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Oliver Stone is taking his docu "South of the Border" on a whirlwind tour with a series of premieres in Spain and South America to be attended by the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela.

Tour kicks off in Madrid on May 18 with a fund-raiser dedicated to Haiti relief that will be attended by many of the leaders.

Docu tracks Stone's journey through South America last year and the ascent to power of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and other South American leaders responsible for changes in the region. Rollout in Latin America begins in Caracas on May 28, where Chavez will attend. On May 30, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa will be at the Quito preem with a debut in Sao Paolo, Brazil the following day.

On June 1, Bolivia's President Evo Morales will travel to the mountainous region of Cochabamba for an outdoor screening. Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo will host a premiere June 2. Docu unspools the next day in Buenos Aires. Pic bowed at Venice with Chavez in attendance, and will be released in more than 30 countries. Cinema Libre Studio releases it in the U.S. on June 25.

Pogledao sam A SINGLE MAN rediteljski debi modnog kreatora Toma Forda. Reč je o ekranizaciji romana Christophera Isherwooda, jednog od književnika čije se viđenje homoseksualnosti smatra među najubedljivijim, kao i pozicija unutar gay zajednice. Isherwood je najpoznatiji po tome što su po fragmentima njegove knjige napisali CABARET Boba Fossea, ali imao je i druge ekranizacije svog rada a radio je i kao scenarista.

Tom Ford je snimio izuzetno zanimljiv rediteljski debi. Fordu režija nije strana jer je predvodio neke od televizijskih kampanja za promociju svojih kolekcija i to iskustvo iz reklama se oseća u njegovom dosta sugestivnom korišćenju boje i promena u koloritu koje prati raspoloženje glavnog junaka. Ono čime Ford suvereno vlada to je domen estetizacije priče. On je doveo epohu u kojoj se film dešava (rane šezdesete) do nivoa fetiša, što u principu nije nov zahvat, gledali smo slične zahvate u MAD MEN, a tu epohu je overio i REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Sama Mendesa.

U ovom konteklstu, kao priča data iz vizure profesora homoseksualca u kasnim srednjim godinama koji se polako gasi posle smrti svog dugogodišnjeg partnera, taj rediteljski koncept apsolutno ima smisla.

Ono što je takođe značajno jeste da Fordov postupak istovremeno ima identitet, izražen kroz korišćenje promena boje (što mu je kritika prebacila) i fetišizaciju epohe (što mu kritika odobrava) ali da je u samoj suštini vrlo bojažljiv i školski, u najboljem smislu. Ford je samouverenost zamenio obazrivošću početnika u najboljem smislu i zato je A SINGLE MAN pre svega jasan i konzistentan film.

Colin Firth je pružio jednu izvanrednu ulogu. Teško je reći da li mu je ovo loga karijere, ali svakako se izdvaja i izbacuje ga od jakog britanskog drugoligaša u samu prvu ligu. Juliane Moore je uspela da svoj visok nivo uklopi u priču a Nicholas Hoult je sa ovim filmom posle reinvencije u seriji SKINS konačno napravio i nešto sa čime može da se plasira i na američkom tržištu i da se vrati na veliki ekran u velikom stilu. Na polju glume, Ford pokazuje izuzetnu zrelost koja podseća na naslove kao što je ICE STORM Ang Leeja.

Svi ovi dobri potezi čine da A SINGLE MAN bude jedan od onih debitantskih filmova koji pevazilaze hype oko ličnosti reditelja pristiglog izvan filmskog miljea i zaista se nameću kao bitni naslovi u sezoni.

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Skip Woods ("Hitman," "Swordfish," "The A-Team") is in negotiations to pen a script for a fifth "Die Hard" for 20th Century Fox reports Risky Biz Blog.

The storyline for the next film is being kept under wraps. The last outing of John McClane, 2007's "Live Free or Die Hard", pulled in a strong $378 million in worldwide grosses.

Alex Young ("Unstoppable") is producing. Willis is next committed to star in the video game adaptation "Kane & Lynch" shooting later this year.

Pogledao sam jedan izvanredan i potpuno zaboravljen klasik špijunskog filma koga samo mali deo kritike uopšte smatra relevantnim a to je A DANDY IN ASPIC Anthony Manna, koji je po vlastitom romanu napisao Derek Marlowe. Mann je umro za vreme snimanja ovog filma tako da je film do kraja snimao Laurence Harvey, međutim ne oseća se ta nekonzistenost u rediteljskom postupku. Štaviše, ovaj film iz 1968. godine ima neverovatno moderan i atraktivan rediteljski postupak a u vizuelnom smislu, nikada se ne bi reklo da je Mann najbitniji zbog svojih vesterna sa Jimmy Stewartom. Mann je doduše važan i zbog svoje noir faze a ključni adut njegove rediteljske poetike jeste vezan za unošenje uticaja noira u vestern i rekontekstualizacije Divljeg Zapada u jednom mračnom i pretećem pravcu. Manna je doduše posthumno rehabilitovao Martin Scorsese kao zaboravljenog klasika i neprekidno je insistirao na njegovom značaju.

A DANDY IN ASPIC je špijunski film smešten u London i Zapadni Berlin koji prikazuje ove lokacije kao atmosferične, prepune pretećih obeležja i vešto se poigrava sa nekim od tipičnih prizora koje smo očekivali od ovih mesta.

Naročit akcenat stavljen je na upotrebu vizuelnih sredstava za prikazivanje psihološđke transformacije glavnog junaka, od objektiva do kadriranja i pokreta kamere, i to je urađeno na bezmalo avangardan način, naročito ako imamo u vidu da u tom periodu slične eksperimente unutar žanr trilera rade autori poput Antonionija. U svom poslednjem filmu, iskusni holivudski profesionalac deluje svežije i vitalnije od mnogih mlađih konkurenata.

Posebnu dimenziju svemu daje scenario Derek Marlowea koji je prepun crnog humora i ciničnih dijaloga i zapravo vrlo je jasan, iako mu je deo kritike spočitavao da je konfuzan. Ipak, pre će biti da su razlozi za tu dosta paušalnu diskvalifikaciju koja je uostalom netačna proistekli iz toga što ovaj naslov nije ni analiziran sa punom pažnjom.

Laurence Harvey je enigmatičan u glavnoj ulozi ali realno nedostaje mu harizme da bi bio pravi leading man, iako ta ambivalentnost gledalaca prema glavnom glumcu potpuno u skladu sa osobinama junaka koga igra otac Tony Scottove muze Domino. Ostatak ekipe u kojoj su i Tom Courtenay i Mia Farrow je odličan a Mia svemu daje poseban arty šmek tada vrlo aktuelnog trenda kooky junakinja koje je apsolvirala Goldie Hawn.

A DANDY IN ASPIC je hidden gem i na ovaj naslov svakako treba obratiti pažnju, čak možda i početi istraživanje Manna od njega jer upravo ovde ima najviše kopči sa savremenim filmskim izrazom.

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Pogledao sam ruski horor FOBOS nemačkog đaka Olega Asadulina. Reč je o produkciji Fjodora Bondarčuka koga znamo po pristojnoj DEVETOJ ČETI i ozloglašenoj ekranizaciji Braće Strugacki. Bondarčukovo ime otprilike objašnjava šta nas čeka u FOBOSu. Reč je o ruskoj kopiji američkog omladinskog horora na liniji FINAL DESTINATIONa recimo koja pokušava dosta površno da neke od potrebnih obaveznih figura učini lokalnim, ali nedovoljno da bi film dobio ikakvu autentičnost.

Ja nisam još uvek pogledao četvrti FINAL DESTINATION, ali voleo sam prva dva, naročito drugi, tako da meni generalno ovahj high concept nije problem. Međutim, pored te FINAL DESTINATION dimenzije, FOBOS se oslanja i na bezbrojne filmove o tinejdžerima zaglavljenim u nekom prostoru u kome se prepliću zle zamke sa njihovim međusobnim trvenjima tako da FOBOS nema tu relativnu raznovrsnost i razigranost koju su imali FINAL DESTINATION filmovi.

Ono što se može može posmatrati kao ruski pečat scenariste Aleksandra Ševcova (koji je prilična zvezda u Rusiji zahvaljujući uspešnom serijalu MI IZ BUDUŠĆEVO) na američkoj formuli jesu odnosi među likovima koji su u velikoj meri determisnisani imovnim stanjem, odnosno provejava kritički odnos prema novim bogatašima, sitnom lopovluku njihovih zaposlenih i besprizornom životu njihovih potomaka a sam high concept vezan je za ukleto tajno postrojenje u kome mladi bogataš želi da otvori klub. Do kraja filma ova galerija nezanimljivih karaktera čak uspeva i da zaživi ali početak je dosta naporan za gledanje.

Pored relativne zanimljivosti činjenice da je ovo ruski rip-off američke formule u kome ekipa pokušava da se nadholivuđuje sa samim Holivudom (a to u ovom žanru više nije novo, setimo se filma SSD Vadima Šmeljeva) ono što se mora istaći jeste vrhunska tehnička realizacija koja zaista nimalo ne zaostaje za američkim theatrical filmom ovog tipa (FOBOS je koštao oko 2,5 miliona dolara i na ruskom box ofice je skorovao oko 0,6) i izuzetno zanimljiva scenografija koja čak i prevazuilazi američke filmove ovog tipa po svom dizajnu i funkcionalnosti u okvirima zahteva priče.

Ova tehnička veština, čini stvar u izvesnom smislu i žalosnijom pošto je očigledno da su dosta veliki resursi iskorišćeni za ponavljanje formule koju je neko već odavno apsolvirao. Ipak, ako imamo u vidu da su ruski blokbasteri generalno koncipirani tako da repliciraju direktno američkim filmovima i da ih samo zanima da im pariraju, onda je ekipa uradila dobar posao.

Sasvim sigurno da ovaj tehnički zahvat neće biti nenangrađen i na međunarodnom DVD tržištu koje ipak ne dobija često DTV naslov ovako visokog produkcionog nivoa.

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Nastoj da preskočiš četvrti Final Destination (osim ako ti eventualno ne padne u ruke 3D verzija). Ne donosi apsolutno ništa novo, a ima za klasu iritantnije likove od prethodnih nastavaka.

Pošto su neredi prošli, vreme je da se svako vrati na svoj radni zadatak.

Pogledao sam THE LOSERS Sylvain Whitea. Reč je o ekranizaciciji DC stripa koja paradoksalno iako je upadljivo nepretencioznija od WATCHMENa deli neke od istih problema sa tim filmom. Pre svega na nivou scenarija, Peter Berg (koji je bio razmatran i za reditelja ovog filma) i James Vanderbilt (koji je na kraju radio shooting draft) praktično baziraju film na prvom od story arcu stripa i to bezmalo doslovno. U tom smislu, ko god je čitao strip praktično već zna većinu situacija a neke su izmenjene tek na nivou detalja.

Zatim, u vizuelnom smislu, ovo je ekranizacija u kojoj su uzeti u obzir i Andy Diggle i Jock tretirani kao autori jer je film u vizuelnom smislu jako vezan za strip, od scenografije preko kostima do celokupnog dizajna karaktera. U tom smislu THE LOSERS u bukvalnom smislu tretira termin "stripovske stilizacije".

