THOROUGHLY MIFFED PART II: CHAPTER 4 - OPERATION KINOVERLOAD

Now I've gotten the shockers out of the way, the rest of this year's Melbourne International Film Festival was pretty damned fine. Seeing I've treated you to enough epics -- with the top ten still to come -- I thought I'd apply the Cliff Notes brush to the countdown, supplying slightly expanded versions of my Twitter reviews for films #42 through #11, for issues of economy and, well, reader interest. So, here we go:

THE (NOT-SO) DIRTY DOZEN [42-31]

42nd - ALPHAVILLE

This science-fiction/new wave art film pastiche is certainly bold, political and one of Godard's most accessible films (an oxymoron?), but hurt by its glacial pacing and packs in ideas (some intriguing, some overly obscure) at expense of all drama; by the last act you couldn't give a toss what happens to any of the characters, as they're all metaphorical constructs anyway.

41st - THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

This was my closing film of MIFF 2009... and, three months after I saw it, I'm still not sure what I thought of it. All I know is, I liked and disliked it in equal measure. Admittedly, I thought I was going to see a film about what it's like to be a high-class escort, and was instead treated to a treatise on what it's like to move among/break into/stay hooked into the Manhattan wealthy set during the Global Financial Crisis. Which is fine, I guess, but not exactly what I was looking for. Soderbergh chooses to play with time and give the audience carefully partitioned portions of our characters' -- escort Chelsea/Christine (Sasha Grey) and her personal trainer partner Chris (Chris Santos) -- lives, which works some of the time, and baffles at others. Sometimes I just wanted him to focus on telling the damn story as opposed to being clever and digressive. In fact, that's really the kind of film it is: engrossing at times, annoying at others. The film certainly is stylish, reflecting one of the film's key themes (surfaces) beautifully. Porn actress Grey is absolutely perfect for her character, with her cold, disaffected visage and carefully assembled look, and Santos is likeable and very effective. All in all, I found this a quintessential 5/10 film.

40th - HANSEL & GRETEL

Spooky/funny South Korean spin on Grimm is sumptuous looking -- the colour palette alone is stunning -- occasionally disquieting and most intriguing... but turns convoluted & soppy in the endless final third. The film is way overlong by a good 20-30 minutes.

39th - AN EDUCATION

Cute, if very stock standard, period coming-of-age picture helped by nice performances from an ace cast (particularly Alfred Molina, Peter Sarsgaard and new star Carey Mulligan) and some trademark Nick Hornby dialogue. It's a perfectly pleasant Sunday afternoon film, where no-one undergoes any seismic change and nothing particularly dramatic occurs. Purely a fun, genteel diversion.

38th - CHE PART 2

Fine, but a bit thin; a stark contrast to the occasionally overstuffed Part 1. This entire chapter is a catalogue of Guevara's failed Bolivian campaign, which seems -- here, anyway -- like a small story stretched to snapping point. Soderbergh's intimate yet strangely distant approach to the first half of this chapter doesn't help, but the final battle and Che's capture are absolutely gripping. The major issue I have with both films, but particularly this one, which finds Che at his lowest point, is we rarely get a look at his dark side. Soderbergh's film shows him as an occasionally stern, yet mostly patient and logical man who was a martyr for the cause. All true, I'm sure, but you don't get to be an expert guerilla warrior and revolutionary by being an all-round nice guy. Guevara may have been a great man, for sure, but I'm equally certain he was no saint.

37th - SHADOW PLAY: THE MAKING OF ANTON CORBIJN

A comprehensive look at the career of ace photographer and director Anton Corbijn, if not so much his life. Prone to wandering into digressive anecdotal territory rather than real discovery, but quite entertaining all the same.

36th - LITTLE JOE

A nice, intimate, very lo-fi biodoc on Warhol star Joe Dallesandro, who seems like an affable blue-collar guy who only wished the work were better. A must for Warhol Factory devotees.

35th - MUM AND DAD

An often tough-to-take kidnap/torture pic, more extreme than expected. (One scene in particular is truly shocking, and retch-inducing, in what is depicted.) Very British -- think Fred and Rosemary West -- extremely perverted, rather effective on its own terms and not without humour.

34th - THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE

A perfectly fine, late fortysomething coming-of-middle-age dramedy, with Robin Wright Penn as the title character, a woman looking back at her life, which breaks up into very distinct thirds -- perfect daughter, wild child, perfect wife, and wondering who the "real" Pippa Lee is. Beautifully observed and rather cutesy in equal measure. The starry cast is terrific, including a very effective Keanu Reeves.

33rd - MURCH: WALTER MURCH ON EDITING

Basically a filmed lecture on editing from a master of the form, who spends the entire film dispensing wisdom and anecdotes direct to camera. It's very much a filmed lecture for those of us not lucky enough to study at a California film school, and on that level works brilliantly. As a documentary, it isn't much chop, looking as if it were shot & cut in an afternoon, but Murch's insights are essential.

