ÖRÖKBEFOGADÁS

Hungary. Directed by Márta Mészáros, 1975.

Date: Sep 20th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Home, Tampere.

And here's another adoption story. It's settled in communistic society. Kata is over 40 years old and would like to have a child. The man she is seeing is already married and doesn't want to make anymore children. The life is very grey. Kata gets to know a young teenager girl Anna who is popular with boys. The two different-aged women sense some kind of connection in their relation to men and their wants. I don't think adoption here serves only an allegory of socialism; Mészáros's directing gives a very insight look into women's world. The disappointing conclusion of the eagerly waited dance night, where most of the women start to cry or become otherwise depressed, is unique. In contrast György Kovác's music is almost charming. I wonder is there a soundtrack existing? And what will be the future of Mészáros on dvd markets? I've sometimes used her as an example of the directors who might face the forgetting. Or has she faced it already? This film started a series of her films on Yle Teema. But what about sales? Even though art cinema has benefited more from the dvd age than the past video era, we can see the Iron Curtain still standing there so strongly. ****

NORDESTE

Directed by Juan Diego Solanas, 2005.

Date: Sep 19th, 2005. Format: Film. Surrounding: Niagara, Tampere.

Adopting a child is a useful theme to sort out ethic and existential differences of the western and, for example, the south american culture. Here we meet a French business woman who wants to have a baby. We don't get the exact reason why she particularly wants or has to adopt it. So, she flies to Buenos Aires with a serious aim to come back as a mother. I read that the director (son of Fernando Solanas) has lived both in Paris and Argentine. It's seemingly his advantage in portraiting believable characters. There is a satisfyingly calm parallel in Solana's discurse when he is depicting both Helene's ambition to become a good mother for a helpless baby and a poor single parent Juana's battle to sort out a better future for his soon pubertetic son in some place else. The two women become friends, and what Helen has to face in her helping hands, is her naivity and awakening to become responsible. Carole Bouquet played the lead part. I don't think I've seen her since she sat secretuflly in the boat in Buffet Froid's (1979) ending. She and Aymará Rovera as Juana played together well. There was a sensible dignity around them, and it seemed it wasn't only floating between the characters. I'm not sure about the end twist at the hospital's corridor, it lacks some emotional power in the tradition of storytelling. But this is a peaceful picture of how worlds collide, and how we are forced to learn and leave our selfish dreams if we want to be a part of the process. ***½

THE STING

Directed by George Roy Hill, 1973.

Date: Sep 19th, 2005. Format: Dvd. Surrounding: Tampere.

Among American directors of the 1970's, George Roy Hill must be the one who best goes under the term "quality entertainment". This is an extremely oldfashioned con men film, but still, it's stylish and enjoyable. There is a wonderful epic sense of innocent times, sort of grand illusion, which can only be created in film art. It doesn't even try to be realistic. I wasn't first very hooked on Scott Joplin's ragtime music used in the film, but in the end I started to like it. I can imagine how some left-wing radicals criticised this film in the 1970's because the tendence of criminality is so nostalgic and the film doesn't try to say anything abouts the facts of society. This is a bit like chaplinisque daydream of the past. It actually reminded me of one children's book of the Tammen kultaiset kirjat series. There was a little boy who was out in the streets and played with a ring. If someone knows the name of the book, i'd be delighted to know. ****

UTAMARO O MEGURU GONIN NO ONNA

Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, 1946.

Date: Sep 18th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Tampere.

A portrait of the artist, Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), whose style is called bi-jinga i.e. to paint beautiful women. Troubles come when his models want to be his mistresses too. He loves them all, but every model would like to own her love. It's an interesting study of passion to create and passion to love, and how difficult it is to stay alive with both of them. I found Mizoguchi's directing a bit too stabile at times. There is a wonderful scene where we see lots of women standing in a long line, and then they start to run fast to take off their kimonos and go to swim in the pool. Utamaro has an eye on one of them. It would be interesting to know how an artist who worships feminine beauty so straightforwardly in his/her works would be responsed nowadays. It might be only refreshing if some modern painter would immortalize beautiful women as sensually as Utamaro. For example, to woodblocks, like he does - why not? This film was a start for the series of Mizoguchi's films on Yle Teema. I've seen already O'Haru and Ugetsu which come next, but I try my best to watch them again. ***½

JURASSIC PARK

Directed by Steven Spielberg, 1993.

Date: Sep 18th, 2005. Format: Dvd. Surrounding: Tampere. Previous views: Oct 1994.