Scott Kevan je kao DP to relativno konsekventno uspeo da realizuje, međutim reditelj Sylvain White se poprilično izgubio u toj estetizaciji LOSERSa i na kraju smo završili sa filmom koji je na planu filmske akcije dosta tanak, previše oslonjen na CGI, i dosta opterećen odnosom prema grafičkom rešenju stripa a suviše negližozan prema pokretu unutar kadra, pozicijama kamere (izvan estetizacije) i upotrebi slow motiona koji se mahom koristi da bi fetišizovao određene prizore i nema funkciju na nivou ritma koju je imao svojevremeno od Peckinpaha do Wooa i Braće Wachowski koji su ga svaki na svoj način reinventovali.

U tom smislu LOSERS je sličan WATCHMENu jer je dosledna rekonstrukcija stripa ali ne funkcioniše sasvim u skladu sa svojim filmskim pretenzijama. Ipak, pošto je sam strip izuzetno jednostavan, rudimentaran po svojoj priči i bliži formi filma još u startu, te je onda i konkretan film kudikamo efektniji od Snyderovog WATCHMENa.

Naime, Digglove situacije su u osnovi dobre, i to što ih White nije izgradio do kraja ne znači da one ne stoje u filmu. Isto važi i za pojedine Digglove dijaloge koji su često lobovanje, kao i inače u savremenom stripu ali nekada i imaju smisla. NAjstripovskiji lik svakako je negativac koga igra Jason Patric. Iako je verovatno on doveden da filmu da klasu, na kraju je on pre svega tu da bi uvećao pulp efekat.

Što se samog tima koji čine Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Zoe saldana, Columbus Short, Idris Elba i Oscar Jaenada, oni su prilično solidni s tim što u suštini ima likova koji se po svojim osobinama dupliraju tako da je tu Columbus Short odnosno Cougar ispao svojevrsni višak. Pošto film nije prošao naročito dobro, neće biti nastavka pa nećemo ni imati priliku da vidimo da li bi se "okrnjen" tim bolje snašao u nastavcima.

U svakom slučaju THE LOSERS je simpatičan film, za koji je šteta što nije ubedljiviji u akcionom domenu. Isto tako, šteta je što tri naslova studija Warner koja su ovog proleća ciljala mušku publiku akcionog filma nisu prošli bolje, iako na kraju dana ni COP OUT ni THE LOSERS neće biti komericjalni promašaji, ali neće biti ni hitovi koji će podstaći nastanak novih filmova sličnog tipa.

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Pogledao sam film METROPIA Tarika Saleha. Kad sam pročitao sinopsis i video da je Zentropa producent pomislio sam da sam taj film već gledao ali na kraju sam shvatio da sam ga pomešao sa filmom ONE POINT O sa Jeremy Sistom koji je producirala ZentAmerica ali u kome takođe igra Udo Kier.

Oba se bave temom teskobne egzistencije kafkijanski koncipiranog službenika u antiutopijskim okolnostima s tim što je METROPIA animirani film koji ima dosta zanimljiv vizuelni koncept u kome se pravi kolaž između animacije i snimljenog detalja, ali nažalost to ne prati i pričom koja je konfuzna, prilično već prevaziđena po svojim stilskim i ideološkim implikacijama i nedovoljno dinamična da bi održala pažnju pri tako radikalnom vizuelnom konceptu u kome se prožimaju animacija, kolaž i karikatura.

Film je očigledno imao velike pretenzije na indie tržištu o čemu govori podela među onima koji su pozajmili glasove a tu se mogu naći Vincent Gallo, Juliete Lewis, Stellan Skarsgaard i Udo Kier. Mđutim ta američka vokalna podela samo doprinosi konfuziji u priči koja je toliko oslonjena na Evropu.

U svakom slučaju, iako je već ranije bilo sličnih evropskih naslova kao što je recimo FREE JIMMY, METROPIA eventualno zalužuje pažnju kao informacija za fanove animacije i profesionalce.

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Reprizirao sam klasik Monte Hellmana COCKFIGHTER po scenariju Charlesa Willeforda koji je adaptirao vlastiti roman. Willeford je pisac sa čijim opusom me je upoznao ratko radunović i reč o jednom od sjajnih nastavljača odnosno savremenika pre svih Elmore Leonarda ali i Donald Westlakea i cele te struje duhovitog ali ipak tvrdog krimića. COCKFIGHTER nije krimić iako je smešten u svet cockfightinga koji je sam po sebi jedna zabranjena disciplina zbog svoje krvoločnosti, klađenja i sl. Ipak, ima država u SAD u kojima je cockfighting potpuno dozvoljena disciplina, o čemu svedoči i vrlo duhoviti tagline filma na kome su radili Joe Dante i Allan Arkush, tada još službenici Rogera Cormana: He came into town with his cock in hand, and what he did with it was illegal in 49 states.

Iza tako senzacionalističkog naslova jedino što se ne krije je nekakav exploitation film i COCKFIGHTER je više depresivni savremeni vestern obogaćen Willefordovim smislom za humor. Film je svakako dinamičan i komunikativan ali u ovom konkretnom slučaju, završni proizvod koji je dopao Cormanu u ruke je atmosferičan, sporadično vizuelno impresivan film o mentalitetu, inatu i autodestrukciji smešten u vrlo interesantan milje.

Deo kritike je tumačio COCKFIGHTERa kao studiju o seksualnosti ali ja ne bih išao toliko daleko niti mislim da taj pravac zbog samog naslova uopšte mora da se smešta u domen denotativnog, a isto važi i za temu američkog društvenog tkiva. Po strukturi, COCKFIGHTER je ponajviše zapravo bokserski film koji je dobro realizovan i dodatno unapređen odličnim izborom teme. Samim tim on dobro ilustruje jedan segment društvene margine.

U izvesnim segmentima svakako da su Hellman i Willeford ostali nedorečeni, a čini se da je cela postavka sa junakom koji se obavezao na zavet ćutanja dok ne prevaziđe prepreku koju je sebi zacrtao istovremeno i potentna dramska postavka i lobovanje. Međutim, nedostaci ovog filma su minorni ukoliko imamo u vidu milje u kome je nastao i koliko je prevazišao sva ograničenja nametnuvši se kao jedno od bitnijih ostvarenja sedamdesetih na nivou celokupne kinematografije.

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Pogledao sam KICK ASS Matthew Vaughna po stripu Marka Millara jedan od most anticipated naslova ove godine. Ono što mi je drago jeste da je film kao forma pomogao Millarovom stripu da prevaziđe svoje nedostatke. Scenario Jane Goldman i Matthew Vaughna je vrlo skrupulozna adaptacija Millara koja se dosta oslanja na strip ali za razliku od LOSERSa, Millar i Goldman su ga i pomalo menjali i dosta vizuelno unapredili tako da film nije ponavljanje onima koji su čitali strip.

Ono što je specifična stilizacija KICK ASSa jeste da se film dešava u konzistentnom miljeu koji nije striktno realističan, odnosno to je milje u kome određena stilizovana ponašanja mogu da prođu. Dakle to je filmska realnost u kojoj su mafijaši ne sasvim nesvesni reinvencije tog miljea iz vremena Tony Soprana ali imaju dosta praksi iz pred-sopranovske faze.

Ono što je važno to je da Matthew Vaughn drži sve konce stilizacije i ne pušta film da sklizne u bilo kom pravcu i po tome KICK ASS najviše podseća na BLADE Stephena Norringtona. Naravno, razlike između BLADEa i KICK ASSa su suštinske, jer BLADE je film o isključivo neobičnim ljudima koji su uključeni u suklob u "našem svetu" dok je KICK ASS film o "običnim" ljudima koji žele da u stvarnosti sprovode moral iz superherojskog stripa.

S druge strane, KICK ASS je film u kome stvari ne treba da se razvijaju u nekom grotesknom pravcu, odnosno cilj je da stvari ishoduju akcijom, i u tom smislu potpuno je opravdana ta mala izmeštenost sveta koja dozvoljava na kraju totalni akcioni mayhem. U tom smislu, oni koji očekuju kontemplaciju o razlici između realnosti i superherojskog etosa ne treba da očekuju previše od KICK ASSa. Ovo je samo jedan od segmenata ovog filma.

U tom smislu može se reći da je KICK ASS zapravo pastiš pop kulturnih konvencija high school filma, mafijaškog filma i superherojskog stripa, s tim što je strip tretiran kao artefakt koji postaje agens a konvencije teen i mafijaškog filma su tretirane kao "realnost".

U tom smislu jedina nedoslednost koju sam primetio jeste Aaron Johnson u ulozi dečaka koji postaje Kick Ass. Ovaj junak je koncipiran kao "običan" i on to zaista jeste. Problem je u tome što realnost filma koja je malo odmaknuta ne toleriše tu vrstu "običnosti" i zato su u principu svi oko Kick Assa scene stealeri.

U vizuelnom smislu, Vaughn je u saradnji sa DPjem Ben Davisom očuvao izvesnu artificijelnost stripovskog sveta, izražene kontraste u koloritu, svedenost detalja u pojedinim situacijama. Slično Whiteu u LOSERSu, on zaista pravi konzistentnu "stripovsku stilizaciju".

Međutim, ono što je bolje nego u LOSERSima je to što je Vaughn mnogo hrabriji i aktivniji u akcionim situacijama i fetišizacija stripovskog dizjana ga ne sprečava da se raspusti u akcionim sekvencama i da napravi neke zaista sjajne set-pieceove. Vaughn je engleski reditelj i ovaj film nije holivudski spektakl, to treba imati na umu tako da je i akcija u njemu drugačija nego u američkom filmu, sa više akcenta na pojedinačne kadrove, i po tome su LOSERSi opet slični i opet daleko slabiji.

Izuzev Johnsona, i u izvesnom smislu Marka Stronga koji je dobar ali ne nudi ništa više od parafraze De Nira, svi ostali glumci su izvanredi. Chloe Moretz će sasvim sigurno imati veliku karijeru a ako imamo u vidu da je line-upovala LET ME IN, HUGO CABRET i TEXAS KILLING FIELDS ima velike šanse da dok poraste ima i sjajan skor zanimljivih projekata. Nic Cage je odigrao pre svega simpatičnu ulogu koja je zanimljiva na nivou izbora materijala. Međutim, Mintz-Plasse je scene stealer. On jeste u izvesnom smislu i ovde produžetak McLovina, ali bi svakome ko nije gledao SUPERBAD ova rola delovala antologijski i da nije McLovina, pamtili bi ga kao Red Mista.

KICK ASS je sasvim ispunio svoja očekivanja i nesumnjivo je reč o vrlo bitnoj i vrlo kvalitetnoj ekranizaciji stripa. Iz ove vizure zanimljivo je kako su Britanci ne samo u svetu stripa već i u svetu filma postali značajan faktor u reinvenciji comic book propertyja. Posle Steve Norringtona, Vaughn nastavlja tu britansku liniju. A Branagh planira da se nadoveže sa THORom.

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Wth, izgleda da Norington radi Vranu?!

To je neka priča, ali u poslednje vreme mnogo ga najavljuju a malo na kraju zaista snimi...

Pogledao sam vrlo interesantan, kloverfildast, ali jako zanimljiv niskobudžetni britanski film SALVAGE Lawrenece Gougha koji kombinuje žanrovske koncepte kamerne drame, filma katastrofe i neke varijacije na zombi-film.

Film se bavi porodičnom dramom između poročne majke (MILFa) i kćerke koja joj dolazi u posetu za vreme Božića kada u okolini dolazi do izlivanja neke toksičćne materije koja uzrokuje transformacije ljudi u izdeformisane ubice. Na ulice izlaze vojnici, a majka pokušava da se ponovo nađe sa kćerkom koja je posle svađe pobegla iz kuće uz pomoć svog inače oženjenog ljubavnika sa kojim je imala one night stand.