32nd - THE BURROWERS

Here's a unique genre hybrid: the Western Monster Movie! What nasty monsters they are, too; stinging their victims, inducing living paralysis, then burying them -- alive! -- until it comes time to feast upon the, uh, softened carcass. The cast is full of terrific cult actors, principally the LOST trio of William Mapother (LOST'S Ethan Rom), Clancy Brown (the show's pre-Desmond hatch dweller, Kelvin) and Doug Hutchison (the Dharma Initiative's Horace), who are all terrific. Once you acclimatise to the unique backdrop, the execution feels like a fairly standard monster movie... but there's MUCH fun to be had, and the very last scene in the film -- not the standard face-off, but the postscript, if you will -- leaves a wicked aftertaste. The film isn't perfect by any means, but marks writer-director J.T. Perry as a talent to keep an eye on.

31st - DOGTOOTH

Profoundly bizarre, confronting tale of three twenty-something siblings kept from the world, in perpetual adolescence, by their parents. The MIFF program described it as Big Brother via Lars von Trier, which is actually a pretty accurate setup. I suspect this film has a great deal on its mind -- from making statements about the fearful way many people see the world today to the dangers of censoring/hiding the darkness of humanity, and how that can result in an equal, more insidious darkness -- but, I'll be frank: it also concentrates a great deal of energy on grossing us the fuck out. A incredibly acquired taste, but plenty of food for thought for those who want to try it on.

A FEW GOOD MEN (AND WOMEN) [30-21]

30th - BLACK DYNAMITE

Starts as a hilariously pitch-perfect Blaxsploitation satire, Michael Jai White is pitch perfect as the titular hero, the music is wonderful (you'll be singing the "DY-NA-MITE! DY-NA-MITE!!" sting for days afterward), and is shot in the identical style of a Blaxsploitation film... so what's not to love? The rot sets in when, about halfway to two-thirds in, the film becomes all too aware of what it is, and starts throwing out lame post-Zucker Brothers jokes which dated around the time of the HOT SHOTS films. Director/co-writer (with White) Scott Sanders has clearly strived so hard for verisimilitude, why not keep it going? Disappointing to see it go out like that, but the first half contains some of the biggest laughs I've had at the movies all year.

29th - YAKUZA EIGA

Fascinating doc on the background & conflicted, ever-changing relationship btwn the Japanese film industry & the Yakuza.

28th - MOTHER

A beautifully plotted & directed thriller, from South Korean auteur Boon Jong-Ho (THE HOST, MEMORIES OF MURDER) about an overprotective mother whose only son -- an attractive but mentally challenged young man -- is accused of murder, and the lengths she'll go to prove his innocence. The film is elegantly made, is always engaging, has some nice twists and a powerhouse lead performance... but it didn't really connect with me. I felt like I was on the outside looking in the entire time, and I'm not sure why that is.

27th - FISH TANK

Effective UK realist drama with intelligence & heart, but takes a little too much time getting into gear. Performances are excellent, particularly by lead actress Kate Jarvis and the always terrific Michael Fassbender. Beautiful ending.

26th - RED RIDING 1983

Closes this terrific UK crime trilogy with suspense, class & power (if a little drawn out). Smart AND thrilling, although slightly dumbed-down from the two proceeding chapters, but it's great to have a payoff. See all three for a intriguing story, a horrifically insidious antagonistic (police) force and the UK's very best actors on display.

25th - THE WHITE RIBBON

Evokes a pastoral, pre-World War I Austrian village where insidious inhumanity is passed down from each generation to the next. Contemplative examination of humans struggling -- in very small, everyday ways -- between good and evil, gorgeously shot in stark black-and-white, but LONG.

24th - IT CAME FROM KUCHAR

An affectionate look at the eccentric underground filmmakers, filled with hilarious clips & conversations.

23rd - WHITE LIGHTNIN'

A hillbilly's (true!) odyssey thru love, revenge & addiction is nutty Applaichian gothic; loses steam near the end.

22nd - IN THE LOOP

A searingly funny -- and appropriately convoluted -- political backroom farce, based upon the UK comedy show IN THE THICK OF IT, with enough profane pop-culture-themed insults to flay a small nation. Peter Capaldi's campaign manager Malcolm Tucker is a rage-fuelled force of nature.

21st - THEATER OF WAR

All-star Brecht revival documentary is an engrossing look at theatre history that'll stoke your inner artistic revolutionary. Inspiring stuff.

HOT SHOTS [20-11]

20th - CHE PT. 1

Handsome, highly absorbing kickoff to Soderbergh's epic bio, if a little overstuffed with characters, events & time jumps. I do like the way this first film is broken up, though: through his United Nations address, we get the philosophy, through his actions in the Cuba campaign, we get the leader, the strategist, the warrior. Del Toro is predictably terrific as Guevara, but, as with Part Two, this project should've explored the revolutionary's dark side a bit more. A very good film which, with a little more willingness to be critical, could've been great.