I've never been a big fan of dinosaurs. In 1986 I was going to the new Dinosaur Park in Mikkeli, but it wasn't opened yet. After that family trip I started to think that dinosaurs suck. Later on, in the preceding summer I went to upper school, Jurassic Park and Cliffhanger were the two hit movies of the season. Didn't go to see either one of them. However, now, 12 years later, this soft digital Spielberg film brings some important memories. In the fall 1994 me and my very close same-aged friend used to take days off from our schools. Once we were just hanging around in the central Tampere and then, for some reason went to the video film store Elokuva-aitta and decided to rent Jurassic Park. We went to watch it to his home, and while the film was played I remember I was eating a lot of layer cake which was found from their refridgerator. Pre-historical attraction in the theme park, suited for the whole family, bored us pretty well. To me those times were quite happy and harmless, sort of like first "taking life to own hands" experiences. A little like how Charles Ryder experienced it in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. What I couldn't really see was that my friend was going quite confused, because in the preceding summer his parents were divorced and his mother had moved out to a new town. He started to take more and more days off from school, and eventually got fired from there. Eventually, we both ended up in the same evening school, for a little different reasons, though. Tragically, this friend died last November in a traffic accident and was survived by his girlfriend who was eight months pregnant. They were waiting for their first baby. We weren't so close anymore but it was shocking news, because in our most troubled times in the past (I had mine too) we shared almost everything and now his life was getting better, he was becoming a father to a child... I actually went really nuts about the whole terrible situation, because what happened to me on the side was the sudden waking up to admit that my own private life as a film enthusiast and a workaholic had been running on empty so many years. So, Jurassic Park, as lousy movie as it is, brings a memory from the very unique friendship we once had. We could have chosen a more inspiring film, though. **½

JAWS

Directed by Steven Spielberg, 1975.

Date: Sep 17th, 2005. Format: Dvd. Surrounding: Tampere. Previous views: Feb 1992.

I remember myself visiting a movie poster store in London in 1990 and admiring a very very large Jaws poster, thinking, how in the hell could I carry that to aeroplane. I really didn't know that posters can be THAT big. And I hadn't even seen Jaws then, but always liked that then already legendary poster. What happened was that I somehow felt myself disappointed, got angry and mad and walked fast out of the store to just go with the stream. My mother and brother lost me for a while, got worried and rushed after me.. What might have happened if I would have just keepen on walking? Where would I be now? I was 12 years old and quite helpless, so I stopped and they catched me very fast.

There were certain films on television in the late 1980's which were talked a lot next day in school. Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, for example. And Jaws. I never watched these kind of films for some reason or even asked a permission to watch. Don't know why, maybe I was protecting myself from something. Then, later, when I watched Jaws on video, I was quite surprised how far it was from that what I had thought. It felt almost realistic film about shark! It's still my favorite of those Spielberg's blockbuster films which try to shock audiences. Especially I like the brilliant beach sequences. The audience is sensing the threat somehow, but the people in the film are just having fun, enjoying themselves and their swimming bodies, and then it happens so suddenly; the teeth meets the flesh and the water meets the blood.. So anonymously and naturally. Robert Shaw's death is almost unbelievable shock still in these days. I like the theme music, but profoundly speaking, how truly effective thriller this would be without John Williams' adventurous score.. Spielberg should have also used the scene where that one man is in the teeth of the shark and vomits blood but is still carrying a child in his hands to safe. He thought it was too sick.

Making film history as the first real blockbuster film, Jaws got a special treatment from me. I made an honour to it by drinking Coke and eating chips, which I do very very rarely. Only usually when watching Oscars of Finnish elections.. ****

DENNIS HOPPER: CREATE (OR DIE)

Directed by Henning Lohner & Ariane Riecker, 2003.

Date: Sep 16th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Tampere.