Situacija u kvartu napadnutom zarazom polako eskalira i majka koja u početku dobija uverevanja da treba da sedi u kući i ćeka da se stvari smire, mora da izađe napolje...

Gough režira u mešavini britanskog televizijskog stila sa dosta pokreta kamere i fakturom slike koja je dosta old school, nimalo nije glamurozna i podseća na filmove Ken Loacha. Ne preza od toga da snima suspense scene ili jump scares, a sami oboleli agresivci su prikazani vrlo gadno i na vrlo old school način. Gough dosta dobro prožima dramu i ripper sekvence sa većim akcentom na drami ali sa dovoljno vešto postavljenoma stmoferom da oni željni akcije i horora neće biti razočarani.

U ovakvoj vrsti filma, koji pokušava da ode iza scene jedne tipšično žanrovske priče i da je gleda iz duge vizure, uvek se može polemisati sa tim šta je prikazano a šta nije, ali u svakom slučaju SALVAGE je delo vrlo moćnog rediteljskog rukopisa koji čini da se Goughov sledeći film čeka sa pažnjom.

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Obratite pažnju koje izabere na kraju

Comercial Havaianas - Closet (Daniel de Oliveira e Vanessa Giacomo)

Kunac i ja smo komisijski pogledali film DARK ECHOES George Robothama, poznatog kaskadera, koji je sniman na Bledu u Sloveniji i govori o undead starom kapetanu koji izlazi na obalu i ubija naslednike porodica koje su krive za njegovu smrt. Ukratko, DARK ECHOES se može definisati kao rip-off Carpenterovog FOGa snimljen za jako malo novca od strane ne preterano talentovaih filmmakera.

Ovaj film je danas sa pravom zaboravljen, ali nama je naravno zanimljiv pošto u njemu možemo da vidimo neka nama dobro poznata lica poput Tanje Bošković, Duška Tadića, Janeza Vrhoveca, Mirjane "Leptirice" Nikolić, Dragana Bjelogrlića i Gorana Sultanovića. Vrhovec čak pada i kao prva žrtva u filmu a najerazrađeniji victim set-piece u filmu ima Neda Arnerić koja igra naivnu čobanicu koju undead satera u ambis. Nažalost, u filmu nema skidanja tako da je Neda ostvarila jednu atipičnu rolu u svojoj karijeri.

O reputaciji stranih glumaca, Kunac zna mogo više ali koliko sam ga shvatio glavnu ulogu igra zvezda iz nemačkih krimića koja je bila aktuelna koju deceniju ranije. U tom smislu malo je apsurdno što je u filmu tretirana kao neka vrsta polu-mlade romantične figure i ima karakter koji baš ne odgovara glumičinim godinama.

Efekata maske i gorea ima u određenoj meri i uglavnom su jako slabi, osim jednog inventivnog i prilično bukvalnog "ispadanja" mozga. Tehnička ekipa je uglavnom naša. Muziku koja je bazirana na synthovima radili su Sanja Ilić i Sloba Marković, pioniri naše elektronike i skor je u principu rip-off tada aktuielnih synth skorova. Scenografija Vladislava Lašića je generic ali uglavnom ispunjava funkciju da se u Sloveniji lažu austriojski ambijenti, iako u nekoliko navrata probijaju neki jugoslovenski dizajnirani ambijenti naročito u nekim eksterijernim ugostiteljskim objektima.

Film ima nekoliko guilty pleasure scena, pored ubistva Nede Arnerić, mahom vezanih za lik vračare/veštice/vođe kulta Frau Ziemler koja organizuje ritualne skupove u jednoj pećini.

U svakom slučaju, ovo jematerijal samo za fanatične filmske arheologe koje zanimaju stvari snimljene na prostoru ex-YU.

Inače, film je izašao 1986. godine a sniman je 1982. ili 1983. po nekim informacijama što podatak sa IMDBa o 1977. kao godini izlaska čini potpuno promašenim.

Quote from: crippled_avenger on 11-05-2010, 03:43:49
Nažalost, u filmu nema skidanja

Neda,Tanja,Mira i ništa? Nemoguće bre,jeste li pažljivo gledali?
Taj film je onda stvarno raritet u svakom smislu.

Tanja je u kupaćem kostimu. Mira možda ima nešto malo u jednoj grupnoj sceni. Neda je zakopčana do grla.

Nedovoljno. Ja još u srcu nosim prekrasnu Tanjinu ulogu u Čoveku sa četiri noge. Onako besraman komad boškovićsploitacije je neviđen na ovim (a i drugim) prostorima.

Pogledao sam L'EAU FROIDE Olivier Assayasa, film koji bi se mogao smatrati neoklasicističkim ako tekovine Novog Talasa smatramo klasikom. Naime, predstavnik francuskog Novog Novog Talasa prošao je sličnu školu kao novotalasovci samo pra godina kasnije. Posle pisanja za Cahiers i specijalizaciej za azijski, naročito hongkonški film, Assayas je postao reditelj. Negovo porodično stablo inače dolazi iz potpuno anti-novotalasovskih korena-njegov otac je Jacques Remy, scenarista koji se upravo bavio kinematografijom protiv koje su novotalasovsci uspeli.

Assayas u svom film L'EAU FROIDE uspeva da učini nešto što naizgled deluje dosta jednostavno a to je oživljavanje novotalasovskih rediteljskih manirizama na tragu ranog Godarda po stilu i ranog Truffauta po temi, ali primenjenim na priču koja evocira uspomenu na njegovu adolescenciju. Film je smešten u 1972. i deo je grupe filmova koji su bili koncipirani kao dela reditelja insipirisana njihovom mladošću. Ono što je međutim dragoceno u ovom Assayasovom filmu jeste to što pored manirizma novotalasovaca uspeva da rekreira i njihovu energiju i L'EAU FROIDE ima onu viruletnost koju su nosili i njegovi uzori. Sasvim je sigurno da ovaj film ima snagu da stilski odredi nekog mlađeg, labilnijeg wannabe filmmakera i to je najznačajnija dimenzija assayasovog postupka ovde.

Njegov prikaz mladosti je pre svega baziran na ideji da je mladost skup nekonsekventnih postupaka, neuroza i iluzija, a odnos između mladih i starih, odnosno između pobunjenika i establišmenta je zapravo odnos između dve generacije podjednako zbunjenih i izgubljenih ljudi koji nisu sposobni da reše bilo šta ali su neki među njima na poziciji da donose odluke. U tom smislu, Assayas prikazuje jedan svet baziran na entropiji gde je deo junaka pobunjen a drugi deo je naprosto umoran.

Jedan od zadataka postavljenih pred reditelje bio je da u filmu mora biti scena žurke tako da je ima i kod Assayasa. Soundtrack je prilično raskošan sa dosta skupih klasika a ako imamo u vidu da je film smešten u 1972,. godinu rekao bih da možda ima i nekih anahronizama.

Glavnu junakinju igra Virginie Ledoyen, genetski modifikovana glumica stvorena kako bi meni približila francuski film. Ovo joj je prva ali ne i poslednja saradnja sa Assayasom i zaista je ubedljiva kao i njen partner Cyprien Fouquet.

Denis Lenoir je odlično ispratio Assayasovu zamisao u ulozi DPa i L'EAU FROIDE je u svakom smislu jedan nadahnut i vešto realizovan film čiji blagi utisak nezaokruženosti proističe iz preplitanja stila i teme, odnosno zato što poenkad tema ovog filma postaje sam stil.

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Pogledao sam povratničku režiju Yuen Woo Pinga TRUE LEGEND. Meni je Yuen Woo Ping jedan od najdražih, ako ne i najdraži hongkonški reditelj. Iako naravno ne spadaju svi filmovi u njegov kanonski opus tipa TIGER CAGE ili IN THE LINE OF DUTY, ono što volim je stvarno klasika i pokazuje da je on nesporno najbolji koreograf među Yuenima. DRUNKEN MASTER, IRON MONKEY a naročito TAI CHI MASTER spadaju ne samo u vrhunac njegovog opusa već stoje i kao najbitnije tačke glumaca koji su u njima igrali.

Nažalost, u novom filmu Yuen Woo Ping pokazuje da luta. Godine rada na poslu akcionog koreografa učinile su da malo izgubi rediteljski edge. Ranije je pored akcije, Woo Ping odlično vodio priču, o okvirima onoga što su zahtevi žanra. Uostalom pogledajmo TAI CHI. Sada međutim, u ovom talasu renesanse HK filma, Yuen ne uspeva da nađe ono po čemu se ranije izdvajao. U izvesnom smislu Yuen Woo Pinga je iskvario Zapad. I to ne samo u smislu pokušaja da približi HK film zapadnoj publici. Štaviše, TRUE LEGEND ima manji potencijal crossovera nego ikada. Problem je u tome što on primenjuje neke stvari koje je pokupio sa Zapada u lokalnim filmovima koji nemaju puno perspektive van matičnog tržišta u Kini.

Prvo, TRUE LEGEND je neopravdano ambiciozan na nivou priče. Yuen Woo Ping nudi tri filma, ili barem dva filma u jednom. Od ta dva, barem jedan, to jest samo razrešenje priče na borilčačkom turniru je apsolutni višak jer se ne bavi onim što je osnovna tema filma niti postavka karaktera. Svakako da su izvesni motivi u tom razrešenju proistekli iz tog središnjeg dela, ali oni sugerišu jednu epsku strukturu koju sama priča ne zaslužuje.

Glumačka podela je lokalna, bez ikakve mogućnosti crossovera. Meni kao nekome ko ipak poznaje HK film ali ne može da pobegne od problema nerazlikovanja azijskih glumaca, ovaj naslov nije bio tegoba. Junaci su kastovani tako da se razlikuju, međutim, glumci su potpuno lišeni harizme. U zanemarljivo maloj ulozi pojavljuje se Michelle Yeoh.

Ono što je najzanimljivije na nivou reference jeste Yuen Woo Pingova polemika sa KILL BILLom. Ne samo da se u maloj ulozi negativca pojavljuje David Carradine već i Gordon Liu igra rolu vrlo sličnu Pei Meiju. Inače, Yuen Woo Ping je bio koreograf borbi u KILL BILLu i izvorno je razmatran da igra Pei Meija.

Pored toga, film nudi sličnu priču o osveti i rehabilitaciji povređenog junaka, tehniku Five Deadly Venoms i živosahranjivanje junakinje.

Ono što je možda najveći letdown su borbe. Yuen Woo Ping je doveo wirework do ovoga što je on danas, i tu mi wirework sam po sebi ne smeta. Međutim, ovde je zaista prevelik spoj CGIja sa wireworkom, a čak su i čitavi setovi CGI tako da se izgubio onaj stari utuisak da u tim borbama ima istinske akrobatike i čisto filmskih trikova sa kamerom i montažom. CGI sve to obesmišljava i čini se da umesto proširi horizont Yuenovih zahvata on ih sužava.

Tako se TRUE LEGEND svodi na sećanje na neke mnogo bolje filmove čiji se duh povremeno oseti u ponekoj situaciji, ali to ipak nije dovoljno od jednog takvog reditelja kao što je Yuen Woo Ping.

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A 20th Century Fox release of an Edward R. Pressman production in association with Dune Entertainment. Produced by Pressman, Eric Kopeloff. Executive producers, Celia Costas, Alex Young, Alessandro Camon. Directed by Oliver Stone. Screenplay, Allan Loeb, Stephen Schiff, based on characters created by Stanley Weiser, Stone.