19th - THE HURT LOCKER

Long-absent action director Kathryn Bigelow and writer/producer Mark Boal have fashioned a seemingly free-form series of gritty, undeniably tense, almost "day in the life" set pieces that gradually form a character study. Jeremy Renner is excellent in the lead; a career of playing villains of simmering intensity has prepared him well for this portrayal of an Iraq War bomb disposal expert. Bigelow directs the film with the perfect mix of high octane suspense and acute personal observation. (Some interesting cameo players pop up, too; thankfully never to the detriment of the film's reality.) To be honest, it could have done with some trimming -- 127 minutes is far too long for a film with this structure -- but it's very well done.

18th - RED RIDING 1974

This highly entertaining crime trilogy, based upon novelist David Peace's James Ellroy-esque reimagining of the Yorkshire criminal/law enforcement landscape in the mid-1970s to early 80s, kicks off with the story of a cub crime reporter (Andrew Garfield) who stumbles upon police corruption on an epic scale. Even as the film shifts from a wonderfully bleak, ZODIAC-style sleuthing drama to a cliched one-man-vs-system flick, it's still riveting. This first chapter is also one of the most GORGEOUSLY shot films I've seen this year.

17th - RED RIDING 1980

Swaps RR74's photogenic sheen for verite grit, as this hellish saga of police corruption continues to enthrall. The best chapter of the three narratively, as the always brilliant Paddy Considine plays a good, smart cop sent to clean up an evil that goes much deeper than even he can imagine. Really great stuff.

16th - TEARS FOR SALE

Bizarre Serb fantasy/comedy about two fiesty, glamourous women searching for virile men to take back to their impoverished, middle-of-nowhere village -- filled with equally glamourous women, but completely devoid of men -- is packed with outrageous style, an unhinged sense of humour & berserk energy. Unfortunately, once the second half gets underway, various character motivations do alarming 180 degree turns, seemingly just to keep the plot moving. It's the only real blight on what is otherwise a spunky, sexy, fiery and very Eastern European fable.

15th - BRONSON

Spiky, fiery, highly stylised crime biopic; makes no apologies for, or judgements on, its unrepentant subject's violent life. Tom Hardy is a revelation as Michael "Charles Bronson" Peterson, the man known as Britain's most violent prisoner; he's completely unrecognisable from any other role you may have seen him in (this is his CHOPPER, and the chief reason he's slated to be the next MAD MAX). You want an insight into the mind and motivations of this true-life loose cannon, you won't find them here. You want big, bold, operatic, satiric, punchy, witty fun, step right in.

14th - TYSON

An intriguing visual autobiography into the man's mind; director James Toback just plonks the camera on his old friend and lets him speak, then cuts it all together in a very slick, fast, appealing way. And because he's talking one on one with his old pal, Mike Tyson is incredibly frank, self-deprecating, a little "poor me" at times, but seems to take genuine responsibility for (most of) his missteps. One does emerge with an admiration for him for doing this, but at the same time, you don't know if things are ever going to really improve for him, even as he grows older; he's just so at odds with the world around him. The film is revealing, funny, conflicted & a little sad. Definitely worth seeing.

13th - HOME MOVIE

The premise is simple: a Lutheran pastor (Heroes' Adrian Pasdar) moves his wife, son and daughter to a small town to start a new church. Upon arrival, Pasdar's character, who is as much your typical daggy dad as a religious figure, insists on recording every family moment on his video camera. But the kids are acting rather strangely... and calculated... and, well, just damn creepy. I thought this held up the video verite horror genre fairly well, with precious few "Oh, they wouldn't take the camera there!" moments. You have to admire its craft, as it takes its time creating sustained tension, carefully and suddenly revealing subtle yet deeply disturbing behaviour by the children at delicious intervals. HOME MOVIE delivers dark humour, small shocks & the creepiest kids you ever did see.

12th - TROUBLED WATER

A tense as hell human drama of guilt & responsibility from Norway, about a man who is released from jail after murdering a child years before. The first part of the film is this reformed man's quiet struggle to make his way in the world again, while still haunted by his crime. Then, the film takes a surprising parallel track, which I won't reveal here... but it's a cracker. Save for one implausible moment toward the end, Erik Poppe's film pulses with painful reality and dramatic power. Track this one down.

11th - MOON

A deceptively simple sci-fi tale which struck me as entertaining yet unremarkable upon conclusion, yet whose true depth and poignance only hit me hours later. Well, the "unremarkable" isn't entirely true: Duncan Jones' film does display a constant willingness to create somewhat familiar sci-fi movie trappings then completely subvert them. What's more, Nathan Parker's script (based upon an original story by Jones) has a startling amount on its mind, and quite a bit to say about subjects both scientific and socioeconomic... to reveal more would be to divulge the film's secrets, and I'm not gonna be THAT guy. What I can talk about, however, is Sam Rockwell's amazing, Academy Award-calibre performance. This entire film is on his shoulders, and he rises to the challenge in a way that reaffirms how amazingly skilful this actor is. Both his performance and the film entire, are beautifully, subtly thoughtful.

Next up: My TOP TEN films of MIFF 2009... at last!!!