The first time I saw Dennis Hopper he played a part in Rebel without a Cause, but didn't get much notion from me then; we all know there's a reason for that. He really stucked into my mind as Frank Booth - the man, who "fucks anything that moves" - in Blue Velvet. It's obvious that the previous generation got the same effect from his "free like a bird" role in Easy Rider. This is quite ok documentary about this ultracool cult actor, overlooked director, manic art collector and unknown golf player. The start is actually quite striking. Hopper, expressing himself as powerfully as in his roles, divides people to those who create and those who just live. The simple question, which solves the group you belong to, is: Would you die if you didn't have the possibility to create? We understand immediately in which group Hopper belongs to, but then we have to think really hard about our own destiny as his life starts to roll in the film. Hopper has made his way without compromises or caring what other people think about him. The man himself enjoys his role as the subject of portrait, but there are other talking heads too. Wim Wenders has a nice memory from the shooting of Der Amerikanische Freund. Hopper arrives at Germany straight from the jungle of Apocalypse. Now, and is still living deep there in Coppola's vision of war. For example, he is still lugging those three cameras... I don't know what is the connection between Hopper and Bryan Adams, but the presence of this conventional Canadian pop star seems quite crazy in an honorable portrait of an artist who has broken all the conventions we might think. ****

THE CLITORIS - FORBIDDEN PLEASURE

Directed by Stephen Firmin & Variety Moszynski, 2003.

Date: Sep 15th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Tampere.

It's sweet to see there is a reverent documentary made about one certain body part of human beign. They say that clitoris is the only part of human body which exists only for pleasure. It's a privilege of women which has made many men, i guess more jealous than anything. Even male-dominated science at its most powerful times was frightened of clitoris because they weren't able to find any "practical" function for it. Of course it's a well-known fact that the sexuality of woman was a big taboo for a long long time. Clitoris particularly seems to have saved the secrets of its sensitivity to these days. That's not necessarily a bad thing. This open-minded film seems to been made for educational needs, and all the time there's a big danger that the tender thing is going to be trivialized. But the film survives well, we deal with the essence of life here. ***½

GEORGIA

Directed by Ulu Grosbard, 1995.

Date: Sep 11th, 2005. Format: Dvd. Surrounding: Tampere.

Many have ignored this drama of two different sisters, just because they ignore the music it includes. Music is not the main key to this music drama. The more interesting character here is Sadie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is quite lost in her hang-around life. Her big sister Georgia (Mare Winnigham) is a successful C&W artist, and Sadie would like to sing in public as well. But she doesn't have enough skills. Still, she sings in bars, mainly Georgia's songs in a more punk way. Sadie is now facing the demands of of growing up, getting rid of too tight family ties, and how to find herself and become independent. The scheme is familiar to all of us, but I found something special from it, because my big brother is also a gifted musician. I've played some instruments too, but never tried to follow his steps seriously, although my parents (especially my father) tried to find the equal skills from me. I liked especially the drums I got, but I was happy at "only" banging them; didn't have the ambition to learn to play. What Sadie does in singing, is just the same, but in the same time she really tries to be as good as - or even better than - her sister. And she believes, quite desperately, that she can. Sadie's akward, 9-minute guest performance in Georgia's mega concert is a truly overlooked triumph from Jennifer Jason Leigh. Why was Winningham nominated for an Oscar instead? What surprised me in this film was the ending, it can be interpreted in many ways. I find it actually pretty unidealistic for both sisters. What is success in music, really? ****

ARVO PÄRT, "24 PRELÜÜDI ÜHELE FUUGALE"

Directed by Dorian Supin, 2002.

Date: Sep 10th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Tampere.

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is celebrating (it might be this is not the best-fitting verb) his 70th birthday today. Yesterday there was a Pärt theme on Yle Teema, which is - by the way - the one and only somehow interesting tv channel today in Finland. Like so many other film buffs, me too was introduced to Pärt's minimalistic music in James Gray's (where is he by the way, now?) Little Odessa (1994), which I saw in the early 1996. But the real enthusiasm to his work started to grow on me in the spring of 1999, when I was living in my first rental apartment which was located in Ala-Pispala, Tampere. Every Sunday evening I usually listened to "space commander" Jukka Mikkola's Avaruusromua on Radiomafia channel. Then once he played the second part of Tabula Rasa. That same year I saw Pärt alive when his Orient & Occident had its first public performance in Tampere-talo in December and he was visiting there. This documentary gets of course a wide interest globally because Pärt's person is just as mysterious as his music. He is interviewed about the main thesis of his life and art, and his creative process is also been followed. We watched this with a friend of mine who is also quite keen on Pärt's music. After the document they send also two programmes linking with the subject, in the first one there was The Hilliard Ensemble performing - and explaining... ehhm.. - Pärt's music, and in the second one there was astounding - at times - Taiwanese dance group called Cloud Gate using Pärt and Chinese flute music. What touched me the most in this harmonic document was Pärt's memory of his childhood sundays (he was also born on sunday). He described perfectly the feeling I guess we all still have about that most different day of the week, and how enormously it every time changed the normal idea of daily life, which was taught to us. What comes to my mind from my childhood is that certain boring beauty when nothing really happens, and you can't change that fact even if you'd have the will and the energy. Everything should be peaceful and relaxing, but there are still some worries and questionmarks in the air, even if they are not talked aloud or even pointed out in any way. That complexed feeling is quite interesting, and no matter how much I give my support to the on-going cultural evolution that shops should be open on Sundays too, I am verry sorry for the generation which is born to this tradition, cause they will never understand the feeling of Sunday. Maybe they can find it from Pärt's music. *****

HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY

Directed by Phil Whitman, 1933.