Gordon Gekko - Michael Douglas
Jake Moore - Shia LaBeouf
Bretton James - Josh Brolin
Winnie Gekko - Carey Mulligan
Julie Steinhardt - Eli Wallach
Jake's Mother - Susan Sarandon
Louis Zabel - Frank Langella

"Is greed good?" muses Michael Douglas in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," and one can't help but wonder in return: Has Gordon Gekko gone soft? The answer is, sort of -- a development that takes some of the bite out of Oliver Stone's shrewdly opportunistic, glibly entertaining sequel, which offers another surface-skimming peek inside the power corridors of global finance, this time during the 2008 economic crisis. Still, the chance to see Douglas reprise his seminal role is sure to stimulate interest among the original's many fans, giving Fox's Sept. 24 release a shot at bullish returns in most markets.

Intended as a cautionary tale on the pitfalls of unchecked ambition and greed, Stone's 1987 original instead had the effect of turning Douglas' hugely charismatic (and Oscar-winning) villain into a household name and boardroom icon -- an inspiration to the very power players and Wall Street wannabes for whom he set such a terrible example. But the intervening years, particularly the past decade, have given us no shortage of real-life wake-up calls -- from Enron and Bernie Madoff to the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression -- and Stone, to his credit, takes a less finger-wagging approach this time around, trusting audiences to feel sufficiently chastened going in.

Stone also seems well aware that the last thing most moviegoers want is a depressing dramatization or comprehensive overview of what has become a grim everyday reality. Thus, one tycoon's suicide by subway train notwithstanding, the overall mood is brisk, light, even playful. Scribes Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff have taken care to distill complex economic concepts into terms a non-finance major can keep up with (illustrated by a few too many zippy graphics, split-screen montages and shots of the Gotham skyline), all the while supplying Gekko with a steady stream of barbed aphorisms to chew on and spit out for his and the viewer's delectation.

The opening scene finds Gekko being released from federal prison, having served eight years for corporate malfeasance. Unshaven and virtually penniless, the dispirited icon disappears for the first half-hour as the film leaps forward seven years to introduce whip-smart Manhattan go-getter Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf). Unlike Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox, Jake has already made his first million as a trader for Keller Zabel Investments, run by his gruffly affectionate mentor, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella). But Jake, the film takes pains to note, is a good liberal at heart; his real passion is alternative energy, and he has a steady relationship with left-leaning blogger Winnie (Carey Mulligan), who conveniently happens to be Gekko's daughter.

Casually dropping terms such as "speculation" and "leveraged debt," along with frequent references to the plummeting housing market, the film establishes the initial signs of unrest as Keller Zabel, whose stock price has plunged amid rumors of massive debt, is swiftly taken over by Zabel's bitter rival, billionaire raider Bretton James (Josh Brolin). Devastated and yearning for payback, Jake gets his shot when Bretton, seeing the young man's talent potential, offers him a job at his firm, whose partners include Julie Steinhardt (Eli Wallach), a fount of wisdom old enough to have lived through the Depression.

To leverage his position, Jake does some personal insider trading of his own with Gekko, who gives Jake crafty advice in return for access to Winnie, who has never forgiven her father's crimes. It's a setup for a keen investigation of what happens when the professional gets in bed with the personal -- a new definition of "moral hazard" -- and Jake finds himself in over his head as he exploits both the market and the media in the interests of petty revenge.

LaBeouf (who, between this and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," seems to be the new poster boy for franchise renewals) looks even more boyish than Sheen did, and while he talks a good line, he's less assured when called upon to shed earnest tears, which is often. Mulligan does better, bringing solid reserves of emotion to a role that at times threatens to tip over into sanctimony, and her eventual heart-to-heart with Douglas, breaking years of angry silence, is surprisingly wrenching stuff.

Like the first film, "Money Never Sleeps" deploys Douglas sparingly, which has the desired effect -- when he's not onscreen, you wish he were -- but also keeps the actor from giving the sort of fully rounded characterization he did in the recent indie "Solitary Man," in which he also played a smooth talker in search of redemption. Older, grayer and perhaps a touch less snakelike, Douglas is still insinuatingly good, and his performance lays the groundwork for the film's one spectacularly cynical twist -- one that proves too much for the film's crowd-pleasing instincts to bear. Suffice it to say that, in dramatic terms, Stone winds up bailing out his characters.

Still, after his attempts to branch out slightly with "World Trade Center" and "W.," "Money Never Sleeps" finds Stone at ease in a way he hasn't been in years, his camera moving assuredly from high-powered charity banquets to the Federal Reserve Board's inner chambers to de rigueur shots of the trading-room floor. Tech package is polished all around, although the editing -- mixing in fades, dissolves, iris shots and other retro transitions -- seems a bit over-caffeinated. In a nod to the 1987 film, songs by David Byrne and Brian Eno fill out the soundtrack.

Camera (Deluxe color, widescreen), Rodrigo Prieto; editors, Julie Monroe, David Brenner; music, Craig Armstrong; production designer, Kristi Zea; art director, Paul D. Kelly; set decorator, Diane Lederman; costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick; sound (Dolby/DTS), Tod A. Maitland; supervising sound editor, Wylie Stateman; re-recording mixers, Scott Millan, Michael Keller; visual effects supervisor, Paul Graff; visual effects, Crazy Horse Effects, Look Effects, G. Creative Solutions, With a Twist; stunt coordinators, George A. Aguilar, Stephen Pope; assistant director, Adrian Grunberg; second unit director, Antoine Douaihy; second unit camera, Patrick Capone; casting, Sarah Halley Finn, Kathleen Chopin. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (noncompeting), May 14, 2010. Running time: 130 MIN.


With: Austin Pendleton, Sylvia Miles, John Bedford Lloyd, Vanessa Ferlito, John Buffalo Mailer, Jason Clarke, Oliver Stone, Charlie Sheen.

Film Reviews
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps -- Film Review
By Kirk Honeycutt, May 14, 2010 08:23 ET
"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
Bottom Line: One of the better sequels in a long time.
CANNES -- Oliver Stone's 1987 film "Wall Street" took viewers into an exotic world. Those were the days when financial news occupied the gray back pages of newspapers. Suddenly, here was a movie about banking that looked like a thriller -- traders talked a mile a minute, brokers did deals between gulps of coffee, millions of dollars moved in the twinkling of an eye, people talked on cell phones (albeit the size of a brick), and men could change destiny through insider trading. You also learned that, in the by-now iconic phrase uttered by its anti-hero, Gordon Gekko, "greed is good."

Stone returns to this world in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," but there's nothing exotic about it anymore. It's featured on the nightly news in every unemployment statistic and freshly announced corporate downsizing. The bank bailout debate still rages, and arrogant banking kingpins looks less like anti-heroes than out-and-out villains.

So Stone and his savvy writers, Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff, have crafted a tale that takes advantage of viewer's newfound knowledge and cynicism. At its heart is a pair of good young people wanting to put money into green energy while all around them there revolves, like an evil planetary system, gravitational forces that know only unregulated (in every sense of the word) chicanery.

More Cannes coverage    
Thus "Money Never Sleeps" is that rare sequel that took its time -- 23 years -- so it not only advances a story but also has something new to say. The film overheats now and then but blame this on filmmaking passion. One senses a fully engaged filmmaker at the helm, driving the movie at a lightning pace as if in a hurry to get to the next scene or next aphorism that further illuminates this dark world.

How audiences will react to revelations that may no longer be revelations is hard to say. But Stone has cast his movie well with Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan to attract younger viewers while Michael Douglas' return as Gekko can't help being a major lure.

Wisely, Gekko becomes a subplot. While the opening sequence details his release from prison in 2001, along with some good jokes about that ancient cell phone and the limo that pulls up being for a rapper not him, the story settles quickly on a young proprietary trader Jake Moore (LaBeouf), who just happens to be in love with Winnie Gekko (Mulligan), Gordon's estranged daughter.

The focus thus shifts to the pre-2008 bubble, where Jake gets caught off-guard by a meltdown in his own investment banking firm. Its head and his mentor (Frank Langella) takes a huge fall when a governmental bail-out never materializes and an old nemesis, Bretton James (Brolin), a partner in a rival bank, pounces on the firm like a vulture smelling carrion.

Jake finds a small way to get revenge for his old boss, which catches James' attention. Rather than settle the score, James offers Jake a job. Which only postpones Jake's determination to avenge his mentor.

Meanwhile Jake takes in a lecture by Gekko, who is promoting his new book, "Is Greed Good?" Jake approaches the author and offers to help facilitate a rapprochement between father and daughter. Gekko agrees but, as is his nature, plays things cagey.

About Town gallery    
So a story about the new Wall Street gets entwined with one about Gekko struggling to rehabilitate his image and regain respect in financial circles. Prison hasn't softened Gekko up but it has perhaps sharpened his moral perceptions.

Looking at the new Wall Street, he remarks, "I was small time compared to these crooks." His book anticipates the meltdown but -- shades of the old Gekko -- he wishes he had $100 million to take advantage of it.

Can you win two Oscars playing the same role? An actor rarely gets the opportunity to revive a breakthrough role in a way that allows him to rethink the character in terms of changes time has wrought and to reflect on where fatal flaws once lay. Douglas does this brilliantly.

He does so by carrying on with a character very reminiscent of the original, with the same mannerisms and slicked-back hair, but instead of a defiant, cocky pirate, he is now a man with patience, one willing to wait for the opportunity to strike and to put family first -- if it can be arranged on his terms.

LaBeouf nicely balances his character's idealism with cold-eyed pragmatism. He gets the earnestness but also the steely determination.

Mulligan and Brolin deliver extremely strong supporting roles with attention-grabbing characters that could star in other movies.

Veterans Eli Wallach, Susan Sarandon and, of course, Langella make vivid impressions with their screen time.

Stone gets too fancy here and there. He and his "Alexander" cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto swoop the camera around Manhattan as if it were attached to a bird. A heavy reliance on multiple screens, graphics and digital tricks makes it feel like you're watching CNN with all its computer-screen busy-ness.

This often distracts from what the characters are saying. With most movies, this may not be a bad idea, but the dialogue here is so forceful you want to savor every zinger.

Venue: Festival de Cannes -- Out of Competition
20th Century Fox
Production companies: An Edward Pressman production
Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Eli Wallach, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella
Director: Oliver Stone
Screenwriters: Allan Loeb, Stephen Schiff
Based on characters created by: Stanley Weiser, Oliver Stone
Producer: Edward Pressman, Eric Kopeloff
Executive producers: Alessandro Camon, Alex Young, Celia Costas
Director of photography: Rodrigo Prieto
Production designer: Kristi Zea
Music: Craig Armstrong
Costume designer: Ellen Mirojnick
Editors: David Brenner, Julie Monroe
PG-13, 131 minutes

The world financial markets may well be in freefall, but according to Oliver Stone's slickly stylish sequel to his successful financial film Wall Street 'money never sleeps'. Quite what that actually means is never overly clear, but the wheeler-dealer, champagne-guzzling lifestyle of the world's financial whizkids still makes the perfect backdrop for engrossing drama.

    Oliver Stone directs with a suitably slick style.

In the original film - made 22 years ago - Michael Douglas was at his charismatic best as Gordon Gekko, the cigar-chomping money mogul who spouted slogans - "greed is good" and "lunch is for wimps" - while making millions before breakfast.

This glossy and well-cast sequel sees Gekko released from prison (he was sent down for insider dealing and a series of other dodgy financial naughtiness) and reinventing himself as an author (his bestseller is unsurprisingly titled Is Greed Good?) and still eyeing opportunities to re-insert himself amongst the big beasts of Wall Street.

