to be this honest about the nature of the people who made it. In real life the question is: Who is really human Black people or Whites; in this movie it is a choice between Human and Ape. Who are the real animals here? One of the best cinematic explorations of White supremacism ever committed to film because it understands that Whites fear Blacks because Blacks were the first humans and that thus inside every White is a Black. Thus, White supremacism is a form of self-hatred. Hopefully apes will make a better job of running the world than Whites have.

Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Concert for George (2003)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

(Image: http://www.themoviedb.org)

Very good documentary of a concert tribute to a popular musician (George Harrison) who, while producing few great songs, was obviously loved by many. That he had such a disparate group of friends proves that interesting people have interesting friends and there is much music and humor here to be had, but not much for non-fans since we learn little about the man for whom the concert is being given.

The grieving aspect of the whole performance is largely implicit since the famous performers want to detract nothing from the meaning and purpose of the event so that they perform their set and do not engage in a vapid display of their own creative egos. Of course, this is the best way to do this kind of thing along with having a good time while doing so. One wonders if the dead really enjoy seeing people cry over their loss or would prefer that people smile and be happy with the many good memories afforded to them by the people they knew and loved when alive. This film answers this question very much in the affirmative.

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Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

CHRISTIANE F: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (1982)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	DVD

(http://www.theguardian.com)

The White Love of Illegal Drugs

Subjectivist treatment of how easy it is to become a drug addict when the desire to belong is strong and ones reality is so terribly dreary and ones home irretrievably broken. Unflinching and grimly realistic, this movie fully inhabits the twilight world of the junkie - all set to the music of David BOWIE (who makes a brief stage appearance) because Christiane idolizes him. It is hard to imagine a love affair flourishing in such an environment - but it does.

The only problem this film has is that it is too long and one can only stomach so many syringes sticking out of so many collapsing veins. In this it is very much like the shorter Trash

(http://heliotricity.com)

Natja BRUNKHORST is an excellent ingénue since you feel for her all of the way.

(http://heliotricity.com)

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Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Belle Noiseuse (1991)

RATING:	100%
FORMAT:	DVD

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A rather long winded movie about a figurative painter and the challenges of his life; primarily to tell the truth through his art. The distinction between cause and effect is blurred here to the extent that cause is more important than effect. This leaves the audience in the uncomfortable position of having cramp induced as we wait for something to light up the screen. It simply takes too long to get to the point.

However, it does score well in its treatment of painter’s block, the creative process itself and the inevitably-intimate relationship between artist and model.

Michel PICCOLI plays this kind of role without giving much evidence of any effort whatsoever. Jane BIRKIN is excellent as his helpmate wife while Emmanuelle BEART is simply brilliant as the artist’s muse. Her beauty makes here very easy to believe in this role along with her very great and real acting talent.

As befits the subject matter, nudity here is presented as natural rather than anything special (ie, “dirty”) à la the typical Hollywood presentation so that it never gets in the way of, nor becomes a substitute of, the storytelling - as it would in a California-based movie. Here nudity finds its proper expression in revealing temperament. But the painter struggles with his talent and his moral courage to capture what the camera appears to precisely because of this inability of cinema to reveal much about a thing simply by pointing a camera at it. This difficulty to capture essence rather than mere appearance leads to our desire frustrated desire to see the final result after four hours when the finished picture is never shown to us. As the painter becomes more and more passive his model becomes correspondingly active before the artist’s talent reasserts itself. In this way this movie is not only a meditation on the artistic process of fine artists but of cinema and all representational forms.

Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.

Beetlejuice (1988)

RATING:	80%
FORMAT:	Cinema

(Image: http://www.ilxor.com)

Clever entertainment that, despite its lack of a story or much of a plot, never fails to amuse with its sheer absurdity.

Reversing the usual ghost story formula of a house being haunted by the dead but this time by the living. The visuals are arresting and imaginative and the performances, especially from Michael KEATON, are perfectly at ease with the weirdness of the entire project - out of kilter as it is with everyday reality.

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Copyright © 2012 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.