Date: Sep 9th, 2005. Format: Television broadcast. Surrounding: Tampere.

Ehmm.. - the idea of John Wayne as a hero in a romantic comedy isn't actually so silly as it sounds. Really, the weird thing is that his skills in this genre weren't tried more often in the 1930's before John Ford eventually established his final status in Stagecoach (1939). Here Wayne is the drunkard son to a wealthy business manager, who needs a secretary... Wayne's character falls in love with a girl named Marion! So there's certainly some funny dialogue between them, but nothing special in narrative sense. That seems to be the problem in "someone has a secretary" films generally, and I don't mean only porn films. If I'd have to choose from this and Charles Martin's My Dear Secretary (1949) starring that other romantic hero Kirk Douglas, I'd watch this. **½

ATLANTIC CITY

Directed by Louis Malle, 1980.

Date: Sep 7th, 2005. Format: Video. Surrounding: Tampere.

I fell in love with the melancholic milieu and eerie atmosphere of Atlantic City five years ago in Sodankylä Film Festival where they screened Bob Rafelson's King of Marvin Gardens (1972) . Especially the (now in)famous boardwalk seemed to be like some closed path of American dream where wanderers have stayed waiting for someones (eh, the lost tourists) to rock their world. Through the eyes of the French director Louis Malle the town doesn't look much more alive, but his inhabitans do sense a little more hope, because they are beginning to understand the possibility to realize their past dreams together. Old gangster Burt Lancaster's and lonely waitress Susan Sarandon's lovemaking scene was cut from this version, which was broadcasted in Finnish television in 1991 (!). What a rude action. I'm absolutely sure it wouldn't make their relationship any harsher, only more touching. *****

VOZVRASHCHENIYE

Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2003.

Date: Sep 6th, 2005. Format: Dvd. Surrounding: Tampere.

I would have like to seen this from silver screen, but didn't have a chance during its theatre round. The story about the father and his two sons going fishing sounds almost too beautiful to be nothing else than an old yoghurt ad! But the result is far from that, because the boys are not so keen on their disturbingly distant father. Zvyagintsev is truly a promising director. His personal cinematic style shows up in a highly spiritual way as he pictures significant anecdotes which move human relationships. New Russian film is very rarely seen in Finland, but I hope this masterpiece will lead to a better future. *****

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS

Directed by Terry Gilliam, 1998.

Date: Sep 4th, 2005. Format: Dvd. Surrounding: Tampere. Previous views: Jul 1999, Aug 1999, Mar 2001.

So, this was already the 4th time I stole a ticket to this Hunter S.Thompson rollercoaster ride. I had a little temperature, which gave a certain extra effect to those restless, still extremely controlled hallucination scenes, which actually won't ever stop... Didn't find that bad plus. My favorite scene is when Thompson's lawyer tries his best to sell heroin to some upper class people who are sitting quietly in the backseat of the car which is driving by the side of our oddball explorers. Rest in peace, you guys. *****

BARFLY

Directed by Barbet Schroeder, 1987.

Date: Sep 2nd, 2005. Format: Video. Surrounding: Helsinki.

I had waited for a long time to see this Bukowski's self portrait, and now I think, it was the right choice to do so. As we watched this with a couple of friends after waking up in the morning from the same apartment and sharing the "day after" feeling, the mood was just perfect. Among our group, I had an honour to be the the only first-timer to see this alcohol-driving classic. Actually what happened was that we all started drinking again while watching it and then went to a local bar called Pub Pete to spend the afternoon (...for me it led to the evening too, and then by tram to some place I still don't know). Mickey Rourke is in a very good shape (I guess this "was" the role of his lifetime), but Faye Dunaway's charmingly bored woman is still the most interesting character in her mysterious humbleness. A real treat to watch during heavy drinking -occasions. ****½