The film - screening Out of Competition at Cannes and bringing with it a welcome dose of Hollywood glamour - is likely to be a strong early Fall performer for Twentieth Fox, with the smart balance between Michael Douglas and the original movie

The film opens in 2001 with Gordon Gekko having served his time and released back onto the streets, allowing an early big laugh as he is handed back his massively clunky old-fashioned mobile phone. It may well have featured on the trailer, but it is still a funny scene.

Fast forward eight years and no longer the king of Wall Street, Gekko - longhaired and no longer sporting his signature red braces (blessedly Wall Street fashions have moved on since then) - is touting himself as an author.

Meanwhile his daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan) is running a campaigning website while her market trader boyfriend Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) is making money at venerable Keller Zabel Investments, run by his mentor Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), while also trying to find investment for a green energy project.

When rumours that Keller Zabel is saddled with billions in toxic debt, Bretton James (Josh Brolin), a partner at a rival investment bank, forces pressure onto his rival, with Louis Zabel eventually deciding to take his own life rather than face the collapse of his company.

Jake initially gets to know Gekko in the hope he can re-unite him with Winnie, but after the Zabel collapse he starts to take his advice on how to take revenge on Bretton James. Winnie warns him not to trust Gekko, but Jake is increasingly confident about his abilities to read both people and the markets.

The closer Jake becomes to Gekko the more Winnie gets upset, and as the financial markets start to collapse around them Gekko takes his chance to force his way in amongst the big beasts of the financial world. But he has to decide if will lose all chance of rebuilding a relationship with Winnie in his single-minded pursuit of money.

Michael Douglas slips in and out of the film, offering up more than a few memorable quotes in an attempt to rival the first film for classic lines (we get "getting old is for sissies" and "money is a she - a bitch that never sleeps"), but at heart this film is about the new green-minded generation up against the suit-wearing traders, with Shia LaBeouf mature and confidently impressive as the good-hearted trader.

Douglas knows how to control his screen time and is nicely shark-eyed as conniving and controlling Gekko. Frank Langella is terrific as the charismatic fading banker, while Josh Brolin (who starred as George Bush in Oliver Stone's last film W) is suitably oily but hardly villainous.

Of greater shame is that the delightfully elfin Carey Mulligan is never given enough to do, with Michael Douglas over-powering the handful of scenes she has with him. Her character is a rather bland blog-warrior with a nice line in clothes, but it would have been nice to have seen more feistiness from her.

Oliver Stone directs with a suitably slick style, making great use of his New York locations and not afraid to throw in an obvious linking shot (scenes of kids blowing bubbles in Central Park cues up the bursting of the financial bubble) and also gives himself a couple of cameo scenes. Running well over two hours, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps lacks a real sense of dramatic urgency, but one can't deny its polish and poise.

Cannes Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

by Joe Utichi May 14th 2010 // 12:02PM

Filed under: Cannes, Theatrical Reviews, Festival Reports


It's been 23 years since Oliver Stone delivered the first Wall Street and introduced the world to the bad guy most traders these days seem to have taken inspiration from, but it's been a worthy wait. At the Cannes premiere of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps one thing is certain: Gordon Gekko is back.

Released from prison 7 years prior to the beginning of our story, Gekko (Michael Douglas) is a changed man. Unable to get back into his old game and estranged from his daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan) he's totally broken, and it's not until long into the film, when his actions change the game, that he's once again familiar to us.

And, in fact, after the brief prologue which appears in the trailer, Gekko doesn't actually arrive on screen until the 30-40 minute mark, though he's teased at, like the shark in Jaws, every so often. Instead the story picks up with Shia LaBeouf's character, Jacob, a promising young trader dating Gekko's daughter whose job is destroyed when the investment bank he works for collapses, along with his boss and longtime mentor Lewis Zabel (Frank Langella).

It's through his relationship with Winnie that Jacob meets Gekko and, much like he did with Bud Fox in the original, he takes the young trader under his wing. Of course nothing's so simple with Gordon Gekko, and so the film begins to twist and turn, especially with the introduction of corrupt fat cat Bretton James (Josh Brolin).

It's clear Stone injects plenty of personal politics into the film, and it sets itself against real headlines in 2008. But nevertheless, the story is too compelling for that ever to become too jarring, and actually it's clear that setting the story in this world provides justification to deliver the sequel at all. The markets are a changed place, for better and for worse, and it's interesting watching these characters - some old, some new - interact with that world.

Stone's tone is probably a little off kilter with what most might expect – this isn't a case of more of the same – and there are a few knowing cameos (including Graydon Carter and Stone himself) that distract just a little. A one-scene appearance from Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) provides a nice continuity with the original, and it's fantastic to witness his first encounter with Gekko since that fateful scene in Central Park.

Douglas is in fine form and slips comfortably back into Gekko's skin, while his interactions with Shia LaBeouf's Jacob are just totally gripping. LaBeouf acquits himself well, too, in a performance a good deal less overstated than we've seen from him in the past.

But most impressive, given how much of the original relied solely on getting to know Fox and Gekko, is that the supporting characters are all fully-formed and integral to the story in one way or another. Brolin might be the foil for Gekko, who's more the hero this time than he was last, but there are plenty of shades of grey for both men, and Bretton James is far from a one-note villain.

Carey Mulligan continues to prove herself as one of Britain's greatest young actors. As Winnie Gekko, she nails the emotion of her character perfectly. And even though Susan Sarandon appears only two or three times as Jacob's mother, her subplot neither outstays its welcome nor is too underdeveloped.

Few could have expected much from Wall Street 2, particularly judging recent form from both Stone and Douglas and the introduction of a new cast of characters. The original is a tough film to live up to, but Money Never Sleeps does exactly that, striking an original direction and proving to be a masterful companion piece.

We didn't need to know what Gordon did next, but Wall Street 2 makes us glad we do.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

May 14, 2010 05:59 PM by Pete Hammond
4.0 stars
4.0 dollars

Today, greed is unironically bad, but this movie is great

moneyneversleepsreview.pngWith the woes of Wall Street constantly in the headlines, Oliver Stone could not have picked a better time to reignite Wall Street. The 1987 original starred Charlie Sheen (who has an amusing cameo in this version) as the hotshot protégé of Michael Douglas in his Oscar winning turn as the slippery and shrewd stock wizard, Gordon Gekko. In this revamp, Gekko turns up harried and grayer but still hunting for a way back into the "game" after serving 23 years in prison for his bad trading habits. He's now gotten involved with another young hotshot (Shia LaBeouf), who happens to be engaged to Gekko's estranged daughter. Combining a strong family story with Stone's precise and knowledgeable insights about the way the finance industry works-or doesn't work, as the case may be-this 2010 update is worth its weight in gold futures and should help 20th Century Fox's stock rise when it's released on September 23rd, a full 4 months after this week's splashy debut as an out of competition entry at the Cannes Film Festival. Box office should be brisk and prospects assured on DVD, where this crafty follow-up will be essential back-to-back viewing with the original to see how far we haven't really come.

Much like Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money (1986), which updated Paul Newman's Fast Eddie Felson character from the 1961 film The Hustler, Stone and his screenwriters Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff are skillfully using the long period between original and sequel to allow the "reformed" veteran to show the ropes to the eager young player before letting that old itch to be back in the "game" take over.

This version opens with Gekko freed from prison, alone and broke with basically just an Edsel-old cell phone that's (comically) returned to him on his release. He's estranged from his daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), who wants nothing to do with him, and in fact blames her father for the drug overdose death of her brother (it's an eerily uncomfortable connection to Douglas' own real life situation with son Cameron). Despite her disdain for Wall Street, she is engaged to idealistic investment banker Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) who is being mentored by an old lion investment firm head, Louis Zabel (Frank Langella). When tragedy strikes and Zabel's firm collapses, arrogant Wall Street manipulator, Bretton James (Josh Brolin) buys the firm for virtually nothing and recruits the promising Jake, who wrongly sees this as a chance to show his stuff. Jake tries to assist some reconciliation between Winnie and her dad but actually ends up covertly teaming up with Gekko, who has written a best selling expose of Wall Street and spends most of his time giving lectures or attending his book signings. Through Jake, Gordon sees a way in against his nemesis James ("You stop telling lies about me and I'll stop telling the truth about you," Gekko memorably utters to the hard-nosed trader). Jake makes some bad decisions that power the second half of the film, during which Douglas' character becomes a lethal player once more, forsaking whatever familial ties that bind.

Brilliantly cast, Wall Street 2 is a crackerjack powerhouse of a movie that shines a light on the financial machinations described by Warren Buffet as "an economic Pearl Harbor." Douglas is once again superb, getting most of his action in the last hour but not losing any of the luster of his Oscar-winning role. LaBeouf is solid and engaging and Mulligan is wonderful as the moral center of the movie. Brolin is great but not overbearing as the main villain of the piece and Susan Sarandon has some nice, if brief, scenes as Jake's money-grubbing mom. Langella proves integral in the first part of the film while another veteran, 93 year old Eli Wallach playing a feisty company patriarch, steals every scene he's in.

Stone's surprisingly vital revisit to his hit 1987 movie only really falters right at the end, when it appears to succumb more to old Hollywood conventions than to Wall Street's. But like the key characters in the film it still leaves us wanting more.

Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella and Eli Wallach
Director: Oliver Stone
Screenwriters: Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff
Producers: Edward R. Pressman, Eric Kopeloff, Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and thematic elements.
Running time: 131 min.
Release date: September 23, 2010

Pogledao sam BLACK GUNN Robert Hartford-Davisa, blaxploitation film koji je režirao Britanac, belac, do tada dokazan pre svega u žanru horora. Kao što sam već ranije naglasio, Jim Brown je meni najdraži blaxploitation glumac i u ovom filmu on ima priliku da u svoju filmografiju ubroji još jedan stylish naslov sa britanskim pečatom.

1968. godine, Brown je igrao u krimiću THE SPLIT Gordona Flemynga, takođe Britanca, po romanu Donalda Westlakea odnosno Richarda Starka. BLACK GUNN je drugačiji film utoliko što THE SPLIT nije bio blaxpoitation a GUNN jeste,

Sva Blaxploitation obeležja su tu. Jim Brown je potpuni uber-mensch, superioran u svakom smislu, od virilnosti do tanatosa. Zatim, sukob je sa the Manom, belcem zlih namera koji radi za Organization - belo kriminalno udruženje izrazito rasističkog stava. Konačno, leža glavnom junako čuvaju crni militanti. Black Action Group je jasna parafraza Black Panthersa. Iako se glavni junak sa njima u načelu slaže ideološki, ne opravdava njihov način borbe sve dok ne dođe u fazu totalne osvete.

Hartford-Davis kao belac ima dovoljnoi mere u dopuštanju crnim likovima da džajvuju u čemu crni velikani blaxploitationa poput Gordan Parks Jra. nisu imali mere. Glumačka podela je izvanredna, pošto The Mana igra Martin Landau a vođu B.A.G. Bernie Casey.

Hartford-Davis donosi dosta sjajnih rediteljskih rešenja iz svog evropskog i horor backgrounda tako da BLACK GUNN ima vrlo lepo realizovano akcione set-pieceove sa dosta upotrebe subjektivnih planova, širokougaonih objektiva i karakteristično svetle boje krvi svojestvene 70s exploitationu.

Paradoksalno, literatura ne prepoznaje BLACK GUNN kao bitan blaxploitation naslov a smatra ga prosečnim ostvarenjem, ali ja ne bih pre rekao da je reč o potcenjenom filmu koji ne odstupa od formule ali je zato sprovodi izuzetno dobro.

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Pogledao sam AFTER DARKNESS Sergio Guerraza i Dominique Othenin-Gerarda. Reč je o jednom od retkih filmova Johna Hurta i Juliana Sandsa o kojima praktično nema kritika. Po IMDB profilu naslutilo bi se da je reč o nekom exploitation hororu snimljenom u Španiji, međutim reč je o filmu koji je u suštini psihološka drama u kojoj se elementi horora javljaju isključivo na planu vizuelnih rešenja i kadriranja. Film je vrlo atmosferičan sa dosta subjektivnih planova i pokreta kamere svojstvenim za argentovski i depalmijanski horor.

Sama priča je posvećena dvojici braće Britanaca u Španiji od kojih je jedan hospitalizovan u ludnici a drugi pokušava da mu pomogne tako što će ga sam lečiti. Kako film odmiče tako ludilo počinje da se širi, ne samo među junacima već i u strukturi filma, ali, na sreću ili ne sreću, ne zahvata gledaoca tako da film postaje prično nerazumljiv.

Hurt i Sands su očekivano odlični. Sandsu prirodno sjajno leži uloga ludaka. Victoria Abril glumi ali se ne ističe i deluje kao silom dodati španski element.

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Talking about the "Wall Street" sequel at the Cannes Film Festival, director Oliver Stone says he's definitely open to doing another one.

When asked by Reuters, Stone said "Why not? We left it open at the end in a way on which we can hang a 'Wall Street 3. We'll have Gekko (Michael Douglas) back and maybe Josh Brolin, too"

Early reviews for the upcoming sequel are proving strong, the most frequent criticism focusing on the final act.

Pošten dečko:

Cannes 2010: Shia LaBeouf: We botched the last Indiana Jones
May 15, 2010 |  3:48 pm

Indianajon
The last time Shia LaBeouf came to Cannes, in 2008, it was to promote "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the revival of the swashbuckling adventure franchise that went on to earn a whopping $787 million around the world. LaBeouf is back on the Croisette this weekend to flog "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," another revival of a classic from several decades ago. But he's not willing to forget about what he says were rampant problems with Indy 4 -- and he doesn't expect fans to, either.
"I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished," LaBeouf said, explaining that this upped the ante for him before he began shooting the "Wall Street" sequel. "If I was going to do it twice, my career was over. So this was fight-or-flight for me."

Meeting with reporters Saturday on a terrace at the Hotel du Cap, he had some strong, confessional words about his acting in the film, which he said he felt didn't convince anyone that he was the action hero the movie claimed him to be. "You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg, who directed]. But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple."

LaBeouf said that he could have kept quiet, especially given the movie's blockbuster status, but didn't think the film had fooled anyone. "I think the audience is pretty intelligent. I think they know when you've made ... . And I think if you don't acknowledge it, then why do they trust you the next time you're promoting a movie." LaBeouf went on to say he wasn't the only star on the film who felt that way. "We [Harrison Ford and LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted."

LaBeouf added, "We need to be able to satiate the appetite," he said. "I think we just misinterpreted what we were trying to satiate."

Asked whether this was difficult to say, given his deep relationship with Spielberg, LaBeouf continued with the directness.

"I'll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I'm not out of line. And I would never disrespect the man. I think he's a genius, and he's given me my whole life. He's done so much great work that there's no need for him to feel vulnerable about one film. But when you drop the ball you drop the ball."

Interviewing LaBeouf is a unique experience. It's nearly impossible not to like the 23-year-old, who carries an honesty and a winning sincerity that endears him to you despite, or because of, his mispronunciation of words such as "schoolastic" and "hyperboil" (as though the word for exaggeration connotes a manic skin blemish). He's refreshingly honest, apparently engaged with subjects far beyond movies and willing to throw out whatever playbook his publicists no doubt beg him to use.

He's also relentlessly intense and unfailingly earnest, taking every question hyper-seriously. When asked whether shooting "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" gave him some insight on what was wrong with our financial system, he said this, with exactly no interruptions:
"You can make the marketplace more transparent. If people had known who was paying for the mortgages instead of having to rely on Moody's triple-A (bull) rating -- transparency would have helped. The triple A rating thing is ridiculous. That's like Oliver [Stone] paying you for a review. The people who were bundling this toxic crap were paying Moody's for the review of their crap. That's ridiculous. You can't have bank holding companies acting as hedge funds. You can't have them taking a million-dollar pension plan for Joe Schmo the bus driver and treat it with the same risk appetite that you treat George Soros' pocket money. It's fundamentally ridiculous. And it hasn't gotten better very recently, actually. They went from bundling mortgages that were crap to bundling life insurance policies and betting on people's deaths. And you can't blame it all on the Street.... People's mentality needs to change. If the Greece contagion thing takes off and it goes from Spain to Ireland to Portugal things are going to change drastically for the world. Soup kitchens, it won't be that type of change. You won't get a depression that way. But it'll be very difficult. I think, my generation, it's hard to have hope when you got a $700-trillion derivatives debt to pay and a bubble about to explode and $500 trillion worth of GDP. You took all the money in  the world and put it in a pot, you're $200 trillion short. It's scary, man. You know the average person born today owes $8,000? The average person getting out of college owes $75,000 with no job. I mean it's scary. My generation, it's a scary situation."

If only some of that energy had come through in the last Indiana Jones.

-- Steven Zeitchik, reporting from Cannes, France

Pogledao sam THE RISE AND FALL OF LEGS DIAMOND Budda Boettichera, gangsterski film iz 1960. godine sa kojim je Warner Bros želeo da se malo vrati na teren žanra u kome je bio jako uspešan tokom tridesetih i četrdesetih.

Boetticher je poznat po svojim klasičnim vesternima i vrlo je zanimljivo kako se snalazi u uslovima urbanog gangsterskog filma. U urbanom miljeu, njegov rediteljski postupak je i dalje jasan i sveden, reklo bi se da je za nijansu slabiji u savladavanju drugog plana i stvaranju ubedljive atmosfere rekonstrukcije epohe. U izvesnom smislu svet u kome se dešava njegov film deluje blago artificijelno, reklo bi se čak i arhaično, iako objektivno gledano, filmovi tog tipa, dakle crno-beli filmovi B-profila tog perioda manje više izgledaju tako. Ipak, reklo bi se da se u tom periodu, u koloru i u drugim žanrovima naprosto dešavaju uzbudljivije stvari.

1957. godine, Don Siegel je snimio BABY FACE NELSONa u kome su se direktno preplitali eros i tanatos, kriminal i seksualna tenzija a LEGS DIMANOND je produžetak te energične linije.

Boetticherov film ima paklen tempo i slično sociopati u centru Siegelovog filma kog igra Mickey Rooney, i Budd pravi vrlo kompleksan lik Legsa Diamonda koji je istovremeno bolesno ambiciozan, podmukao, spreman na svaku vrstu zloupotrebe da bi došao do cilja ali i impozantno usamljen u svojoj borbi što je u suštni i jedina kopča preko koje se gledalac može identifikovati sa njim. Ray Danton koji igra Diamonda i koji nije velika zvezda, vrlo dobro uspeva da spoji simpatičnu spoljašnjost i neizlečivu ambiciju svog junaka. Danton upravo zbog odsustva neke prepoznatljive magnetičnosti jer se u svojoj karijeri nije nametnuo kao prava zvezda i pozitivac uspeva da plasira tu ambivalentnost lika.

U tom smislu, iako gledalac tokom filma uspeva da razvije određenu simpartiju za Legsa Diamonda, kada se sve uzme u obzir Boetticherov film je daleko od sentimentalnog prikaza gangsterskog života.

Sasvim je sigurno da LEGS DIAMOND u svoje vreme nije bio naročito bitan naslov u filmskim tokovima jer su se tada već dešavale neke druge stvari u kinematografiji. Ali, sada, 50 godina kasnije, stoji kao značajan film značajnog autora iz koga štošta može da se nauči.

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Nepoželjna Bigelow

Sledeći film oskarovke Kathryn Bigelow radnog naslova Triple Frontier, o oblasti tromeđe Paragvaja, Argentine i Brazila poznatoj po krijumčarenju droge i oružja, ne nailazi na podršku kod predstavnika vlasti tih zemalja.

"Koliko će nas koštati da operemo sliku o nama posle toga? Bilo bi glupo da podržimo film", prokomentarisala za list La Nación ministarka za turizam Paragvaja, dodavši da bi loša reputacija negativno uticala na ekonomiju njene zemlje.

Njen argentinski kolega se slaže da postoji rizik od slabljenja turizma u najjačoj turističkoj regiji svih triju zemalja, oblasti Iguaçu, vodopada koji su među najvišim na svetu.

Sa druge strane, predstavnik gradskih vlasti u brazilskom Foz do Iguaçu je poručio rediteljki da može da računa na bilo koju vrstu pomoći.

Triple Frontier je zamišljen kao akcioni film o životu u pomenutoj oblasti.

Novinar Mark Boal, scenarista The Hurt Lockera će uraditi scenario i za Triple Frontier.

Prema tvrdnjama američkih vlasti, grad Ciudad del Este u Paragvaju, sa brojnom arapskom zajednicom je centar grupa koje finansiraju međunarodne terorističke organizacije.

May 15, 2010
Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Kate Muir, Cannes

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131 minutes

Gordon Gekko, the venal king of Wall Street, is back with this simple message: "I once said greed is good... but now it seems it's legal." In this sequel, Gekko has been released after eight years in jail for financial fiddling and has gone from trading oil to selling snake oil, in the form of a self-help book, Is Greed Good?

Michael Douglas reprises the role that brought him an Oscar after he encapsulated the Eighties in three words. Now the director Oliver Stone is taking another bite in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, which shows the financial markets in gruesome meltdown from 2008 onwards. With the joyous zeal of a convert, Gekko says that speculation is the root of all evil, and sums up the situation: "You're all pretty much f***ed."

The film centres on Jake Moore, played by Shia LaBeouf. He is a thrusting young trader at a bank suspiciously similar to Bear Stearns and his speciality is renewable energy deals. He has a beautiful girlfriend, Winnie, who runs a green news website, and is played by Carey Mulligan in pixie-Audrey Hepburn mode. Unfortunately, her second name is Gekko. She is Gordon's estranged daughter.
Related Links

    * Times Archive, 1970: Where greed is the creed

    * What it's really like at Cannes

    * My first day at Cannes

Jake's bank crashes and is bought out by Churchill Schwartz (a JP Morgan lookalike) for next to nothing, bringing Jake's mentor down with it. Soon Jake is working for Churchill Schwartz and looking for revenge. Gekko is there to help, in exchange for Jake arranging a rapprochement with Winnie. Jake goes into battle with the bank's head honcho, the hammily wicked Bretton James (Josh Brolin) — think of Simon Cowell, but handsome. James has the Goya painting Saturn Devouring His Son on his wall.

James and Jake have a traditional Masters of the Universe duel. They're helicoptered into New England in the autumn, put on tight black leathers and have a motorbike race through the (oddly empty) roads on big red and black Ducatis. Brrum, brrum. Then they have a fight. It's their schlong-song.

Soon James is swept up in the financial apocalypse too. As his bank crashes under the burden of toxic debt, he growls: "This is too big to fail." Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is under a similar weight of expectation and, for my money, the 1987 version is better.

Stone is trying far too hard to explain the inexplicable, and there are graphs on the New York skyline, falling dominoes, bursting bubbles and neon share prices beamed on to the streets. The financial dramas Enron and The Power of Yes struggled with number-boredom too. If you don't work in the financial sector, I suggest you take a crib sheet to the film explaining terms such as sub-prime mortgage-backed securities and credit default swaps.

You'll also need to know the basic principles of nuclear fusion-based seawater energy production.

Beneath the information overload there are some great performances, and Douglas is still terrific, though increasingly raddled. Gekko's hair precisely mirrors his mood, from scruffy to bouffant and then greasily slick. Mulligan is a natural, down-to-earth Winnie, and it's pleasing that Stone avoided the obvious actressy choices of those off-the-shelf American Jessicas (Biel, Alba etc). LaBeouf does a steady job, but there is something about him that says "airline attendant" to me. He lacks ballast.

I wonder how this will play with the generation that has not seen the original, and whether the drama works without the comic references to the past. But Wall Street 2 gets four stars for old time's sake — and for its music by David Byrne and Brian Eno, appropriately retro choices.

Wall Street - then and now

Then Gordon Gekko was a lone raider on Wall Street, devouring companies by the force of his personality alone

Now Finance is too global for one individual to dominate, as the new film's subtitle, Money Never Sleeps, hints

Then "Greed is good" was Wall Street's most famous slogan

Now Financiers say emollient things such as "only adequate remuneration will attract the best talent that can help the financial sector drive the economy forward"

Then The true yuppie could not live without a mobile phone the same size as his Filofax

Now The desperate need for constant connectivity has merely been slimmed down. While sending work e-mails on the BlackBerry with one hand, today's financier will be retweeting dirty jokes on his iPhone with the other. But he will look no less annoying

Then The route to the top chosen by a thrusting young Bud Fox was stockbroking

Now Stockbrokers give off the slightly staid air of the suburbs and the best and the brashest trade in complex derivatives

Then "Lunch is for wimps," Gekko declared, with the 1980s tycoon powering through the deals while the rest of us grazed

Now Most people's lunch breaks are no more than an "al desko" sandwich in front of the computer

Pogledao sam BEAR ISLAND Dona Sharpa, film po romanu Alistaira MacLeana. Ovaj naslov je neopravdano oklevetan. To ne znači da je naročito dobar, ali isto tako nije trebalo ni da bude ubrojan među mnogobrojne All-Star promašaje iz sedamdesetih jer to zaista nije.

MacLeanov roman je smešten na zanimljivu lokaciju, u polarne predele ostrva u Barencovom moru, među internacionalnu naučničku ekipu koja je to došla da bi proučavala klimatske promene da bi se ubrzo uspostavilo da sve nije onako kao što smo mislili odnosno da nije protivnik naučnik iz Varšavskog pakta koji želi da manipuliše rezultatima promena klime u korist SSSRa već da se sve vrti oko nekadašnje nemačke podmorničke baze iz doba Drugog svetskog rata.

Priča i dramske scene nisu jača strana ovog filma, iako su manje više korektne. Međutim, zato su scene akcije na snegu koje su brojne, zaista izvanredno zanimljive. Isto važi i za set-pieceove na vodi.

Glumačka ekipa deluje ne naročito inspirisano. Očigledno je da je Donald Sutherland lead koga u tom periodu zanima druga vrsta filma, a slično je i sa Vanessom Redgrave, međutim, svi oni su manje-više na nivou.

Zahvaljujući lokacijama i akciji, BEAR ISLAND ima smisla ali teško da ima razloga da ga gledaju oni koji nisu ljubitelji i kompletisti.

* * 1/2 / * * * *

Pogledao sam IRON MAN 2 Jon Favreaua i mogu reći da spadam među one kojima je bolji od keca. Prvo ovde nema te hipoteke origin storyja koji se odvija praktično odsečeno od same priče filma. Ovde je sve manje više u funkciji priče, jedne šire priče svakako ali i jedne celovite priče unutar filma. I dalje tu postoje neke stvari koje mi smetaju, to su pre svega neki tonal shifts ali mnogo ih je manje nego u prvom filmu i to je za svaku pohvalu.

Ono što mi suštinski smeta to je što Favreau nije uspeo u dva aspekta. I to oba važna.

Prvi važan je rediteljski postupak koji ne objedinjuje sve segmente filma već IRON MAN 2 nažalost deluje kao jedna celina u kojoj su razni set-pieceovi, svi uglavnom dobri, zašiveni međusobno. To je naravno, jako teško postići u ovoj vrsti filma i stilizacije, ali pravim majstorima to uspeva i nema tog počinjanja drugog filma kako se promeni situacija i potonjeg vraćanja u prvi film.

Drugi važan aspekt je sama IRON MAN akcija. Nažalost, u tom domenu Favreau po meni ima jednu pirovu pobedu. Uspeo je da napravi film u kome se govori o ljudima se metalnim egzoskeletima a da je zaista ljudski faktor dominantan i to je sjajno. Međutim, same mecche zapravo deluju suvišno u toj celini i one su, izuzev situacije u Monte Karlu, kada, upadljivo, Stark nije Iron Man, u suštini manje zanimljiv deo filma.

Drugi problem ovog krupnog problema je sama tehnička realizacija egzoskeleta. Naime, meni oni ni u jednoj situaciji ne deluju gvozdeno, ne deluju kao mehanika. U stvari deluju kao animacija, deluju besmisleno i nemaju neko fizičko svojstvo. Iako u AVATARu i DISTRICT 9 junaci rukuju realističnijim uređajima, koji vuku korene još iz ALIENSa, čini mi se da je i IRON MAN mogao da u sebe uklopi još malo te mehanike.

No, IRON MAN 2 iako ne postiže neke od kriterijuma da bude klasik, svakako jeste zabavan film u kome sam uživao u priličnoj meri.

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Još malo Popboksa u senci.

http://mislitemojomglavom.com/?p=862

Courtney/ Hole još stvaraju i neko/ ti to actually još sluša??? Život je stvarno pun iznenađenja!!

Poslušao sam zbog Corgana.

Dubina tvoje ljubavi se može meriti samo sa dubinom tvoje perverznosti. U to ime, oćemo na Pera Deformera u Petak?

Zašto da ne? Bićemo u kontaktu oko te ideje!

Već se nesputano radujem!!!

Ovo je svakako jedan od radova koji sam najviše očekivao ove godine:


An IFC Films/Sundance Channel (in U.S.) release of a Film En Stock production, in co-production with Egoli Tossell Film, StudioCanal, Cinecinema, TV5 Monde, BETV, the CNC, the Procirep and Angoa Intl. Sales StudioCanal, with the participation of Canal Plus, Arte France. (International sales: StudioCanal, Paris.) Produced by Daniel Leconte. Executive producer, Raphael Cohen. Co-producer, Jens Meurer. Directed by Olivier Assayas. Screenplay, Assayas, Dan Franck, based on an original idea by Daniel Leconte.

With: Edgar Ramirez, Alexander Scheer, Nora von Waldstatten, Christoph Bach, Ahmad Kaabour, Fadi Abi Samra, Rodney El-Haddad, Julia Hummer, Rami Farah, Zeid Hamdan, Talal El-Jurdi, Fadi Abi Samra, Aljoscha Stadelmann.

Bravura narrative filmmaking on a hugely ambitious scale, "Carlos" is a spectacular achievement. Tracing the rise and fall of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the Venezuelan terrorist whose pro-Palestinian activities earned him global notoriety in the '70s and '80s, Olivier Assayas' sprawling yet incisive three-part epic compacts some 30-odd years of history into almost six hours of thrilling, kinetic, psychologically revealing portraiture. Prestigious festival berths will drum up excitement for a picture produced for television but absolutely made for the bigscreen, set to be released Stateside by IFC in both its full version and a 2 1/2-hour cut this fall.

Ever the chameleon, Assayas makes another of his switchblade transitions here, moving from the humanist pleasures of "Summer Hours" to the biggest and, extravagant length aside, arguably most commercial canvas he's ever worked on. Result is a landmark contribution to the recent flush of movies devoted to '70s terrorism, including Koji Wakamatsu's "United Red Army," Uli Edel's "The Baader Meinhof Complex" and Barbet Schroeder's docu "Terror's Advocate" (which devotes a full chapter to Sanchez).

Dense in detail, rich in verisimilitude, displaying a focused grip on its material and fully trusting a smart audience to keep up, "Carlos" is, at 5 1/2 hours, a marvel of concision, and for all its nonstop globe-trotting and language-switching, its energy rarely flags; it's difficult to imagine a shorter edit as coherent as the world-premiere version presented at Cannes. (Pic will air in its entirety this month in Europe on Canal Plus and in the U.S. in October on Sundance Channel; the shorter cut will be available on-demand.)

Wisely skipping Sanchez's formative years and focusing instead on his career, Assayas adopts a rigorous procedural approach that's perfectly suited to the restless camera movements and crisp, intuitive editing that have characterized even those films of his that weren't action-driven. Working from a version of events that, as the opening titles announce, has been fictionalized for the screen, Assayas and co-scribe Dan Franck resist the temptation to glamorize an iconic murderer or explain away his psychology, though their panoramic vision packs enough telling details to offer audiences the proper view of their subject, as someone worthy of intense interest but little admiration.

Part one begins in 1973, as 23-year-old radical Sanchez (Edgar Ramirez) pushes his way into the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, led by Beirut-based militant Wadie Haddad (Ahmad Kaabour). Impulsive, impassioned and not a little sure of himself, Sanchez, smooth-shaven except for his very long sideburns, takes on the nom de guerre of Carlos ("the Jackal" is never mentioned); working under PFLP Euro chief Michel Moukharbal (Fadi Abi Samra), he quickly proves his mettle by spearheading a series of missions in London.

Staged with finesse and matter-of-fact bloodshed, these nerve-wracking operations include the Japanese Red Army's 1974 raid on the French Embassy in the Hague and failed attacks on an El Al jetliner, culminating in a tense scenario in which Carlos, cornered by French intelligence agents, is forced into decisive, violent action. Though the outcome establishes Carlos as a soldier to be reckoned with, Haddad chastises him for having become too much of a Western celebrity and warns him to exercise more discipline.

With Carlos having sprouted a beard and a gut to go along with his revolutionary ambition, the film surges ahead with tremendous urgency into its second and strongest segment, largely devoted to the December 1975 raid on a conference at OPEC headquarters in Vienna, an operation primarily funded and orchestrated by Saddam Hussein. Leading a commando consisting of Lebanese No. 2 Khalid (Rodney El-Haddad) and two German revolutionaries, Angie (Christoph Bach) and the murderously unstable Nada (Julia Hummer, frightening and intense), Carlos intends to execute the oil ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran, but the plan goes awry when their getaway plane is unable to reach its intended destination, Baghdad.

A brilliantly sustained tour de force, this hostage sequence is the glittering, galvanizing centerpiece of "Carlos," marking the man's most famous feat yet while also foreshadowing his downfall as he proves all too willing to waver in his commitment to his "anti-imperialist" cause. Ejected from the PFLP, Carlos decides to form his own organization and heads to East Berlin, where he joins forces with Stasi agent Johannes Weinrich (Alexander Scheer). He also steals Weinrich's revolution-minded wife, Magdalena Kopp (Nora von Waldstatten), in one of many scenes emphasizing Carlos' virility and sexual greed.

As the second chapter bleeds into the third, circa 1979, the picture devotes much time to laying out the extraordinarily complicated details of Carlos' Iron Curtain phase, which finds him based in Hungary and sheltered by Syria, smuggling weapons between Budapest and East Berlin. The bombings of a French train and a car outside an Arab newspaper office in Paris are among the atrocities swiftly covered here, mostly via actual news footage (which Assayas weaves in effectively throughout).

Though ostensibly at large and in charge, Carlos is increasingly constrained by the shifting geopolitical landscape and finds himself abandoned by one ally after another. By the end of the Cold War, this once-international militant is a man without a country, finally forced to lead a fugitive existence in Sudan. Part three reps the film's longest, least engrossing passage, but that's to be expected, given the nature of the antihero's slow, inevitable downfall.

It's also the passage that reveals the full shape of Carlos' true character -- high-minded yet corruptible, ruthless yet naive, a master manipulator ultimately outmanipulated by the vast network of interlocking political and financial interests in Europe and the Middle East. Assayas sprinkles moments of mordant humor throughout the film, pointing up the sheer absurdity of the man's delusions, never more so than when Carlos denounces capitalism in one scene and, several beats later, surprises Magdalena with a new Mercedes.

Himself born in Venezuela and fluent in five languages, the perfectly cast Ramirez (from "Che," Steven Soderbergh's very different portrait of a self-styled revolutionary) holds Carlos' many contradictions together in an indelible performance, maintaining a fearsome intensity through the first two-thirds before gradually draining away the charisma and athleticism (and piling on the weight); he's convincing at every age and every stage. The film is Ramirez's star-making show, but it's been well cast down to the smallest role; Kaabour and Hummer register with particular force, and von Waldstatten does well in a somewhat standard-issue role as the increasingly embittered wife.

An enormous logistical undertaking with more than 120 actors and a 92-day shoot across multiple countries, the French-German co-production was embattled at several stages, ironically if predictably, by politically complicated negotiations to shoot in countries such as Yemen and Sudan (Lebanon stood in for most of the Middle East locations). Nonetheless, the result is a seamless big picture with superior tech work all around; Yorick Le Saux and Denis Lenoir's widescreen 35mm lensing sparkles and sizzles, and the contributions of editors Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier, maximizing both clarity and momentum, cannot be overstated. Song choices amp up the atmosphere, especially in the '70s sequences.

For the record, Sanchez has reportedly objected to the picture on grounds of inaccuracy from La Sante Prison, where he is serving a life sentence.

Camera (color, widescreen), Yorick Le Saux, Denis Lenoir; editors, Luc Barnier, Marion Monnier; set designer, Francois-Renaud Labarthe; costume designer, Jurgen Doering; sound, Daniel Sobrino, Olivier Goinard; historical adviser, Stephen Smith; assistant director, Luc Bricault; casting, Antoinette Boulat, Anja Dihrberg, Nicole Kamato, Rosa Estevez. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (noncompeting), May 19, 2010. Running time: 330 MIN. (Part One: 100 MIN. Part two: 107 MIN. Part Three: 123 MIN.)


(English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Arabic, Russian, Hungarian dialogue)

Pogledao sam A SERIOUS MAN Braće Coen u fazi kada je moje interesovanje za njihov rad dostiglo apsolutni minimum. U stvari, ovo je bio film koji sam planirao da ne gledam, jedna onako bizarna, ezoterična komedija u kojoj oni planiraju da do ekscesa dovedu svoju trenutnu, meni potpuno besmislenu fazu.

Međutim, umesto toga, dobio sam film koji ih sasvim rehabilituje, i stoji kao nešto među najboljim u njihovoj čitavoj karijeri. A SERIOUS MAN je film koji uspeva u potpunosti da spoji sklonost ka bizarnoj komediji sa izvesnim formama istinske metafizike ili barem kontemplativnosti. Očigledno su Coenovi upravo u svom jevrejskom nasleđu koje je u osnovi ovog filma uspeli da nađu ključ koji će im omogućiti da po prvi put u karijeri snime film koji je istinski višeslojan i nema metafizičku postavku na nivou stonerskog vica.

Ritam filma i Deakinsova vizuelna koncepcija su praktično perfektni. U epohi kada je rekonstrukcija pedesetih i šezdesetih postala deo mode, Coenovi snimaju film u kome se šezdesete fetišizuju na jedan fundamentalan način pre svega kroz siustema vrednosti koji opstaje na površini ali je suštinski potpuno korodirao te shodno tome omogućuje da se apsurdnost mitskih matrica koje dopunjuju veru glavnog junaka dovedu do ekscesa.

Film se otvara jednom apsurdnom prićom iz jevrejske tradicije od koje se očekuje moralna pouka jer je narativ tako uspostavljen a dobija se paradoks i kasnije se rako razvija i priča među junacima koji su odgajeni u tom duhu i sada treba da prihvate kako im vera neće dati konkretan odgovor.

Odličan dodatak svemu tome je i profesija glavnog junaka koji je profesor fizike i kome su apsurdi, paradoksi i entropija svakodnevni posao.

A SERIOUS MAN je jedan od onih filmova o kojima se sjajno može teortetisati društvu čak i bez upotrebe psihoaktivnih supstanci. Iako svakako nije prvi film te vrste ikada snimljen, sigurno je prvi film Braće Coen koji je meni ostavio takav utisak i pružio toliko višeslojan užitak.

A SERIOUS MAN je odličan companion piece za čitanje Žižekove knjige ON BELIEF jer zapravo dosta govori o psihoanalitičkoj dimenziji vere.

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Odličan film, bez sumnje.

Serious man je najbolji film za diskusiju koji sam gledao u ovom veku. Potencijali za razmishljanja i promishljanja su gotovo beskrajni.

Dobro je. Nisam usamljen.

Dir: Olivier Assayas. France 2010. 319mins.

The life, times and decline of a notorious figure are depicted in forensic detail and massively ambitious scope in Carlos, a hugely compelling if unwieldy three-part fictional biography of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, the terrorist and revolutionary. Better known under his nom de guerre Carlos and - though the name is never used here - the media sobriquet 'the Jackal', Sánchez was a legendary headline-grabber in the 1970s, notably for taking hostage the delegates of an OPEC conference in Vienna and for a number of killings, for which he is currently serving time in France.

    Compellingly serious, Carlos presents us with a very different era, politically and culturally.

Based on extensive research, the film nevertheless advertises itself in its opening titles as a fiction - partly because grey areas remain in Carlos's biography - but comes across as a serious attempt to explore the career, motivations and personality of a figure who not only stands as an icon of a certain period of terrorism, but also represents many of the contradictions and complexities of modern international politics.

In Cannes, Carlos was shown out of competition in Cannes in its entirety, making for an only sometimes gruelling experience - notably in the final stretch, which flags slightly as Carlos's career goes into decline and finally exhausted stasis. But the film was never intended to be seen in one marathon sitting. It is a three-part drama made for television - it was screened simultaneously with its bow on Canal+ - but is intensely cinematic and narratively driven.

It has definite potential for theatrical exposure, following extended two-part dramas on similar iconic figures (Steven Soderbergh's Che, Jean-François Richet's Mesrine), but might profitably be rejigged for cinemas - trimming and rearranging as a two-parter could be done without overdue compromise. In its full version, Carlos should find international television sales and ancillary success, plus festival exposure as one of the year's major screen events.

The film shows Assayas switching with brio from his more familiar intimate mode (such as Clean, Summer Hours), without overtly playing the genre games of Demonlover or Irma Vep. Carlos comes across as a detached imaginative reconstruction, somewhat in the vein of The Battle of Algiers and Paul Greengrass's United 93.

A hugely complex internationally-shot undertaking, the film not only skips locations with happy-go-lucky verve - Paris, London, Budapest, Beirut, Khartoum et al - but features dialogue in several languages including French, Spanish, English, Arabic and Hungarian, all apparently delivered with equal fluency by lead actor Edgar Ramírez.

Despite the three-part structure, the film is more of an organic whole than Che. The first section covers the rise of Venezuelan-born Sánchez in the 1970s, his enlistment with the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and a series of exploits including his involvement in the Japanese Red Army's assault on the French Embassy in the Hague. Part two, dramatically the tightest, shows Carlos leading a hijack of OPEC delegates and his subsequent flight with hostages on a DC9. Final third shows Carlos in decline, as he becomes less an active militant, more a mercenary entrepreneur and a hunted celebrity, constantly on the move.

Compellingly serious, Carlos presents us with a very different era, politically and culturally, but never adopts the somewhat ironic, stylised attitude to the recent past that marked Mesrine and the 2008 German film The Baader-Meinhof Complex. Assayas and co-writer Dan Franck, using research by Stephen Smith, treat Sanchez's career with journalistic seriousness, rather than adopting genre trappings - although the action scenes, executed with brisk urgency, exude thriller panache. There are incidental low-key comic touches, as the film deals with a now unimaginable period of casual security - a time when it was possible to waltz into OPEC headquarters unsuspected, while dressed in full Che Guevara regalia, beret and all.
A virtuoso editing feat of editing, the film skips propulsively between locations, using on-screen captions to introduce its multifarious dramatis personae - better-known figures including then-KGB chief Yuri Andropov, Sheikh Yamani and notorious lawyer Jacques Vergès.

Alongside Carlos, key figures include his sidekick Johannes Weinrich (Scheer) and the latter's girlfriend Magdalena Kopp (von Waldstatten), who becomes Carlos's mistress. Christoph Bach also impresses as ideologically and morally conflicted cell member Hans-Joachim Klein, aka 'Angie', with Ahmad Kaabour as Carlos's PFLP boss Wadie Haddad, a constant in a labyrthine narrative of shifting allegiances.

The film never romanticises Carlos, although it depicts his own increasing tendency to romanticise himself: Sanchez appears as a complex, authoritative figure, horrifying but ultimately unknowable. His polyglot skills and protean appearance - from 1970s hipster to Che clone to paunchy mustachioed businessman - emphasise his elusive nature. Strictly covering two decades, early 70s to early 90s, the film doesn't pretend to offer a back-story, although in a brief interview scene, Sanchez claims that he inherited Marxism in his blood. The film explores the applications of his adaptable, pragmatic Marxism, which variously takes in allegiances with the KGB and Saddam Hussein, while would-be freedom fighter Weinrich is happily in bed with East Germany's Stasi.

At the film's centre is an extraordinary performance by Ramirez, who plays Carlos as a charismatic, authoritative and deeply dangerous figure, plus a hardcore womanising macho. It's a reserved, tightly controlled performance, Carlos only starting to lose his cool when his OPEC exploit starts going wrong. In part 3, living in permanent nomadic exile, his frenetic shoutings-down to his circle wax positively Hitlerian.

There are only a few awkward moments: notably, the initial bedroom encounter between Carlos and Kopp, when the film momentarily slips into the generic spy-sex mode that Assayas explored in his meta-genre exercise Boarding Gate. The film slightly runs out of steam in Part 3, where the drama is slowed down by excessive exposition and little decisive action - although it is part of the narrative logic to show Carlos's life getting mired in stasis. The final build-up to his apprehension in Sudan by French security forces is a nail-biter.

Carlos ultimately comes across less as a character study than as a history lesson in the best sense, and proves one of the most achieved docu-fiction undertakings in recent cinema. Archive TV material is used sparingly, to good effect, as is punchy guitar-based rock, notably by Wire.



Production companies: Film en Stock, Egoli Tossell Film
French distribution: Studio Canal
International sales
: Studio Canal, (3) 1 71 35 35 35
Screenplay: Olivier Assayas, Dan Franck
Producer: Daniel Leconte
Cinematography: Yorick le Saux, Denis Lenoir
Editors: Luc Barnier, Marion Monnier
Production designer: François-Renaud Labarthe
Main cast: Edgar Ramirez, Alexander Scheer, Nora von Waldstätten, Ahmad Kaabour, Christoph Bach